| verything’s ready for your first camping trip, | | | | Wet mornings are unavoidable. Even if it wasn’t |
| eh? Everything on your checklist has been prepared | | | | raining the whole day or last night, chances are |
| and you’ve already practiced with your | | | | everything will be soaked by the time you wake up. |
| camping equipment. The food, the drinks, even the | | | | That’s because of dew. Warm weather, |
| first-aid kit is stocked. You’re set and raring to | | | | coupled with high humidity, makes for an ideal |
| go! Well, congratulations on being well-prepared. | | | | environment for morning dew. This is a fact of nature |
| You’ve come a long way indeed. But you still | | | | and just cannot be avoided, so the next best thing you |
| have to know a few important things before running | | | | can do is to take down any dry or about-to-dry |
| off into the wilderness and plunking down that tent. | | | | clothes off the clothesline, and cover anything you |
| Here are a few things that a first-time camper should | | | | don’t want to get wet, preferably with a tarp, |
| know about. | | | | just before setting down for the night. |
| Camping means working too, not just playing. Even if | | | | Waste not. Trash can really pile up at your campsite |
| you really, really want to get away from it all, there are | | | | at a rate you wouldn’t believe, especially if |
| some things that you just can’t possibly avoid, | | | | you’re new to this. So you better bring along |
| like chores. When you go camping, you still have to do | | | | plenty of plastic bags to dispose them with. Use the |
| some of them. Picking out a good campsite, setting up | | | | campground’s garbage disposal areas for this. |
| your tent, unpacking your gear; these all entails some | | | | Avoid burning your trash in the campfire at all costs. If |
| work on your part. Not to mention starting a fire, | | | | you’re fishing, don’t clean the fish at the |
| cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning up your trash. | | | | campsite, too. |
| Something will bug you. Right here and now, | | | | Never a good night’s sleep. Right now is a |
| let’s make one thing perfectly clear. If you stay | | | | good time to tell you that no matter how comfy and |
| outdoors, you’ll meet bugs and insects of all | | | | warm and soft is your sleeping bag or air mattress, |
| shapes and sizes. There may be only a few, or there | | | | you’ll probably never sleep as good as you do |
| may be quite a lot, but be certain that you’re | | | | when you’re at home. To make the best out of |
| going to be bugged. What to do? Keep your campsite | | | | it, bring some sleeping pads along with your bag, as |
| clean and tidy. Soda cans, food scraps, pieces of chips | | | | they add much-needed cushioning and insulation from |
| and cookie bits; they all attract insects, so make sure | | | | the cold ground. They can also add more cushioning, |
| you gather and dispose your trash daily. Never eat | | | | which should make your sleep more comfortable. |
| inside your tent and don’t leave food lying | | | | Wood from the forest – not for campfires. |
| around. | | | | Picking up wood that’s lying around your |
| Don’t wear perfumes and colognes outdoors, | | | | campsite and using it to build a campfire is not allowed. |
| too. They can and will attract insects. If you must, use | | | | Why? This wood is essential in replenishing the |
| unscented deodorant. Remember that lanterns and | | | | nutrients in the ground for the plants and trees. So you |
| bright lights are like lighthouses to bugs, so if you have | | | | can think of it this way: If every camper got wood |
| one, put it in a spot far away from your sitting area. | | | | from the forest for their fires, soon there would be no |
| Always bring along plenty of insect repellants. | | | | forest! |