| CAMP MANAGEMENT
There is an ever-growing interest in the great outdoors.
It is quite heartening to see people get close to nature.
However, many are still lacking in awareness of the proper
care for the wilderness.
And so, as more and more people take interest in mountain
climbing and other similar sports, there must be a continued
education on the proper way of treating nature. There are
such ways to enjoy the thrill of the great outdoors without
substantially withdrawing from the environment.
One word for all campers to keep in mind: LOW-IMPACT. No
matter how much advances there may be in the realm of outdoor
gadgetry and gears, the basic ethics of low-impact camping
must not change:
Take nothing but pictures; leave nothing but footprints;
kill nothing but time
Campers ensue the greatest impact on the environment at
the campgrounds. Therefore, one must take utmost care in choosing
a campsite and make efficient use of it.
***Environment-friendly Mountaineer
Take home garbage. Do not leave any refuse from cooking
and camping at the campsite (as well as along the trail).
As is, where is. Leave the camp ground exactly the way you
found it.
Campfire's nice. But do not cut down trees for firewood.
Use fallen branches, instead.
Detergent-free Washing. Wash dishes by cleaning first the
remnants off the plates and utensils and drying them with
cloth (or tissue) or sand, when available. Then rinse with
water away from any body of water.
Go Organic. Use biodegradable soaps and shampoos
Silence please. Keep voice tone and volume at a minimum,
some other creatures need their rest, too.***
CHOOSING A CAMPSITE
Enjoying the great outdoors depends mostly in finding a
good campsite. For one thing, the itinerary should clearly
point out that the campsite must be reached by mid-afternoon
in order that the camp is set and cooking dinner is well under
way before nightfall. This would also provide ample time for
checking the surroundings for possible dangers.
Select an established campground as much as possible. If
an established campsite can not be located, choose a place
conveniently away from the trail and try not to disturb much
the present environment.
***Most campsites require that a permit be secured ahead
of time. Permits are usually issued by regional representatives
of DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources)
or by officials of the locality. Make sure that you and your
group register your names so that mountain rangers and local
officials know where to go looking in case of any danger.***
Tent. Place your tent on relatively
flat terrain, sheltered, and dry. Do not pitch your tent near
the inside bend of a river because this area is prone to flooding.
Erect your tent with its entrance facing the leeward. You
have a choice in erecting your tent either you set it up under
trees or open space. The latter is preferable since after
a rainfall the sun comes up and everything is dried quickly.
Under trees however will only save you if there is heavy downpour
but will leave wet for hours since the trees is still dripping
the rainwater.
Latrine. Building a latrine is not
that quite common to mountaineers and backpackers as well.
Usually when the number of people exceeds 12 by all means,
designate a common place away from any water source to prevent
surface-water contamination. Check for wind direction. Be
sure that you dig your latrine downwind.
Fire. For mountaineers, it is not
advisable to build a campfire. It will just stress the already
damaged environs. Locate the fire close enough to the tent
area in order to smoke out insects without creating any risk
of setting the tent on fire.
Water. Fetch drinking and cooking
water well upstream and away from any campsite.
LOCATING WATER
An ideal campsite would be one with available source of
water for drinking and cooking. Actually, it is one of the
criteria in choosing a campsite. In the absence of rivers
and lakes, water might still be available in the not so obvious
places.
Where there is an extensive growth of mosses at the edge
of a mountain means that this area has cut across a groundwater
source and could possibly be a source of water. River crevices
or natural ponds can be source of rainwater. Extra caution,
however, must be taken in getting utility water from this
origin because these are stagnant water sources. Water can
also be located under dried riverbeds.
TENT PITCHING
One must learn the art of pitching a tent quickly and sturdily.
This will be certainly necessary in cases when there is a
storm coming.
Steps in erecting your Tent
1. Clear the ground of any sharp objects like stones and
tree branches. Free the surface of any bumps by spreading
ample amount of dried leaves or grasses. Then spread over
this area a ground sheet to provide extra covering against
any moisture from the ground to enter the tent,
2. Lay down the tent over the ground sheet with the entrance
facing the leeward of the wind. Quickly peg down all the corners.
Make sure that the pegs are secured enough into the ground.
3. Insert all the poles in their proper position and maneuver
the tent canvass making the tent stand.
4. Cover the tent with the flysheet. Secure the flysheet
into the ground ensuring that tension is equalized around
it.
Inside your tent. Organize your tent in a manner that you
can reach almost anything without leaving the comforts of
your sleeping bag. (With schematic drawing of inside the
tent)
**Useful Tips
In places where there is stiff or hard surface, where the
pegs could not penetrate, use large rocks, onto which the
tent will be tied.
