Dispersed (Dry) camping...

[jeepr]

The first time I was in the woods and heard a peacock cry I just about peed my pants. I thought I was alone enjoying the serenity and all of a sudden... Aaaaahhhhhhhhh! I thought just heard someone murdered!

For anyone who hasn't heard a peacock, they sound just like a woman's scream.

Yes, the hair did stand up on the back of my neck.

Haha..

How about a loon! I couldn't believe the noise those things make. Especially when your way back in the Canadian boonies camping on an island.

[Pam Wright]

I have SO enjoyed reading this thread!!!! The "critter" stories are great.... perfect campfire tales!!!

I have spent more on campgrounds in the last year, between gatherings and camping with friends in 'campgrounds', than I have in my whole life! We grew up 'wilderness' camping, now to find out it is 'dry' camping, 'dispursed' camping, 'boondocking'... whatever.... we are lucky here in Colorado to have so many places that we can camp!!!! and it is still my favorite way to camp!

pam

[Bill Fernandez]

Bigwoods You are my kind of men most people don care about other people and don,t care to clean up. !!

Bill

[Bad-Dawg]

We mostly boondock. I go camping to get away from people... I have done it in a tent, a popup, a motorhome... Whatever. You learn to pack light and haul out your trash so the place stays nice. Favorite spots are the Anza Borrego Desert, beaches in Mexico (Baja California), The local Laguna and Cuyamaca mountains where you can buy a $6.00 pass.

We are not allowed to have on the ground fires anymore so I have a sawed off oil drum that I installed legs on. It's deep enough that I can cook on it too.

For a john I use portapotty. For a shower I have an old H2O fire extinguisher. Very nice in the desert!

Since you like animal stories... I will stay in certain camp grounds, A favorite being Borrego Palm Canyon. One very early morning I was woken up by a convention of desert rats and mice fighting over my doritos and beer. They were jumping all over each other to get into the bag, which was inches from my head. I even had them on my chest...

Btw, have you ever seen a drunk Kangaroo mouse? They don't jump so well until they sober up and are utterly fearless...

[sushidog]

The night before last, I was camping in Pettit Jean State Park in AR.
My DW was awakened in the dead of night by a noise outside our Aliner. So as a dutiful husband, I retrieved my gun and flashlight and investigated the "Man walking around the outside of our camper," as my DW described the sounds she heard.

To my surprise, a large skunk had knocked the lid off our trash can to investigate the lingering odor of coffee grounds concentrated therein.

He had the coarsest, jet black hair I had ever seen. Without exageration, it appeared as each strand was the size of angel hair pasta. Luckily, I recognized the culprit in time and backed off without the intruder discharging his weapon in my direction. At least this time, detente reigned and peace prevailed.

[southpennrailroad]

N40 degrees 2.9881 xW78 degrees 6.0784 Elev 1,178

Cove Plaza on the abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike. Don't pay nothing. Gated site envied by many.

[TD Beej]

Our first camping experience as a family I now know was "dispersed" site at a National forest outside of the Tetons where we "dry" camped. We just followed the map and the signs and started driving up (and up) a dirt road not knowing what we would find, we passed some campers with a bonfire going but didn't see anything like a marked camping site so we decided to pull over in place that looked like we could put up the tent at, found a fire pit already there with fire wood. We set up camp quickly as it was getting dark and got the fire going. It was late June and we high enough that the shady spots still had snow but even with that the mosquitoes came out in force. In the morning we packed up and drove up the road to see what was there and realized we were near the top where we found a lake with the winter ice flowing off it, and designated camp sites (w/ bear boxes!). After we did some exploring and heading on Yellowstone. What we learned was my wife and I are to old to sleep on the thin mats under our bags but the kids loved it.

When we were camping in Wyoming and S. Dakota last summer the Rangers referred to the National Forest camp sites we visited as "primitive". We didn't really know what that meant but we were pretty self contained so we didn't worry, it turned out the campsites amenities were a fire ring, a pit toilet, picnic table and sometimes garbage cans. No fire wood provided but collecting near by and buying a bundle here and there was good enough. Air mattresses made a huge difference and my wife decided that she could handle camping. She also decided that a TD would be worth going for now before the kids get to old and I could go ahead. We also learned that a heavy canvas drop cloth makes a better table cloth then a real table cloth, it is bigger, tougher, stays put better and doesn't get snagged as much.

Now to get the TD built...

B^)

[Cliffmeister2000]

We went primitive camping in Montana de Oro, near Morro Bay, California. Our campsite was maybe 1/4 mile up a fire road on a hill. The campgrounds supplied a picnic table and a very nice outhouse. We had to carry our stuff in and out, as we had to park at the bottom of the hill.

My wife's best friend was with us, so the girls shared the big tent, and I had a pup tent off to one side.

In the middle of the night, my wife went to the outhouse. As she was coming back, already feeling a little spooked, I woke up. I opened my eyes to a sky filled with more stars than I had ever seen in my life! I exclaimed loudly, "Oh, my God!" Which scared my beloved to death, because she assumed there was something at least 15 ft tall standing right behind her!

[Oasis Maker]

Ha Ha. This is a funny thread because I specifically remember following this thread as a lurker in 2005 before I signed up a couple years later. Living in Arizona where dry camping on BLM is a way of life, this topic is always of great interest to me.

Scott

[queeniejeanne]

Dry camping in Bandelier National Monument area was awesome. The Stars were so bright, the night so quiet, and the sites were primitive (called that by the National Park Service)Pit toilet, table and fire ring..NO FIRE, Not even allowed to Smoke inside your car on the highway. Guards were posted checking you in and out, way beyond the normal location of the gates at Los Alamos. We were in the Kamparoo and the fires were burning in 2005 I think...Anyway the year it almost got Los Alamos Labs, and did get some of the homes. Still if the weather is right we would rather be out in the wilderness and not in any campgrounds. You have to carry to protect, cause down south of our area there are places that "you don't look the folks in the eye". Lots of National Forest Land in AR and southern MO. Queenie Jeanne

[dirty Bakers]

I prefer dispersed camping, the only time we use a "camp ground" is for family reunions for those family members who cant squat.

[Wolffarmer]

I prefer dispersed camping, the only time we use a "camp ground" is for family reunions for those family members who cant squat.

I know about the can't squat. But I have done a lot of "dispersed" camping. A lot while motorcycle touring. First camp in the TD was dispersed and have at least 6 other times since. From the Utah deserts to Idaho mountains. I do like it but being alone is kind of spooky some times.

Randy

[Mightydog]

Arizona ... dry camping

Kinda goes without saying, doesn't it?

[Cliffmeister2000]

Arizona ... dry camping

Kinda goes without saying, doesn't it?

Obviously, you've never experienced a monsoon...

[Tadlan]

To my surprise, a large skunk had knocked the lid off our trash can to investigate the lingering odor of coffee grounds concentrated therein.

He had the coarsest, jet black hair I had ever seen. Without exageration, it appeared as each strand was the size of angel hair pasta. Luckily, I recognized the culprit in time and backed off without the intruder discharging his weapon in my direction.

This is one reason I am building a TD. Skunks love me. They find me everywhere. I pet one when I was a kid and didn't get sprayed. Now they know me. I was camping with my family about ten years ago and one crawled over me several times to get to the fire pit. A few years later one crawled over a group of friends and me. A couple of later I woke up with one curled up on my chest like it was the family cat. I had to lay there unmoving for about an hour. My brother started snoring and it stood up, thought about spraying towards the annoying sound, grew bored, and finally hopped off and walked away.