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I recently had a cousin come visit me from Pennsylvania.  I was stunned when he informed me that back there people don't really go camping, and when they do its in some disgraceful excuse of a KOA campground.  This made me wonder how wide spread the practice of going out into the wilderness and camping is in America (and the world, for our foreign friends).  Going camping in the mountains during summer and even in the desert during winter is a proud tradition of many Californian families.  How is it in your part of the world?

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i used to love camping, but sadly i haven't been since i was a teenager. me getting my wife to go out into the woods, would be like getting a liberal to support sarah palin. growing up, i was well acquainted with the outdoors, and still carry a lot of that with me.

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Most people I know think camping involves rolling a big RV onto a cement slab and sitting there for the weekend.

While I do own a trailer for vacations, my favorite way to camp is to pack only what you can carry into the woods and stay for a few days. I wish I lived in one of our western states (Utah, New Mexico, Colorado) so that I could do the backpack trout fishing thing on a regular basis. I did a 4 dayer with a buddy of mine a couple of years ago. It was great.

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Originally Posted by Mark Simmons:
Most people I know think camping involves rolling a big RV onto a cement slab and sitting there for the weekend.

While I do own a trailer for vacations, my favorite way to camp is to pack only what you can carry into the woods and stay for a few days. I wish I lived in one of our western states (Utah, New Mexico, Colorado) so that I could do the backpack trout fishing thing on a regular basis. I did a 4 dayer with a buddy of mine a couple of years ago. It was great.

The longest backpacking trip I did was about a 4 day trip when we went to climb Mt. Ritter (13,149 ft).  It was a great trip!  If you're stationed back in California again I strongly recommend back packing in either Sequoia, Kings Canyon, or Yosemite NPs, or the Sierra National Forest.  From what I hear its much more remote than many of the areas in Colorado (although I'd love to do some hiking in the Rockies as well!).

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One of my friends has a boyfriend who's doing the appalachian trail at the moment - the whole thing is taking him something like 3 months. He apparently has some GPS tracker with him that she can check up on every day on some website to see where he is, and if she sees that he hasn't moved in 2-3 days, she's to call the authorities to go look for him :-P

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I used to love camping and hiking in the Smokys.  But im in no shape these days to do that anymore.

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Originally Posted by Kieran Colfer:
One of my friends has a boyfriend who's doing the appalachian trail at the moment - the whole thing is taking him something like 3 months. He apparently has some GPS tracker with him that she can check up on every day on some website to see where he is, and if she sees that he hasn't moved in 2-3 days, she's to call the authorities to go look for him :-P

I'd be afraid to do that, I've heard some of they stereotypes about the people in those mountains isn't too far off.

If I was in good enough shape (which I'm not even close to) and had the time/money I'd love to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail, which goes from the Mexican border in S. California to the Canadian border in Washington whilst cresting some of the highest points in the lower 49.  I've used very small parts of the trail going to other places, but the hole thing would be a feat.  The trail is 2,663 miles long, reaches a maximum elevation of over 13,000 ft, and takes 6-8 months to complete.  

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Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:

Originally Posted by Kieran Colfer:
One of my friends has a boyfriend who's doing the appalachian trail at the moment - the whole thing is taking him something like 3 months. He apparently has some GPS tracker with him that she can check up on every day on some website to see where he is, and if she sees that he hasn't moved in 2-3 days, she's to call the authorities to go look for him :-P

I'd be afraid to do that, I've heard some of they stereotypes about the people in those mountains isn't too far off.

If I was in good enough shape (which I'm not even close to) and had the time/money I'd love to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail, which goes from the Mexican border in S. California to the Canadian border in Washington whilst cresting some of the highest points in the lower 49.  I've used very small parts of the trail going to other places, but the hole thing would be a feat.  The trail is 2,663 miles long, reaches a maximum elevation of over 13,000 ft, and takes 6-8 months to complete.  

i'd be more afraid of the people in southern california, than appalacia ;p

and miles, 2-3 days? his ass could be getting eaten out by maggots by then.

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Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:

Originally Posted by Kieran Colfer:
One of my friends has a boyfriend who's doing the appalachian trail at the moment - the whole thing is taking him something like 3 months. He apparently has some GPS tracker with him that she can check up on every day on some website to see where he is, and if she sees that he hasn't moved in 2-3 days, she's to call the authorities to go look for him :-P

I'd be afraid to do that, I've heard some of they stereotypes about the people in those mountains isn't too far off.

Eh...you're ok as long as you dont start hearing the dulcet tones of a banjo drifting through the hills and hollows.

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Originally Posted by Dødherre Mørktre:


and miles, 2-3 days? his ass could be getting eaten out by maggots by then.

Hey, whatever he's into, eh?

:-P

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Originally Posted by Dennis Young:

Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:

Originally Posted by Kieran Colfer:
One of my friends has a boyfriend who's doing the appalachian trail at the moment - the whole thing is taking him something like 3 months. He apparently has some GPS tracker with him that she can check up on every day on some website to see where he is, and if she sees that he hasn't moved in 2-3 days, she's to call the authorities to go look for him :-P

I'd be afraid to do that, I've heard some of they stereotypes about the people in those mountains isn't too far off.

Eh...you're ok as long as you dont start hearing the dulcet tones of a banjo drifting through the hills and hollows.

I almost want to learn how to play so I can scare campers up in the hills.  I'd make for a really entertaining day at the lake!