As the warmer weather approaches, we look forward to another season of camping and enjoying the fun, relaxation, and beauty that the outdoor environment has to offer. I am anxious to get out on weekends to some of my favorite campsites around Kentucky and Indiana. Of course I'll have plenty of fishing gear to bring along in case some of my family or friends join in on the adventures that are sure to come with each outing. This is the most enjoyable thing for me when I see others having a great time hiking, fishing, throwing Frisbees?, or sitting around the campfire telling stories or singing campfire songs.
There are several things I try to consider before I begin packing for a camping trip. First of course, is how long will I be gone? How much time do I have to get away from the "9 to 5", unwind and get refreshed by the fresh air, sunshine, and peaceful scenery that nature provides so abundantly? This summer, I'm going to try to get out more frequently on the weekends so I'll talk a little about short outings that are not too distant from home. This will allow me more time for what I actually want to do, and that of course, is to camp. I don't want to spend 5 hours going and 5 hours coming, using basically a whole day just for traveling. If I pick a place that's within a 100 mile radius, I should be able to find several dozen places to visit and spend less than 4 hours of total travel time.
Ok, that sound great, I can think of a dozen places within 100 miles right of the top of my head. Lake Monroe, where my youngest son and I visited last year, is only 1 hour and 45 minutes from my home. That was a great weekend camping trip and my daughter and her friends at IU came from Bloomington to join in the fun. Several of the girls had not fished much at all, and I had more fun than they did watching them scream and holler as we caught over 70 bluegill. It was a great thrill for them to actually catch, clean, and eat fresh fish. Most of the panfish were a little on the small side, but I had them keep them for several reasons. One of course, is the fish sometimes swallow the hook and it's nearly impossible to throw them back when this happens. Another reason I sometimes keep small bluegill, is that it helps other aquatic life to have more abundant food sources. Anyway, after we cleaned them all, they were absolutely delicious dipped in a bowl of egg and milk, rolled in cracker crumbs and cornmeal, and fried to a golden brown. And of course we had several bags to take home, which seemed like it made the camping trip last longer than just the weekend.
But let's get back to some of the essentials of planning your weekend camping trip. After you've decided on how much time you have, you will need to consider how many nature lovers are going camping. That's usually the easy part. So if you've got 5 people going, and you're going to be gone for two nights and two days, you'll want to figure how many meals that will be. I'd say it will be in the neighborhood of 2 dinners, 2 breakfast, and 2 lunches, not including snack times. So we'll need enough food for 10 people (5 x 2) for essentially one day. That should calculate to an average of 8-10 ounces of meat per person, 8-10 ounces of vegetables and fruit per person, and 8-10 servings of bread or grains per two persons. You can also use the 8-10 rule for your drinks for a total of 8-10, (8-10 oz. drinks) including water, per person per day. This may seem like a lot of liquid, but when you consider 3 meals a day and an additional drink in between, you are already at 6 drinks a day. Remember, dehydration is a major cause of heat stroke. If you're going hiking, swimming, or playing any type of running sport, this will easily bring the drink count up an additional 3 or more for a total of 9 drinks a day. Let's make an easy formula to go by.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOO
D QUANTITY FORMULA
5 people for 2 days = (5 x 2 = 10)
10 x 8-10 ounces = (80-100 ounces meat) or 5-6? lbs.
10 x 8-10 ounces = (80-100 ounces fruits and veggies) or 5-6? lbs.
8-10 servings bread or grain per (2) persons
8-10 (8-10 oz. drinks) per person (per day)
NOTE: Hard cheeses such as American and Swiss include in meat weight.
Soft cheeses such as cultures add to fruits and vegetables weight.
Eggs may be separate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
So that's a pretty good rule of thumb to go by for your "3 squares." If you like to snack, which goes great with camping, bring along your chips, marshmallows, or no bake cookies and you'll never go hungry. Don't forget the milk if your bring chocolate.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Article written by Keith Kampschaefer. Keith is President of CHK Marketing, LLC, which owns and operates http://www.packncamp.com Outdoor Supply. Along with his extensive knowledge and experience in the outdoors, Keith also has over 30 years experience in the food industry, specifically, perishable foods such as meats, seafood, and vegetables.
monthly home cleaning Buffalo Grove ..No one can truly say... Read More
An African honeymoon safari is the perfect way to celebrate... Read More
The Royal Barge Procession in Bangkok, conducted on very rare... Read More
Everyone has a travel dream. For many it is hitting... Read More
Tanzania's natural endowment as a wildlife safari destination is unrivalled.... Read More
Knowing a few edible wild plants can make your next... Read More
Tamil Nadu is a delightful anachronism. With a rich culture... Read More
Yes, it's real. There is a place called Timbuktu and... Read More
The Kuan Yin Shrine in Bangkok is in an old... Read More
Summer is for picnics, hikes, outdoor concerts, barbeques ... and... Read More
So unknown is this treasure of Lake Jipe not many... Read More
A meal in Greece is highlighted with a selection of... Read More
Once described in a 1950 article as "The Town That... Read More
Barnegat Light, NJ is the home to "Old Barney" a... Read More
A saddle is a static object, but your horse is... Read More
Inflatable boats are made from flexible material, usually rubber, canvas,... Read More
My favorite outdoor related quote comes from John Muir, the... Read More
To get the most out of a wildebeest migration safari... Read More
Zambia is Africa's best kept secret as far as safaris... Read More
When you think of "adventure travel," what crosses your mind?... Read More
There's nothing that will quicken the interest of RVers like... Read More
Mt. Washington Valley Trails & Mt Washington - NHThe highest... Read More
I stood at the observation point on the balcony at... Read More
Important information about camping stoves...What type of camping, hiking, or... Read More
A canoe trip is a great way to appreciate Nature!A... Read More
scheduled maid service Mundelein ..If you're looking to spot a whale, the first few... Read More
Touted as one of the world's fifty destinations of a... Read More
San Diego offers a bevy of interesting hikes. With the... Read More
Holidays in India, awesome in her size and diversity. This... Read More
Every year around 40 million visitors come to Florida for... Read More
Boondocking is fun! Boondockers go anywhere they want, at any... Read More
The most famous Egyptian pyramids to be built are the... Read More
HOW ARE MINERALS FORMED?MINERALS are naturally occuring, inorganic solids, with... Read More
When you're on the Internet looking for discount camping gear,... Read More
The dictionary defines a tent as 'a portable shelter usually... Read More
WHAT TO SEE, TO DO AND WHERE: Mount McKinley is... Read More
When you look at a river, what do you see?... Read More
Hawaii snorkeling is a fun activity available to almost any... Read More
The sport of river rafting was practically invented in Colorado.... Read More
There were four of us on that first Tom Sawyer... Read More
Okay, it wasn't quite a sleeping bag. However, it was... Read More
Ask me which Pacific island has the most to offer... Read More
An African honeymoon safari is the perfect way to celebrate... Read More
Today Bookpleasures and Sketchandtravel are pleased to have as our... Read More
We recently planted our saskatoon berry trees. I am sure... Read More
Costa Rica is a small country - just 75 mi/120... Read More
Inflatable boats are made from flexible material, usually rubber, canvas,... Read More
Last week in Australia, one man's day at beach could... Read More
The islands of Samoa are emerging as an exciting new... Read More
One afternoon during a trip across the country in our... Read More
Outdoors |