Camping
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Camping is always fun, but these expert tips and ideas can make your camping trip even better. 1. GET FIT THE BASICS: Prepare for your trek — be active for 60 minutes or more on most days. This includes walking, bicycling and playing sports. Activities like walking to the bus stop, taking the stairs instead of the elevator and playing active games with your friends also count toward your 60 minutes. NEXT-LEVEL FITNESS: Add the following activities to your routine at least three times a week: • Aerobic activities, such as running and cycling • Muscle-strengthening activities, such as sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups and weight lifting (Talk to your doctor before beginning a weight-lifting program.) • Bone-strengthening activities promote bone growth and include running, jumping rope, and participating in sports such as basketball, tennis and volleyball. 2. CHOOSE A GOOD SPOT THE BASICS: Your local council probably operates a terrific campground. Local and state parks also offer convenient, affordable options nearby. It could be that a family in your unit owns property perfect for camping. All you have to do is ask. NEXT-LEVEL LOCATIONS: National trail systems like the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail stretch across multiple states and offer the added excitement of camping in famous, historic areas. BSA national high-adventure bases at Florida Sea Base, Northern Tier, Philmont Scout Ranch and the Summit Bechtel Reserve are great camping spots. Just remember they fill up fast, so make your reservation months in advance. 3. PLAN AHEAD THE BASICS: Take the time to develop a trip plan that answers the following questions: How will you get there? When will you go and when will you return? Who is going with you? What do you need to take with you? NEXT-LEVEL PLANNING: Have a back-up plan in place. Ideal itineraries include demanding tasks, along with more manageable alternatives should the situation change. Getting the basics in place — while stopping short of planning out every minute of your trek — will allow you to adapt to changing circumstances in the field. 4. GEAR UP THE BASICS: You’ll take two kinds of gear on campouts: personal gear that you will use and group gear that will be shared by your patrol. Start with the Scout basic essentials (find them here) and work your way out from there, including sleeping gear, an eating kit, a clean-up kit and personal items. NEXT-LEVEL GEAR: Take a telescope and gaze in amazement at the stars. The night sky looks totally different when you’re away from big-city lights. Take a football or soccer ball for downtime. Pack ultralight by sharing heavy equipment with other Scouts and replacing heavy hiking boots with sturdy running shoes. 5. SLEEP WELL THE BASICS: The best tent is an A-frame or dome tent that sleeps two or three Scouts. The fewer poles it has, the easier it will be to set up. A window lets the breeze from outside keep you cool. A second window makes it even more comfortable. NEXT-LEVEL SLEEP SYSTEMS: If conditions allow, sleep on a hammock instead of inside a tent. Or take a simple tarp and sleep in a sleeping bag on the ground, with a ground cloth between you and the grass. A bivouac sack is a waterproof envelope that can be slipped over a sleeping bag for extra protection from the elements. 6. EAT WELL THE BASICS: Meal planning begins with knowing how many Scouts will be on the trip and how long you’ll be away from home. Make a list of any special food needs in your unit. Make sure you know the budget so you’ll know how much to spend on supplies. Plan healthy meals that will provide everyone with the energy needed to complete all activities planned for the campout. NEXT-LEVEL MEALS: Before you leave, divide your ingredients into their correct serving sizes, place them in separate resealable bags and label them: “Monday lunch,” “Tuesday snack,” “Wednesday breakfast.” At mealtimes, you’ll already have all your ingredients measured out and ready to go. Take herbs and spices to make everything taste better. Dutch-oven cooking takes more time, but the results are worth it, because your food will be extra delicious. 7. APPRECIATE NATURE THE BASICS: When you’re outdoors, take some time to look around you. A campout is not about getting through the weekend as fast as you can; it’s about enjoying the journey. Look for evidence of animals, such as animal sounds, footprints and droppings. NEXT-LEVEL NATURE APPRECIATION: Take a pencil, notebook, animal identification guide and a pair of binoculars. Make it a goal to identify five different species during your trip. Keep a list in your notebook of what you see. Have everyone try to identify five different species of plants or trees based on the shape of its leaves. 8. TAKE A HIKE THE BASICS: Pack your Scout basic essentials in a small pack. Make sure you know exactly what route you’ll be taking and how difficult the terrain will be. Wear non-cotton clothing that will keep you comfortable no matter how much you sweat or how much it rains. But go ahead and pack rain gear, too. NEXT-LEVEL TREKKING: Instead of a day hike carrying basic supplies, go on a multiday trek and carry everything you need to live comfortably for days on the trail. Organization is key. Take only what you need. No extras. Share gear: If your buddy carries your tent, you carry the cooking supplies. Put things you don’t want to get wet in waterproof bags. The pack’s center of gravity should be high and close to your back. 9. BUILD A CAMPFIRE THE BASICS: A safe fire site is one from which the fire cannot spread. Look for established fire rings, grills or stone fireplaces. Keep a bucket of water nearby. Gather tinder, kindling and fuel wood before you strike your first match. Don’t break anything off a tree; gather only what you find on the ground. NEXT-LEVEL CAMPFIRES — DON’T BUILD ONE: Campfires sterilize soil, char the ground and otherwise spoil the appearance of the land. They must be watched nonstop to make sure they don’t spread. The downed materials you gather for a campfire could otherwise provide shelter for forest critters. Consider skipping the campfire altogether and use a stove for cooking. 10. LEAVE NO TRACE THE BASICS: Before you leave, inspect your campsite for trash and spilled foods. Remove anything you find, even if it didn’t belong to you in the first place. Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects exactly as you found them. Take only pictures. Leave only footprints. NEXT-LEVEL LNT: Organize a service project to improve the area beyond your camping spot. Talk with the land owner about what needs to be done. Remove trash from areas you wouldn’t normally think about. (You’ll be shocked by the trash you find at the bottoms of rivers and streams.) Other project ideas include erosion control, removal of invasive species and tree planting.

