Frolicking in the Forest

There are many things to consider when planning a camping trip. I was once told that it takes longer to plan a trip than the trip itself We've found this to be true on previous trips. To start with, where do you go, when do you go, how long do you go for, how do you get there, and lastly who do you take with you? Let's start with where. Most people jump in their car, hook up a camper, and head for the nearest parking lot next to some woods. This is good but where'the adventure, the open spaces, the wild animals going through your food locker for tasty tidbits.

When to go is vital. Anytime is great, sunshine would be nice, not to hot though. Insects need not be invited. Early spring or late summer seem to be best for avoiding these unwanted guests.

How long - In order to avoid camp fever (which I shall attempt to explain later) most people don't plan a trip any longer than a weekend. This is great if you camp near by. For the braver sort, a week or more is great.

How do you get there? Here we have many choices, including horse, donkey, lama, rickashaw, or bicycle. Driving is the most popular, but if you go into the back country, hiking is the way to go. If there is a river or lake near by, a canoe is helpful in carrying extra camp luxuries such as a cooler or a camp stove, and don't forget the fishing equipment.

. Now let's take a look at who to take with you. Are they cute, or at least good looking

but really doesn't matter. Can they keep up with you? Do they know first aid? Three years ago, I took my wife and kids on a splendid weekend campout and I again asked them to join me on a recent trip, but my wife mumbled something about sloshing six miles through mud and rain. Personally, I couldn't see what that had to do with camping. It's just mother nature's way of making things more adventurous. My next choice was John, a coworker who looks like a true mountain man. Having done extensive camping himself, plus owning a canoe big enough for us and our gear, the camp stove, cooler, camp chair with a cooler inside and some fishing equipment. I was sure to have a good time teaching him all my camping skills with all of this stuff in his canoe.

Several months in advance, we sat down to do some serious planning ... five n-dnutes later we had our agenda for the week planned out.

Our week begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning. Our destination? A camp high in the Adirondacks known as High Falls. By 3 a.m. we are on the road, and for the next six hours, our expectations are high despite the weather conditions. The previous week it had been raining on and off, and we had heavy thunder shows the night before.

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Our first day was gorgeous. We were up as early as 9:30 a.m.. After a hearty breakfast of mountain man flap jacks, we climbed the hill and skirted two of the larger beaver ponds. As we were crossing a treacherous beaver dam on the way back, we decided to bring the canoe up there and really get back into the woods. That afternoon, after our trail mix eating contest, we flipped a stick to see which one of us would bet stuck climbing the Hill with the canoe. Naturally I won the toss, being the expert stick tosser that I am. After a couple of hours of pok'n and prodd'n, John made it to the top. Later that evening, I rewarded him with a large plate of filed potatoes and onions with a side order of sausages.

After camp chores were finished, we sat around the camp fire gazing deeply into the glowing embers and wondered why the girls didn't want to come. It's a good thi'ng that they didn't though, that mouse would probably have really upset them. As we talked, I mentioned that it didn't seem like we did much. That was alright with John though, because he said that he needed some time to recuperate ftom our scenic cruise up the river.

Despite the roar of the falls, sleep came swiftly. Strangely enough, in the wee hours of the morning, the slightest sound of a raccoon pushing aside the tarp for a peek inside and a mouse stomping across our "kitchen shelf'brought us out of a deep sleep into a full alert status.

As the morning broke crisp and clear, the birds were singing, the bees were buzzing (or they would have if it had been warmer), John was overheard trying to convince himself that he still liked camping. He must have succeeded because an hour later, a cup of coffee and a large pry bar managed to pop him out of his toasty warm bag. Splendid omelets of ham, cheese, and hot peppers were hastay prepared and slowly eaten - reason being that I kept biting myself

The plan for the day was to canoe through the beaver ponds, climb over Three Mile Mountain, down to the plains, and catch the trail back to camp. We did manage to canoe through the ponds as far as we could go, and then hike through unbroken wfldemess until the lowest part of Three Mile Mountain was due north of our position. Due to the dark clouds forming in that direction, we decided to forgo the climb and set some new olympic records back tb camp.