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Post by cweston on Sept 27, 2016 11:36:35 GMT -8
www.backpacker.com/skills/first-night-out-in-camp/This is pretty good. I would add a couple things: 1. Flat, level spots large enough for a tent are rare in many environments. I would worry more about orienting the tent so that my head is higher than my feet (assuming level is not possible) than about how my tent orients in the wind, in most cases. If two or more people are sleeping in the tent, you especially want it to be level side-to-side so that you don't end up in a dog pile. 2. In high mountain country in the summer, assume that a storm will occur and study the hydrology of the area carefully before choosing a tent site. More than once I have pitched my tent in a place that had a tendency to become a stream or a small lake in heavy rain. (A decision that I came to regret.) 3. Many areas of the western US have been hit hard by pine beetle blight. Check for "widow makers" before selecting a tent site, paying particular attention to prevailing winds and where a dead tree would be most likely to fall. Also, if you're sure that you will eventually need a cat hole during your stay at this camp, then go ahead and dig one ahead of time. It's especially a hell of a lot easier during the night if you already have a cat hole dug. (I don't usually do this, because nature almost never calls me in that particular way during the night. I take care of that in the morning.)
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RumiDude
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Post by RumiDude on Sept 27, 2016 12:01:56 GMT -8
Also, if you're sure that you will eventually need a cat hole during your stay at this camp, then go ahead and dig one ahead of time. It's especially a hell of a lot easier during the night if you already have a cat hole dug. (I don't usually do this, because nature almost never calls me in that particular way during the night. I take care of that in the morning.) I almost always do this, even though I rarely ever get up in the middle of the night to do my business. It allows me to choose the spot carefully rather than hastily. Thus I get a nice adequately deep hole well away from the trail and water. If I hit a big rock two inches down, I just select another spot. Even if I don't use it in the morning, which is my usual schedule for that sort of thing, I can easily kick the dirt back in. Rumi |
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Sept 27, 2016 13:20:59 GMT -8
A pre-dug cathole is like money in the bank. The digging is so much less stressful without an imminent deadline.
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Post by cweston on Sept 27, 2016 16:23:11 GMT -8
Pooping has never been discussed so delicately, yea even eloquently, as in is thread.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Sept 27, 2016 16:27:55 GMT -8
I have been doing catholes this way for nearly 20 years. It is especially helpful if one digs a large enough cathole that some dirt can be kicked in by a camping partner, and another person can still use the same cathole.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Sept 27, 2016 16:44:46 GMT -8
Pooping has never been discussed so delicately, yea even eloquently, as in is thread. We are nothing if not genteel and eloquent. |
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texasbb
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Post by texasbb on Sept 27, 2016 17:28:24 GMT -8
I've never had a pre-dug cat hole go to waste. And they seem to dig so much easier when I don't neeeeeed it.
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Post by tallgrass on Sept 27, 2016 19:32:49 GMT -8
Soooooooo....am I the only one calling it a poo pit?
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Post by Lamebeaver on Sept 27, 2016 19:57:30 GMT -8
If possible, I try to find a site where the sun will hit my tent in the morning. If you camp west of a mountain ridge, this may not happen until 9-10:00.
I also like to have a source of water nearby (not too close, but I don't want to hike 1/4 mile or more).
A tall tree nearby (once again, not too close) provides a cone of protection from lightning.
I like sleep with my head slightly higher than my feet, and will orient my tent in this direction, irregardless of the wind, which will likely shift sometime during the night anyway.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Sept 27, 2016 21:03:19 GMT -8
Does anyone else sometimes feel certain that the head end is higher until it's too much trouble to correct the mistake?
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Post by cweston on Sept 28, 2016 3:10:16 GMT -8
Scouts, they're called "latrines". To me, a cat hole is a single use target, whereas a latrine would be a larger, multiple use hole. |
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amaruq
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Post by amaruq on Sept 28, 2016 4:29:04 GMT -8
To me, a cat hole is a single use target So long as you don't "fire and forget." |
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whistlepunk
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Post by whistlepunk on Sept 28, 2016 5:41:41 GMT -8
The wind direction in the evening may not be the wind direction at 5:00AM. Diurnal winds flow downhill at night. Adjust accordingly. Low spots tend to be chillier in the morning, pitch your tent on a slight rise.
In desert areas, the 200 foot rule needs an asterisk. In wide washes, the current water flow may be a trickle down the middle of a 300 foot wide wash. The rule needs amending to 200 feet from the high water scour mark. Also in arid areas camp a minimum of 300 feet or more from a lone waterhole. If too close your camp may be keeping wildlife away from the only water source within miles.
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Westy
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Post by Westy on Sept 28, 2016 5:56:19 GMT -8
Time your hike so that you arrive at the camp area several hours before sunset. Several hours to pitch a tent and cook dinner?
Remove all rocks and pine cones. How about putting them back to mask your usage of the area?
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balzaccom
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Post by balzaccom on Sept 28, 2016 7:15:03 GMT -8
Yes indeed--put those pinecones back!
And there is a lot more to be said about site selection. Of course we want to be 200 feet from water and the trail. Yes, we want flat ground. And as has been noted above--sunlight in the morning is your friend in the high country.
We also look for a spot that has a sheltered nook for cooking on the stove out of the wind. We love a spot that has rocks or a log to sit on for our meals. A view is an added bonus that we often try to find.
And true luxury is a counter-height rock on which to prepared food, fold clothes, etc.
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