Do not allow the tent and the flysheet to touch in order
to maintain an insulating layer of air in between the two.***
FIRE BUILDING
Fire building is a basic technique all campers must learn.
Its importance is not only limited to cooking (especially
now that portable stoves are available), but to a large extent
on survival. From a source of heat in cold weather, to smoking
away insects and to restraining some wild animals to enter
the campsite and to signaling positions in order to aid search
and rescue teams.
However, campers must check for any restrictions on making
a fire in a particular campsite. For as much
as it is useful, it can be rendered dangerous in places, which
are prone to forest fires.
Starting a fire is different from lighting a fire. Although
our basic concern here is the former, it is important to note
that there are technologies available now which far more efficient
than rubbing two stones together. There is the basic wooden
match and butane lighters, never ever leave for the mountains
without them. Magnifying glass but this can only be used during
daytime. And in very damp conditions, the use of a magnesium
fire starter is one safety accessory that must be made available
in any camping trips.
Whatever method of lighting a fire you should choose, the
next steps in building a fire is as basic
as ABC.
First, one must gather more than enough materials to sustain
the fire. Fire ingredients include the following:
Tinder. Dried tree bark, twigs and other smaller pieces
of wood which are highly combustible. Kindling. Dried leaves
and small sticks not thicker than an inch, which is, place
at a pyramidal position over the tinder. Wood. Branches and
logs which are placed loosely over the tinder and kindling;
starting with a slightly larger piece of wood than the kindling
and adding much bigger wood in intervals.
Then dig a circular trench not deeper than 30 cm., which
would provide protection from the wind for the tinder fire.
Place on the center of the trench a generous amount of tinder
material. Build a teepee shape with the use of kindling materials.
Balancing four sticks in a pyramidal position and adding more
and even larger sticks in the same manner does the teepee
shape. Strike a match or use a lighter to light up the tinder
materials. Add more tinder and kindling material until the
fire stabilizes and is able to burn the bigger sticks.
When the teepee catches fire, it will then collapse into
a bed of ember, which can be fed, with larger pieces of wood.
Eating Outdoor and Food Preparation (Wilderness Kitchen)
Eating in the wilderness is much affected by time. Main
meals are usually breakfast and dinner. A heavy breakfast
helps to get you going throughout the activities of the day.
Short snacks shall be taken intermittently along the trail.
A quick lunch will sustain your strength until the end of
the day. Do not continue without taking enough sustenance
along the trail because fatigue will suddenly fall on you.
A substantial and hot meal at night is the
best way to replace the calories lost during the trek.
TYPICAL BREAKFAST.
It is always a great sensation to start the day with something
hot; hot chocolate, coffee, tea, milk. Hot drinks keeps you
company while you are cooking up a large breakfast. Rice,
dried fish, eggs or Champorado with processed meat.
TRAIL FOOD.
It is advisable to take little but often small ’meals’ along
the trail. Jelly-ace is a sweet source of sugars necessary
for giving energy to your body. Fruits like oranges, apples
or singkamas give sugars as well as fluids to your body. Salty
food like nuts and chips are also necessary to prevent muscle
cramps. Taking in salts also re-hydrates your body.
TYPICAL LUNCH.
Most of the time, lunch will be taken along the trail, the
most typical is having soups and sandwiches. This would require
minimal preparation and your body would not be required be
as full as it did during breakfast time.
TYPICAL DINNER.
The biggest meal of the day. Usually, you have the luxury
of time preparing for this meal. Hence, dinner must have a
wide variety of food, a complete course; from soup to main
meal to desert.
AT BEDTIME.
Make sure that you have had drank plenty of liquids before
retiring to bed to prevent dehydration. In cold conditions
it is best to have a hot, highly sugared drink to keep you
warm throughout the night. It is also advisable to keep warm
water ready in a flask for the hot drink of the next morning,
OUTDOOR CULINARY SKILLS
Golden rule is to bring enough food, but not too much. PLANNING
the menu is the biggest factor in making outdoor cooking a
success. Make a plan as what to eat, how much of each ingredient
to bring, and who will be bringing the ingredients as well
as the cutlery and plastic containers, plates, pots and pans
and stove, and do not forget the matches.
Some food items and spices must be kept handy in every trip.
These are:
Stock Cubes Pepper Chili Rice
Onion Salt Garlic Egg
Safe Camping (Safety First, as Always)
In the premise that every precaution was taken in choosing
a safe campsite, one must then run a safe campsite.
Some
safety precautions are:
-
Keep fire at a conveniently far distance away from the tent.
