Tag Archives: bears

Camp Kitchen Rules

springtable

check

rodents to raccoons / bats to bears / fish to frogs

Outdoor Kitchen Rules:

    • At home you can let your dirty dishes sit for days in the sink, but not out here. As much as you hate to, wash the dishes right after your meal – so you don’t attract wildlife to your camp. Heat wash water to make cleaning up easier on your hands. A large towel helps w/ drip dry process, so carry old towels.picnic
    • Picnic tables outside in the elements and are used by everyone, including the animals and rodents. Bring a table cloth, plastic, or an old sheet to cover the table. Hold it down with heavy objects on each end.

Hantavirus is a serious and deadly lung infection that is caused from inhaling fine dust particles from rodent droppings.

      • Avoid eating or preparing food directly on the ground. Place a ground tarp down and then a picnic blanket, at the very least.
      • Use caution (and a wet sponge) when staying overnight in rustic cabins, tent cabins.
      • Beware of older buildings that may be or may have been populated with rats or mice. Bring tarps, sheets and extra blankets to minimize the dust level. It’s advisable NOT to sleep or eat in any place that has evidence of mice turds.
      • Avoid sleeping or camping in caverns or caves, as rodent populations are in excess.
      • Do not feed wildlife, birds, squirrels or rodents. They can carry rabies and/or many other diseases.camp

    garbage (pack it out)

        • Put food left overs in the ice chest as soon as it cools. Use paper towels to wipe food residue out of pots – before washing. Dispose of trash food into paper grocery bag.  Dispose of paper bag & towels into the campfire. Let it burn down all the way w/ the last wood scraps; No more food smells to attract bears!
        • Do not leave the garbage outside overnight. Deposit trash in a dumpster at campground, or treat it like food and lock it away in a vehicle. Double bag it – in case it leaks. Always carry extra black trash bags when traveling, to clean up litter. These large bags can also be used as storage for blankets and pillows.campfire

      campfire (safety)

        • Obtain a free campfire permit from the local ranger station, if you plan to cook outdoors, using a stove or a fire. Know current fire conditions and obey RED FLAG restrictions on fire.
        • Do not leave campfires, lanterns or candles burning unattended at camp. Make sure the propane or butane fuel is turned off (at the stove and at the tank) after a meal. Drowned campfires before bedtime, or when you leave camp.

      washing (clean)

            • Do not wash dishes or cookware directly in the stream (lake, creek, river). Bring a large bucket or wash tub. Avoid dipping dirty dishes or pans into the lakes, rivers, or creeks. Wash nearby without putting soap into the natural waterway. Some campgrounds do not have piped water, so carry your own.
            • Disperse wash water over the ground at least 200 feet from nearest stream, river or lake.
            • Use a sponge scrubber with soap in the handle for convenience w/ minimal liquid. Store it is a ziplock baggie. No more chasing the floating soapy sponge down the creek, in the cold, swift current.
            • Same rules apply when washing your hands in the creek or bathing your body in a lake. Keep the soap to a minimum and rinse soap off – away from the shoreline of the lake, river or creek.

            water (raw water)

            • Do not drink untreated water from a lake or creek, no matter how fresh or clean it looks. Boil water, or bring a portable water filter for use when camping/hiking. If you carry bottled water, pack trash out; recycle bottles.
            • Boil water, Boiling is sufficient to kill pathogenic bacteria, viruses and protozoa.
              • If water is cloudy, let it settle and filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter.
              • Bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute. At altitudes above 5,000′, boil water for 3 minutes.

            Giardia is often found in rivers and streams. These organisms exist in waters because they exist in our digestive tracts and those of other animals. So anywhere that there’s poop near water, that water could contain pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Aeromonas, Yersenia enterocolitica, Leptospirosis, Listeria, or Vibrio, in addition to a suite of viruses and protozoan parasites like Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Some only cause short-term, if severe, gastrointestinal distress. Others can cause issues that last for weeks, months, or even years.

            califrepublic

            wildlife

            • Bears? If you are camping in ‘bear country’, do not cook in or near the tent or sleeping cots. Cook downwind from your sleeping area. Use metal bear boxes for food storage, when provided at campground. If not, use the trunk of your vehicle. Windows up!
            • Two large plastic boxes/containers with lids help in storing items properly, away from rodents & rain. Use one box for kitchen wear & Use one box for food storage. Wooden crates or plastic crates can also work.
            • Keep cooler in the shade -always! When stored in a vehicle, place blankets or tarps over ice chest to prevent sun from baking down on it. Overnight – put the cooler inside a vehicle. Windows up!

            camp

        racoonwarnsign
        click to enlarge
            • Raccoons are super-crafty creatures and can get into almost anything. Close your car windows at night. Tarp down the truck bed securely. Bring an extra tie down strap or two, to wrap the cooler or food box.
            • No food or SCENTS in the tents! Animals are attracted to smells. No BBQ sauce t-shirt or greasy jeans. No snacks, no candy, no cough drops, no toothpaste, no ointments, no deodorant. Store those scented items closed up in a vehicle, or in a metal bear box.
            • Bats may come in close at  night to eat mosquitoes and other flying bugs. On occasion they may find your cabin interesting and want to explore; Or a well lit motorhome could be inviting, so keep the screen door closed.
        taters
        Breakfast taters, coming up.

