Camping Season is Now Over

480sparky

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Sadly, last night was the finale of the camping season. I made the effort to get out and enjoy what will be the last nice night of the summer. 65°F during the day, and 50°F at night.

I made my own camp beef stew for supper, then just sat watching the fire for about two hours as the sun went down. Listening to hoot owls and distance coyotes while looking up at the stars and the waxing crescent moon. It was wonderful to step away from work and all the stresses that come with it.

The next morning, I slept in........... all the way until 6AM. But I didn't get out of my sleeping bag until 9. Hey..... I can be a totally lazy bum ONCE a year, can't I?!? After all, I was totally comfortable all snuggled up and staying cozy warm.

Making biscuits and gravy for breakfast, I enjoyed my hot meal in almost total isolation in the campground. I had one neighbor, and he was well over 200 feet away. As I was packing away all my gear and folding up the tent (with extreme sorrow doing so as I won't use it until next April), I noticed some motion out in the trees behind my camp. I went down the path leading away from my site into the trees to investigate. Two deer were casually wandering through.

I grabbed by camera & tripod and started recording. In the end, I got within 30 feet of them. They seemed wary of me, but didn't take flight. I probably could have gotten closer but my battery died.

 
Nice! They call what we do now "Glamping", all the comforts of home. I still have some fond memories of the old days in a tent. The last time in a tent was over 20 years ago, with my two sons at deer camp. Night time temperatures were dropping to 15 degrees and we had sleeping bags rated to 20 degrees. You'd think there would be some carry over on that 20 degree rating, but nope, at 19 degrees you freeze your A**! Had some old army blankets that we supplemented with, so we survived.
 
Sounds like a great trip.
 
Nice video. Cool you could get so close. Bet it was a great time.

Love camping. Doing it since I was a kid. Took my kids. Now I need a pad for the ground, but still bolt when needed. Deal with people every day. Sometimes I want to get away from them. All of them! Only got the chance 3 times this summer. REAL camping. I spent several weekends at my brother's cabin and at the hunting property. We have camping trailers there. Not the same.

There's something about camping. Maybe it's the primitiveness. Cooking over a fire. The meals you talked of are classics and awesome. I've got a nice collection of old cast iron to cook with, but even a "hobo dinner" thrown on the fire can hit the spot. Also like to catch fish and use them in meals.

It's a bad camping trip, if you come home and your clothes don't smell of smoke.
 
Nice video. A doe and her fawn.

Back in the day, I camped year round in the mountains of California.
Spring, summer, fall & winter.

I avoided Yosemite in the summer, instead favoring the fall months there.
In the winter and summer my buddy and I usually went to the Cottonwood Lakes/Cirque Peak area (10,000 ft) just a bit east of Army Pass/New Army Pass. The south face of Mt. Langley loomed to the north.
In the spring we were often at Tahquitz Rock and nearby Suicide Rock in the /San Jaciento Mountains above Idyllwild, CA.
 

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