-
Do not cook inside the tent.
-
Have a sand bucket readily available to put out the fire.
-
Provide guide ropes in going to the latrine area and provide
ample lighting, too.
-
Rope off any unsafe areas.
SAFEGUARDING YOUR FOOD.
The smell of food might attract insects, birds, and mammals’
alike ensuing danger to the inhabitants of the campsite. Make
sure that food is sealed in plastic bags and left hanging
from a tree branch.
CAMPSITE PESTS
Keep a close guard on some pests, which may cause harm or
may be a risk to health.
Flies and Mosquitoes are known to be disease carriers. As
much as possible prevent them from getting
in contact with your skin and food.
Ants usually come in groups. Always look out for ant nests
before you pitch camp.
Scorpion is known to be highly poisonous. Make sure that
you always shake your sleeping, boots and clothes as a measure
to eject any presence of scorpions.
Snakes are quite a scary danger in the wilderness. When
in doubt always check your tent and sleeping bags for any
presence of snakes.
Rats always go for your food. Take extra care not to leave
food just lying around the campsite.
STRIKING CAMP
As a last goodwill gesture to nature and to those who will
follow in the trail, ensure that all garbage had been picked
up and packed out and taken home away from the wilderness.
This etiquette is known to almost everybody but is still often
ignored. Unless we take on this responsibility by heart, the
following damages of overuse will overtake that which was
once beautiful:
Garbage
Barren, stripped land
Exposed tree roots
Downed plants, or absence of vegetation
Numerous firepits on a single campsite
Absence of ground wood for campfires
Scarred tree where branches have been torn away
Bottles, cans, and plastics, in or near sources of water.
*Clearing the campsite, some practical ways of maintaining
the beauty of the wilderness:
- Put out fire completely. Scatter the ashes and collect
and take unburned debris.
- Pack all rubbish in plastic bags and
take it home with you.
- Latrine must be filled in, returfed, and labeled to inform
future campers
- Dismantle tent and leave site after your equipment is
fully packed.
WILDERNESS ETHICS (A REVIEW)
All climbers most especially those belonging to organized
climbs should strictly follow the wilderness ethics. Behavior
of the group would reflect the kind of organization or the
kind of leadership the group has. Here is some internationally
accepted wilderness ethics.
Prepare well. Know about your route
and the area. Take adequate food. Bring clothing that will
keep you dry & comfortable. Know the basics of first aid,
navigation and minimum impact camping. Know what to do in
case of overheating, hypothermia or landslide danger.
Local practices. Know the local
practices in the area. Respect local customs and traditions.
Respect other people’s desire for privacy and solitude. Unnecessary
disturbances (noise and horseplay) should be avoided.
Trekking. While trekking into the
wilderness avoid widening the trail. Stay off the shoulder
and walk in the middle of the trail. Suppress the desire to
shortcut switchbacks. Cutting switchbacks tramples vegetation
and leads to erosion. Use established trail when possible.
On rest breaks, select a hardened area to absorb your impact.
Select footwear appropriate for comfort, safety and the terrain.
Heavy lug-soled boots have an adverse impact on fragile terrain.
Use light footwear in camp.
Camping. Select a level campsite
with adequate water runoff, and use a plastic sheet under
your tent to stay dry without ditching. Locate your site at
least 100 feet away from natural water sources. Generally,
select a shelter site that has already been used, to eliminate
further expansion of the camp. Whenever possible, position
your tent so it blends with the environment. Careful selection
of campsite helps preserve the atmosphere of solitude even
in popular areas. Choose your site and use it lightly, leaving
it in as natural state as possible.
Garbage. Carry out all of your non-biodegradable
garbage. Bury only biodegradable trash. Pick up litter as
you encounter it. Burning of non-paper trash should be minimized
since complete cremation is difficult. Remember litter attracts
more litter.
Sanitation. Use established latrines
if these are provided. Use a cat hole if there are no established
latrines. Proceed with a trowel inn hand to an area at least
100 feet away from water sources trail and camp. After carefully
removing the surface duff, dig a hole several inches into
the dirt. Replace the dirt and duff.
Washing yourself. Even biodegradable
soap is a stress on the environment, so do as much of your
cleanup without soap. Try a soapless bath or clothes-wash,
for all but the most persistent dirt. When using soap, even
biodegradable soap, wash yourself, your hair and your clothing
at least 100 meters away from water. Pour soapy water into
highly absorbent ground. Brush your teeth well away from water
sources.
Washing dishes. Try a soapless cleanup.
For health reasons, wash dishes with hot water when possible.
Wash at least 100 meters away from natural water sources.
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