Getting Started - Camping

I heart camping. Behind hiking, it is my very favorite way of getting grubby. I love looking up at the stars and trying to pick out the satellites and waiting for a shooting star. I love getting up in the morning and stretching with trees and wildflowers and amazing views all around. I love that food just tastes better when prepared and eaten outside. I love sitting around the campfire, making S’mores and staring at the flames and talking about everything and nothing. And, since I usually work in a hike, or a bike ride, or some time fishing when I camp, I love that I can experience all that the great outdoors has to offer all at once. And, I love that there is always one moment during every camping trip that you will remember forever.

For the uninitiated, though, camping can be super intimidating. There are some equipment requirements, and I wouldn’t recommend camping solo your first time out. (I tried it once, but after having no one to laugh with around the campfire and having nightmares all night about crazy people coming to my tent to hurt me, I drove back home early the next morning. Perhaps you are braver than I, but I would still recommend camping with someone the first time.) The intimidation factor shouldn’t keep you from trying camping. Once you do it, you’ll realize how easy and rewarding it can be. There are three main types of camping: campground camping, dispersed camping, and backpacking. Backpacking is much more involved than the other two, so I’ll save that for another discussion. For now, I’ll talk about the kind of camping where you load up your car, and head to the hills – car camping. There are literally hundreds of campgrounds in Colorado. This Web site offers a good place to start: http://tinyurl.com/mqyc2r There are also books you can borrow from the library or buy. And, as always, ask around to see where others have camped and what they enjoyed. Prices for camping in a campground range from about $6 a night to about $14 a night, depending on the amenities offered and the location. The pros are that campgrounds are easy, convenient, and there is usually a potty. They generally have picnic tables and fire rings. But, they can be crowded and loud. It never ceases to amaze me all the things people take with them on their “getaways.” Loud generators, radios, satellite television, barking dogs and children running through the campground are all pretty common. If you are more interested in really getting away from it all and are willing to spend some time looking for a good spot, dispersed camping may be for you. On Federal lands – Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service – you are allowed to camp almost anywhere (look for posted signs warning you where you cannot camp) as long as you stay far enough away from rivers, streams and lakes. If you take just about any dirt road (and many of them are suitable for a two-wheel drive car), you can generally find a clearing and a fire ring from campers past. Find a clearing that’s to your liking, and you can set up camp there. The pros are that you really get away from everything, it’s usually much quieter and offers a lot more privacy. The cons are that you don’t have a picnic table or a potty (bring a spade with you…you do get a ‘poo with a view’). Either car camping option would be fine for your first time out. And, you might want to try both options to see which one you like best.

As far as equipment goes, since you will drive your car to your camp spot with either dispersed or campground camping, you can pack what you think you’ll need your first time and then decide what you REALLY need after you see what you used and what sat in the car. For sure, you will need a tent (set it up before you go so you know how to do it and aren’t trying to set it up for the first time in the dark or the rain); a sleeping bag and pad (Thermarest makes a variety of good ones); a pillow; a headlamp (to find your way to the tent or the bathroom after the campfire dies down); a camp stove (even if you can have a fire, cooking with a stove is much easier and more convenient, especially in the morning when you may not want to deal with building a fire and all of the campfire smoke); pots and pans for the food you will cook and that work with your stove; a camp chair; utensils, plates, bowls, and cups (I usually bring plastic utensils pilfered from restaurants, and plastic or paper dishes for ease of use); water (bring more than you think you need – you will use this for drinking, brushing your teeth, washing dishes, etc.); food for breakfast, lunch and dinner (don’t forget the chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows for S’mores!); a cooler for food and drinks; a hat and gloves or mittens; a warm outer layer and long johns; a hat and sunscreen; paper towels, toilet paper, wet naps; first aid kit; and waterproof matches. I’m sure there’s lots of other stuff, but this is a pretty good list to start. If you are wary about making an investment in all of this, you can rent tents, sleeping bags and pads, camp stoves and other equipment from REI or a local sporting goods store. You can also jump in with friends or a group for your first time. That way, whatever you don’t have, you can borrow from someone else. I also highly recommend buying a large storage tub so you can keep all of your equipment together in one place. That way, you are less likely to forget an essential…like toilet paper.

I think that about does it. Do you have any questions before starting out? Let me know!

GG

All the Grubby Details:
How Far - Depends on how far you'd like to go...there a TONS of options within a two-hour drive of Denver.
Time Commitment - Plan on a whole weekend in order to make the drive worthwhile.
Misery Index – Low to Moderate – sometimes, the weather doesn’t cooperate, and sleeping on the ground can be a little rough.
Intimidation Index – Moderate to High – fears include equipment overload, snakes, bears, wild animals, etc. Don’t let any of that stop you. In all my time outside, the many hundreds of miles I’ve hiked and all of the nights spent camping over the years, I’ve seen one bear in Colorado (I guess technically, two, since it was a mama bear and her cub). And, that was near timberline and in the fall when bears are trying to fill up before hibernation. You should be careful, but not obsessed or paranoid.
Dog Friendliness - High - but, make sure your dog is good around people, good in the dark and not totally freaked out by fire. And, decide whether or not you want your dog in the tent or on a comfy cushion outside your tent...and try to remember if your dog barks in the night, it is most likely a deer or a squirrel.
Equipment needed to start – See above.
Equipment to upgrade if you find you like it – A water purifier helps if you don’t want to drag lots of water with you. And, you can buy actual camping utensils and plates, etc. if you’d like. Otherwise, the equipment you start with should last you for years and years and years.