| Camping
Tips
 Cooler
Tips -
Coolers, because they seal tightly, are great for keeping coolness in and
bugs and animals out. Bring at least two: one for food for meals and one
for snacks and drinks. When packing perishables, place the large, heavy
items on the bottom; fill in the spaces with small, harder objects; and
then place light, delicate items such as eggs on the top. Cold-packs should
be placed at the top of the cooler, not the bottom, because cool air sinks.
Pack
foods that will be used for the same meal - such as cereal, pancake mix,
syrup, coffee, tea, and oatmeal-in the same plastic bag. They'll be easier
to find. Items used in more than one meal should be packed separately.
Foods that get soggy, are easily squished, must be stored upright, cannot
be shaken, or are sticky all have certain downsides on camping trips. If
you must bring them, be prepared. One final food packing tip: Don't forget
the marshmallows!
Silly Camp
Songs
Ain't Gonna Rain No More
Chorus:
Oh, it ain't gonna rain
no more, no more, it ain't gonna rain no more. It rained last week and
the week before, it ain't gonna rain no more.
Mary had a little lamb, so goes the tale of yore.
She loved that little lamb so much, she passed the plate for more.
A bullfrog sat on a lily pad, looking up in the
sky. He fell right off that lily pad, and got water in his eye.
Oh, a peanut sat on a railroad track, it's heart
was all a-flutter. Along came the 5:05 - Oops! peanut butter.
A cow walked on the railroad track, the train was
coming fast. The train got off the railroad track to let the cow go past!
I woke up in the morning, I glanced upon the wall.
The roaches and the bedbugs were having a game of ball.
The score was six to nothing,
the roaches were ahead. A bedbug hit a home run and knocked me out
of bed!
A doctor fell into a well and broke his collar
bone. We think that he should tend the sick and leave the well alone.
A farmer slipped on the old barn roof when rotten
boards gave way, And as as he fell, he shrugged and said, "It's time to
hit the hay." |
Gloves
- Gloves can
be very useful at the campsite, especially in your camp kitchen.
Get yourself a pair of heavy work gloves. You can use them as pot
holders, to pick up hot cookware, food, or even the grill, when cooking.
You can use them to to move logs in your campfire (with caution).
Also, use them to pick up kindling for making your campfire. They
are great for protecting your hands from heat as well as cold.
 Topographical
Maps - What is a topographical map,
you may ask? Basically, it is a map that shows elevation. Why do you need
one? If you are hiking, knowing the trail elevation is very important.
When planning your hike, make sure you have an accurate, up-to-date topographical
map before you head out.
Leave No Trace - Low
Impact Camping; No Trace Camping; Walking Softly in the Wilderness; Call
it what you will - it all means one thing - how can you lessen your impact
on the natural environment you are visiting? It is everyone's responsibility
-- including yours -- to learn how to walk softly in the wilderness. Read
all you can about the subject, then preach and teach what you have learned.
Together we can all make a difference toward sustaining a primitive wilderness
for the visitors of the future. We have not inherited the the wilds from
our grandparents, we are only borrowing it from our grandchildren ...
Photo Tips - Climbing and
Camping - Some of the most intimate and humorous
picture opportunities occur on climbing and camping trips. The scenery
is spectacular and worth documenting, but don't forget those happy
campers working up a sweat or cooking in the great outdoors.
People tend
to lose their self-consciousness and let their guard down on this kind
of trip, giving you a chance to take satisfying candid portraits.
Travel light
and have your camera handy at all times. Everything from wildlife to picnics
to "berrying" with your travelling companions will be worth documenting
as you march through the woods and up the hills.
Mountains
And Valleys - Going high into the mountains and looking down on the
valleys below can give you some of the most beautiful vistas in the world.
Mountains and valleys provide excellent opportunities to frame distant
scenes with objects in the foreground, which gives your pictures a three-dimensional
feeling.
You'll find
that seasons are quite distinct in the mountains, offering colorful wildflowers
in the spring; snow-covered trees in the winter; a carpet of green, rock,
and Indian paintbrush in the summer; and a riot of blazing colors in the
fall.
 |
When packing for a vacation in the mountains, always include clothes that
will be suitable for hiking and photographing in cold as well as warm weather.
You may run into weather extremes during whatever season you choose. Even
in summer, evenings can get pretty cold, and quite often there's a heavy
dew (or even frost) covering the ground in the morning.
Looking down into
valleys, you will find lots of trees and possibly foothills. In a scene
like this, the sizes of things appear to change, and their colors do as
well, as objects fade into the distance. Greens and blues tend to dominate
the environment. Try to find other colors to offset these tones, such as
a red barn on a hillside. Include wildflowers in bold and beautiful reds,
yellows, and oranges.
You can reduce haze
and reflections from nonmetallic surfaces and enhance color saturation
by using a polarizing filter. A polarizer will also darken blue skies photographed
at right angles to the sun. However, if you do use a polarizer, you must
increase your exposure by 11/2 stops. Adjust an automatic camera
manually, if possible, because the meter may not give you a correct reading
through the filter.
Most polarizing filters consist
of an outer ring and an inner ring. To get the effect you want, follow
this procedure:
USING A POLARIZING FILTER
1.For maximum
darkening of a blue sky, position yourself at a right angle to the sun
(one shoulder toward the sun) when the sun is fairly low in the sky.
2.If you have
a single-lens-reflex camera, attach the filter to your lens. As you look
through the viewfinder, rotate the outer ring until you see the effect
you want. With a non-SLR camera, look directly through the filter as you
rotate it. When you see the effect you want, keep the filter in the same
orientation as you place it over the camera lens.
3.Take the
picture! You can use a skylight filter (No. 1A) with daylight color-slide
films to reduce a bluish cast in pictures of scenic views and in photos
made on overcast days or in the shade. It requires no increase in exposure.
At higher altitudes,
where snow, rocks, and streams prevail, and the dwindling of color creates
an overall monochromatic landscape, find the texture of the scene, as well
as shadow play. Look for bold shapes and outlines that would make a striking
picture.
Lighting and
composition can be a challenge. Basic exposure in bright sunlight at altitudes
below 2000 feet is the same as for average scenes on the ground. At higher
altitudes (2000 to 4000 feet), use 1/2 stop less exposure; over 4000 feet,
reduce exposure by a full stop.
When photographing
your subjects in scenes that include snow, be careful not to get so close
in that dirty snow becomes obvious in the picture.
As in all locations,
experiment with camera angles. The more variety you bring to your pictures,
the better. |