Keep your stuff out of the dirt by building a table for your camp. It’s easy if you have the pioneering skills. WHAT YOU’LL NEED Two spars up to six feet long (or long enough to be lashed to both trees) and about 3 inches in diameter Several shorter spars, the number depending on the distance between the trees Two sections of rope, both around 25 feet in length Four sections of rope, each around 50 feet in length depending on the diameter of the trees (Each can be made with two sections of 25-foot rope tied together with a square knot, or a sheep’s bend knot if rope is of two different diameters) WHAT YOU’LL DO Step One: Pick out two trees up to five feet apart with nothing between them. Have one person hold one of the longer spars horizontally across both trees. Tie a clove hitch around one spar right next to the tree, then use a square lash to attach the spar to the tree. Step Two: Repeat the square lashing to the second tree at the other end of this spar, and repeat the whole process with the second spar on the other side of the tree. The lashings on both sides of the tree will have to overlap each other to ensure that the spars are level with each other. Step Three: Lay the shorter spars across the two spars that are now attached to the trees. Lash the shorter spars to the longer spars with a floor lashing. Step Four: Enjoy your new camp table.

Picking a place to pitch a tent isn’t always simple. You could find a flat spot, but the site might be in a low-lying area and prone to flooding if it rains a lot. To find a place you can safely and comfortably sleep and eat outdoors, consider these nine factors: Environmental Impact Use established campsites whenever you can, or camp on durable surfaces that won’t be damaged by you and your fellow Scouts when walking around. If you must move objects, like logs or rocks, return everything to its original spot before you leave. Safety Pitch your tent away from dead trees or trees with limbs that might fall in a storm. Avoid camping near lone trees, mountaintops, high ridges and other likely lightning targets. Find a site away from low-lying places that could fill with water during a flash flood, such as valleys, canyons and banks of small, shallow rivers. Some signs of these areas are debris caught in underbrush or grass bent over in the same direction. Higher ground can be dangerous if you see signs of erosion. Size Find a place big enough for your patrol to set up its tents, and cook meals in separate areas. Also, make sure there is enough space to move around without tripping over tent stakes and guylines. Comfort In the summer, look for a shady site where breezes can help cool your tent and chase away mosquitoes. In the winter, find a site where trees and hillsides provide a natural windbreak. Regardless of the time of year, place your tent on the flattest spot possible. Water You’ll need plenty of water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. Public water supplies are the safest and can be found in most frontcountry campsites. Water from streams, rivers or lakes should be properly treated before use. In some dry places, you might need to carry all your water to camp. Fire Where fires are not allowed or where wood is scarce, plan on using a camp stove to heat water and cook food. Where fires are permitted, look for a campsite with an existing fire ring. Use firewood that is dead and down; never cut live trees. Privacy Respect the privacy of others by selecting campsites away from theirs. Trees, bushes and the shape of the terrain can screen your camp from trails and neighboring campsites. Keep noise down so you won’t disturb nearby campers, and respect quiet hours at public campgrounds and Scout camps. Terrain Make sure your site has good drainage, natural ground cover and enough sunlight for visibility. Permission Check ahead of time with public parks, forest and reserves. They can issue any permits you will need. Never camp on private property without permission.

