Public camping sites...

I went camping over the weekend with my in-laws. They live in one of those small towns where everyone knows each other. They went camping at a lake about 9 Miles from their house. I had never been to this lake, or camping with my in-laws for that matter, so I didn't really know what to expect. When I got there, the place was packed with RV's, there was not a single empty campsite in the place. When I go camping, I usually won't see another person for the length of the trip, so right off the bat, I was feeling crowded. Then, and this is the funniest part, every body at the campsite already knew each other! Most of them were from the same town even! So, here we were, visiting the in-laws, who were spending the weekend in an air conditioned RV, watching t.v., surrounded by all thier nieghbors! I just can't call that camping. It is more like the towns weekend at the lake. I haven't been to a public camping place in probably close to 5 or 6 years, and this experience at a state park with public camping really made me appreciate my way of camping that much more.

 

This is why I always choose a place which requires a boat to get to, and has some portages to eliminate the possibility of motorboats.

 

when ya live in a place that is as private an serene as where we live,, sometimes,, ya just wind up thinkin the same thing no matter where ya hike into..

hell to us,, the A.P. trail is a city..

Although i have to say sometimes we like crowds campin if there like minded,,..

ERGO the rainbow gatherin..

 

I don't think any of them were like minded, at least not with me. I watched this one guy catch his own fish bait, I have no problem with that, except that he caught a bull frog stretched it's legs back cut them both off at the froggy hips, then threw the front half of the frog on the ground and laughed as it tried to crawl away with it's front legs. He was pretty pissed off at me when I told him to put the frog out of it's misery. My wife and I being hippies, in a place like that......... we were like sheep among the wolves. I mean really, com'n people, If you're going to catch your own bait, or go hunting or fishing, kill the animal BEFORE you chop it into little peices. Also, I had to walk for about a mile just to smoke the good ole wacky tobacky

 

ermmmmmmmmm umm froggies fer bait are illegal numero uno,,,,, n um a fawkin bullfrog,,,, hmmmmm,,, you sure them fools knew how to fish ???

me bein me ,, i woulda went n stomped the frog to death then taken a knife n took yer um ppls lil fingers one by one and cut them off ..

altho gotta say lil frogs as bait are great bass n walleye catchers,,,, atleast i just threw the whole frog on the line didnt mangle the poor lil fukker up...

 

I'd feel real uncomfortable with that many people around when I'm camping. Camping is supposed to be about getting away from it all. "It all" being TV, flush toilets, phones, and yeah, people. Obviously not the people I'm camping with, but even then, I camp in small parties, 2 -5 people tops. Crowds would not only piss me off, but really throw me off. And RV camping? That's not camping, not even remotely. That's sight-seeing.

 

Many public campgrounds suck! If youre in a landscaped site full of RVs and vending machines, that aint camping! At least theres still some places - mostly out west in the US, where you can drive in a trail or dirt road and camp for free in the real wild. Luxury camping aint for me. The showers are about the only plus - but even in those public campgrounds I usually go to the bathroom in the woods rather than use the public toilets. Cleaner anyways!

 

The places I like to camp are the places where nobody really goes. The spot I usually go to is kind of a public area, but no body really goes there, and the ones who do, never come back into the woods far enough to even know I'm there. I agree that the RV camping isn't really camping. I like doing the "work" part of camping. Usually I get to where I am going, then I let the dogs go run for about an hour While do things like pitch the tent, build the fire ring, clean the stick and ect. from our grounds. Then the dogs come back and we all go collect fire wood together. I enjoy lighting my fire with a match. When you can light a fire with one match and it burns perfect, it makes yu feel good. Dumping gas or starter fluid on it, then throwing a match from a few feet back is just not right. Half of these fuckers don't even know how to stack the wood in the fire. Just throw all the wood in, mix with a cup of gas, throw in match and poof... insta-fire.

 

^I hear ha man, I camp the same way, basically. Same ethic, anyways. The site may (or may not) be public, but it's always secluded, where few people go. Yeah, the "work" of camping is one of the most fulfilling parts, it's really getting out there rather than just moving the "establishment" into nearer proximity to nature.

 

problem where we live here on the mtn is that very few places are as secluded or quiet as it is here,,,, so when we do go to places that are around we rarely think it is worht the effort of packin n goin someplace and so often the few folks that do go to the places we go are plain idiot sticks.... so we just move around the land here n when we have folks around the property it is kinda kewl...