Summertime camping dipping sauce!
Dusty feet, pale blue skies, cool rivers and hot rocks. Night that you lean into like a whisper, quiet to get drunk on, and wild discoveries that forever tattoo the heart; this for me is the delicious recipe of summertime camping!
If you are reading this, I’m glad you are… distracted daydream scrolling – you get the need for this particular kind of dipping sauce. It can’t be helped, step into any natural landscape and every molecule in your body will hum…Hello, welcome (back)! The response is elusive and primal, nature is the only place all of our senses are engaged at once. It’s best described as the “good feeling” fresh-air, green scenery, and sunshine evoke when we go outside. With camping, we get a great big gulp of this (if you’ve never tasted this, then I can’t wait for you to try it)!
I’m going to stop you right here, the distracted daydream scrolling that is. Let’s get real. It’s time to make plans to get you some actual summertime camping dipping sauce. Let’s get you out to Public Wild Land where you can dip into nature.
I want you to start by browsing the Internet (I know, the irony!). Tally it as vacation planning, self-help, or “research”, because your distracted daydream scrolling just got legit. But– try not to dive down this rabbit hole for too long…remember the point is you are gathering information to get you OUT in NATURE (away from your digital device).
Follow my lead to stay on track:
- Search for and review the Public Wild Land website(s) for the campground(s) and surrounding land you are dreaming to visit. In NW California this includes: the Six Rivers, the Klamath and the Shasta-Trinity National Forests, the Bureau of Land Management King Range, and Humboldt County Parks. Using a little detection these sites share campground details, (camp)fire restrictions and any unexpected closures. Keep a look out for the buzz words recreation, campgrounds, restrictions and alerts; as the information on each site will be displayed differently. Having extra information helps me feel more confident, as does my Backwoods Awareness List.
- Get a campfire permit for the reminder on how to put out a campfire properly and check for wildfire activity; the delicious hot and dry of summer peaks in August and July departed dramatically with strikes of lightning – wildfire is inevitable, this does not necessarily mean it’s going to ruin your plans. Nonetheless, know what to do.
- Check the weather, and the air quality. Know what you are heading into so you can happily lap up these dog days.
- Plan on caressing your soul in a wild river? Check river water quality and for the presence of Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Why you are at it, buy Reef-safe sunscreen. Our fishy friends could use all they help they can get.
- Lastly, get a map. Maps are awesome, providing a tangible big view of a given area. Side trips and plan B’s are both born from maps (as are escape routes and tablecloths).
I’m so excited you are going camping. Big or small, long or short your wild escape will be amazing, rejuvenating, and delicious!
Wild Escape Guides 