Spring Brings on Camping Weather

The weather last week gave us a peek of just how beautiful spring can be here in Southeast Texas. Cool nights, days warm enough for shirt sleeves, convertibles running around with the tops down and the kids still in school, what better time to hit the woods on a camping trip. I was not serious about the children, because they need to go camping with their parents, with a big emphasis on need.

Every day it seems I see on television that our children are overweight, not being offered adequate physical training in many schools, and spend their leisure time glued to a television or computer screen playing games, surfing the Internet or glued to Facebook or MySpace. They need a special helping of time in the great outdoors with mom and/or dad to help balance their lives and to introduce them to what is good and beautiful about old Mother Nature.

So let’s take them out on either a hiking or camping trip.

Camping out is real high on the possible activities that can be enjoyed at this time of year. Our state is chock-full of camp sites in National Forests and State Parks systems. If we don’t get out and enjoy the outdoors it is our own fault.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department even has classes for those people who have never had the opportunity to go camping or have not been enough to feel comfortable. The cost is about $55 per family and you go out with a professional and they supply everything but the food and they give you a list of what you need to take. It is a fantastic program and you and the kids will learn the proper way to camp and leave no sight that you had ever been there as well as how to do it safely and enjoyably.

All you have to do is go to the TPWD web site and click on State Parks and Destinations. From there scroll down the left column and you will come to The Outdoor Family, click on that and you will find everything you need to know to get started. It is a fantastic program designed for the beginner but even the most experienced can learn on these outings.

When we head out to enjoy these resources on our own there are a few items we should be aware of and watch for as we get out and start to enjoy the great outdoors.

Even though we have had a reasonable amount of rain, it is still necessary to remember that care must be taken when burning anything in the great outdoors. I can’t imagine a camping trip without a camp fire, but in the interest of safety don’t get careless. A selfish desire to enjoy a campfire at the expense of possibly burning down the woods or starting a prairie fire hardly seems justifiable.

So when you set up your area for that campfire, clear out anything that will burn for a good 10 feet. If possible contain the fire with rocks or a firebox. Have water, sand, or a fire extinguisher handy in case there is an attempt by the fire to spread beyond the limits you desire.

I believe anyone who has read my articles in the past knows my opinion of going out into the woods without a compass. Don’t even consider it. It would be prudent to make sure everyone has one, and has been instructed on how to use it.

A compass is not expensive, and a game of hide-andseek around the house and yard involving points of the compass, before the camping trip, can teach the children how to use one, increasing their knowledge and your peace of mind. Then when you arrive at the camping area take a look at the compass, play a couple games of, “find where we are,” then get down to some serious enjoyment of old Mother Nature.

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are the latest location finder and they will tell you exactly where you are and point to where you need to be, but they have their limitations. One of those limitations is the inability to read satellite positions through dense overhead foliage as encountered in the East Texas forests. They also operate on batteries. If you have ever owned a flashlight you are aware of the dependability of battery-operated equipment. So if you elect to use a GPS system, just to be safe put a compass in your pocket; compasses don’t run on batteries and are very forgiving of rough handling.

Other inconveniences you will run in to, especially as we have had a little rain, are bugs. Mosquitoes will come out at dark in the woods, around a lake or almost anywhere a person wishes to camp within a reasonable range of water so bring the mosquito spray.

If anyone is allergic to wasp or bee stings bring the necessary medicine along. Murphy’s Law being what it is, if you have the medicine chances are you will need it.

Make sure everyone knows about our four poisonous snakes. In the woods the most common you will see will be the copperhead. There are some rattlesnakes and coral snakes, but all of them will try to get out of your way if you make a lot of noise when you walk. Coral snakes are most normally seen right at dusk and not during the bright heat of the day.

So as you head out with the kids camping make the trip educational as well as a fun trip. Everyone will have more fun as they learn and become familiar with nature and their surroundings.

Larry J. LeBlanc is executive director of the Texas Outdoor Writers Association and a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America.

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