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Favorite Hobbies - Camping

by: Peter Jay

One very popular hobby for many people is camping. I have gone camping many times throughout my life, in rain or snow, desert or forest. I have also camped on the banks of rivers, in snow caves, and in cabins. No matter where you go camping, your camping necessities may change a little, but the basics remain the same. You will need to stay warm. You will need shelter. You will need food to eat and a means to cook it.

The only places I have gone camping are in Utah, but there is such diversity in Utah�s climate and landscape, that I experienced a variety of different camping experiences. A camping hobby is great in Utah and other outdoor states. As I boy scout, I used to go on the Klondike every year. This was a winter campout in the Utah Mountains. It would get freezing up there at night. A couple of times when I went, I slept in a tent. The tent was freezing. A nice sleeping bag kept me warm, but the air was too cold to breathe. By morning my lungs felt like they had sand in them. My scout leader, another scout, and I got up a little early to make a fire, because we were so cold. The scout kept complaining about how his feet hurt all morning, until the sun came up and then we realized he had his boots on the wrong feet. I think every year that I went to the Klondike, I fell through the ice on the lake and got wet. The warmest I have been at the Klondike was when I built a snow cave to live in. You just make a large pile of snow and pack it down. Then you dig out the inside large enough for a couple people to sleep in there. If you just have a candle, it will stay very warm inside the cave. The snow acts as insulation to the cold air outside. Snowcaving should definitely be added to your camping hobbies list.

I have camped in the high Uintah Mountains of Utah. My grandparents have a cabin up there that we have stayed in often. Now that I am older, I am a much bigger fan of cabin camping. You can just light the wood burning stove to keep the whole cabin warm. We had an electric generator to have electricity in the cabin. It might not sound much like camping to some people. We were up in the mountains alone though, and cooked our food on a campfire and got our water from a spring.

I have also camped in other areas of the High Uintah Mountains, without a cabin. Once I went on a fifty mile hike through the mountains. It took us five days going ten miles a day. We had to carry our tents, sleeping bags and all of the necessary supplies for food and other things, through the mountains for five days. Which reminds me; do not ever let your mom pack your backpack if you are going on a trip like that, unless you want to carry whole boxes of cereal and other things that are not useful on a long hike. When I hiked to King�s Peak, the highest peak in Utah, my mom packed my backpack and once I got to our base camp, I found in my pack a large iron skillet to cook on that weighed a ton, a whole loaf of bread, a large jar of jelly and a large jar of peanut butter. To say the least, I was not a happy camper after I realized I had just lugged a cast iron frying pan up the mountain.

I have also camped in the deserts of Southern Utah. There is no end to the scenery and variety of landscape there, from arches to the Grand Canyon along with Goblin Valley to Lake Powell. There are also the large canyons with the Green River and the Colorado River carving through them. Find your camping gear at your online hobby store and more.

Peter Jay is the Owner/President and CEO of Variety Access � Your online hobby store and more. For more information about hobbies, hobby products, or Variety Access, go to www.VarietyAccess.com.

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Keys to Responsible Recreation in the BackCountry
by: Chuck Fitzgerald

Having a good time is pretty high on everyone�s to do list, especially when surrounded by awesome views and super-awesome friends. We hike, bike, climb, camp, raft, fish, hunt, four-wheel, sleep and eat � among other things � in the backcountry. If not done properly, that�s a lot of wear and tear on our natural resources. Responsible recreation ensures future outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors as you have. Without a recreation code of ethics, our backcountry would become a thing of the past. Here are some universally agreed upon keys for having a good time � the right way.

-Take only pictures, leave only footprints. If you carry it in, carry it out. This will eliminate litter.

-Protect water sources from contamination. Use bio-degradable soap, or try hot water soap-less dishwashing, bathing and clothes washing. When using soap (even bio-degradable) and toothpaste, dispose of the wastewater at least 100 feet away from natural water sources, well or faucet water sources.

-Be a good neighbor - control your noise and your pets. Always keep your dog on a leash no longer than 6 feet, and away from public swimming areas. Barking and not cleaning up after pets leads to many complaints from other outdoor enthusiasts. Do not leave pets unattended.

-Be respectful of the natural environment � keep the trees and shrubs alive and growing. Nails and wires should not be used on trees because they can cause serious damage to trees. Burn damage will permanently scar or kill a tree.

-When hiking or biking, stay on designated trails. This keeps damage to vegetation and erosion in one place.

-Before leaving your campsite, clean your fire pit and your campsite. Make it as clean as you would want it if you were arriving that day. The next user will appreciate it.

Leave-No-Trace, www.lnt.org, offers the following Principles for Outdoor Ethics: Plan Ahead and Prepare, Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces, Dispose of Waste Properly, Leave What You Find, Minimize Campfire Impacts, Respect Wildlife and Be Considerate of Other Visitors.

Here is the Tread Lightly!, www.treadlightly.org, pledge: Travel and recreate with minimum impact, Respect the environment and the rights of others, Educate yourself � plan and prepare before you go, Allow for future use of the outdoors � leave it better than you found it and Discover the rewards of responsible recreation.

Responsible recreation means having the common sense and the courtesy to enjoy the backcountry without spoiling someone else�s experience. Most outdoor enthusiasts understand this very well and spend a good deal of their time restoring, enhancing and conserving our backcountry. Have a good time when you�re outdoors, share these keys with your friends and use this information to Get It Right The First Time.

Get Outdoors!

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