Relax around camp by building a comfortable chair. It’s easy if you have the pioneering skills. WHAT YOU NEED Three spars about 4 inches in diameter, two 8 feet long and one 12 to 15 feet long Four sections of rope, one 30 feet long and three 3 to 4 feet long 6-by-8-foot (or slightly bigger) tarp, folded into an isosceles triangle Three heavy rocks slightly smaller than baseballs but larger than golf balls WHAT YOU’LL DO campchair-1 Step One: Determine which ends of each spar are the thickest, and designate those as the base of each spar. Lay the two shorter spars together on the ground, parallel to each other, with each base at the same end and even with each other. Lay the long spar down in the opposite direction, with its base at the opposite end from the bases of the shorter spars, with only about two feet of overlap at the tops. Keep them all parallel. Use the 30-foot rope to perform a tripod lashing around all three spars. campchair-2 Step Two: Fold each rock into a corner of the triangle-shaped tarp and twist to create a pocket that will hold the rock. Then tie one of the three shorter ropes around the pocket holding the rock by wrapping a few times and tying off the end with two half hitches. Be sure to leave 2 to 3 feet of rope available. Repeat for each corner. campchair-3 Step Three: Attach the tarp to the tripod by wrapping the remaining rope around each spar once or twice and finishing with a taut-line hitch. The longest spar should act as the back leg of the chair, so attach the rope at higher point on that spar to create the back of the chair.

It’s important to eat balanced meals, but sometimes it’s nice to satisfy your sweet tooth. Here are four tasty recipes to try. Have a favorite dessert recipe? Send it to us! OWASIPPE SOUP Last summer at Owasippe Scout Reservation in Michigan, Matthew Hanson with Troop 41 of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, won a cooking contest with this recipe. Ingredients One 20-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice One 21-oz. can cherry pie filling 1 box chocolate cake mix ¾ cup butter, melted Directions Spread the crushed pineapple and its juice into a 12-inch Dutch oven. Spread the cherry pie filling on top of the crushed pineapple. Evenly spread cake mix over both layers, and then pour melted butter on top. Cook in Dutch oven 40-45 minutes with about 15 coals on top and 10 on the bottom. Serve. CAVE DOUGHNUTS After exploring the Sullivan Cave in Indiana, Scouts with Troop 797 of Utica, Illinois, made this tasty treat. Ingredients 1 gallon vegetable oil Pre-made biscuits Powdered sugar Cupcake icing in a can Directions Fill a pot two-thirds full with oil. Heat it until dough turns lightly brown when it’s placed in; this might take a couple of tests. Place balls of biscuit dough in the oil and let them cook for about 2 minutes, flipping after about 1 minute. Then remove the cooked dough with tongs and roll them in the powdered sugar. Inject the doughnuts with the icing. Serve DUTCH OVEN BAKLAVA Scouts with Troop 1911 of Missoula, Montana, cook this treat annually at summer camp. Ingredients 24 sheets phyllo dough (a special thin dough, also in stores as filo and fillo) 1 cup butter, melted 1½ cups finely chopped pecans 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon Lemon honey syrup: 1½ cups sugar ¾ cup water ½ teaspoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon honey Directions Prepare honey syrup by combining all ingredients and bringing to a boil for 1 minute. Set aside to cool. Melt the butter. Mix pecans, sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Generously butter the bottom of a 12-inch Dutch oven. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Butter the top, beginning at the edges and working toward the center. Repeat this step until you have placed eight sheets of phyllo dough, buttering each layer. Sprinkle half of the nut mixture evenly over the phyllo dough. Place eight more sheets of phyllo dough on top of nut mixture, buttering between each layer. Sprinkle the remaining nut mixture on top. Repeat with eight more sheets of phyllo dough, buttering each layer. Drizzle any remaining butter on the top. Cut into diamond-shaped pieces without cutting through the bottom layer of phyllo dough. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and bake at 350 degrees (eight coals on bottom, 16 on top) for 35-40 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from heat and pour the honey syrup over the baklava. Serve. S’MORES PANCAKES The Scouts of Troop 129 of Anchorage, Alaska, make this breakfast meal the first morning of summer camp every year. Ingredients (feeds 4) 2 cups pancake mix About 1½ cups water 1 sleeve of graham crackers, crushed 2 cups chocolate chips 1 container marshmallow fluff Directions Preheat a pan on medium-high heat and grease with butter. Combine the pancake mix with water, and then stir in the crushed graham crackers and chocolate chips. Place mixture on the pan in desired size and shape. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and top with marshmallow fluff and any additional toppings of your choosing. Serve.