        How to deal with Bears & food storage

        RUBtub

        A large rubber container with lid is great for storage & doubles as a wash tub, so you don’t end up adding suds to the stream. Many mountain streams are used for local water sources & the less pollution in them, the better.

        watercont_i
        Camp Kitchen Care

        tarptenttub
        Ground tarps help keep gear clean and provides for food prep space.


Beware of Campers

Camping: Large Groups to be Aware of

glamiscampers

Campgrounds located closest to interstate or state highways usually fill up fast & can attract all types of campers. For the seclusion, head a few miles off the main roads & enjoy the silence. You will need some good topo maps. Be on the look out for some of these listed below! They could simply make or break your enjoyable experience in nature.

the real animals to be frightened of…

Party Animals
Good Ole Boys
Off-Roaders
Boom-Boom Boys
Family Affair
Big Time RVers
Wild Animals

RV campers love Deserts

to each their own… but,
Beware of these kind of campers

Party Animals

These are the young (teens / college) kids that will stay up late nights with their music cranked, hootin’ & hollarin’ until the wee hours. Copious amounts of alcohol, always. Drunk, belligerent & loud. The ranger is never around to scold them. And they choose small campgrounds, without a campground host. Very disturbing bunch & could care less what you think. Usually found at the easily accessed campgrounds, near urban centers.

Good Ole Boys

Not your occasional yuppie with his new sport utility vehicle. This type of modern day cowboy owns big American made truck. maybe with a lift kit & monster tires. Love to shoot their guns off (&/or camp near a shooting range). Classic rock music & Jack Daniels are the favorites. Wear bright clothing & try to stay out of their firing range.

welderdude

Off-Roaders

These are the all-terrain-vehicle nuts who love getting dusty, dirty & don’t mind an occasional broken bone or two. Their constant high pitched engine noises are always screaming in the background. At night, they can get loud, but usually crash early due to an exhausting day of riding. Noisy power generators are popular. Usually found at the campgrounds near SRVA State Park (State Recreational Vehicle Area) or any OHV Areas.

dirtbikersrandsburgBoom-Boom Boys

If you are lucky, you’ll only hear the base thumping over the running trickle of the nearby creek. Their low-rider car bottomed out 3 times before reaching this destination. Hanging with the home-boys at the campsite most of the time & talking loudly. Will build large fires in the middle of the day for no apparent reason & possibly play pyromaniac. Usually found at the easily accessed campgrounds near large cities.

A Family Affair

The huge family that brings all the bicycles, toys & neighbor’s children along with them. Plenty of food, BBQ smells & even a canopy or screen room. Loud children are very apparent, not to mention the screaming stressed out mom. This group is sure to awake you at the crack of dawn, with mom a bitching & the kids riding their bicycles thru YOUR camp site. Please note: Mexican families can be very noisy w/ loud music and chainsaws, both late into the midnight hour.

Big Time RVers

These older people will bring everything including the kitchen sink, microwave, TV & satellite dish. Noisy power generators could be annoying. The bright green Astro turf & lawn chairs are all in place right outside the motor home doorway. A small fluffy pooch is sure to be an annoying accessory. Sometimes they blend with the desert OHV campers w/ their toy boxes and bon fires.

Wild Animals

Some yahoos that pull into camp at 10pm & make a huge ruckus. Right when you think they’re quieting down, on comes some Zepplin tunes. You would assume that these are just boys that never grew up & we’ve met some that are 50+ years old. The women rarely stay up as late as their partners, but can ‘out belch’ them on occasion. Some have expensive toys & sometimes haul a separate trailer just for that crap.

Houseless, not Homeless

Over the past decade millions of people lost their homes to foreclosure; and most recently thousands of Californians lost their homes due to super destructive wildfires.

Across Northern Cal, you will find plenty folks living in limbo in their camper trailers.

Many people decide to live on the road in motorhome campers, while searching for a new home, or part time work, bouncing around – free wheelin – where ever they feel comfortable. Now a days, large encampments of full time campers exist within the deserts of the Southwest.

Snowbirds, burners, rainbows, drop-outs, tourists, nudists, hot spring soakers, and off-roaders —– YEP, all mingling out in nature, all winter long, from California to New Mexico. Motorhomes, teardrops, Airstreams, camper vans, truck campers, backpackers. Free camping (without the fees) is always a big concern for these nomads. Several annual ‘gathering’ events exist near Quartzsite, AZ

If you come across a friendly traveler, say hi and make sure they have enough food and water. If they appear unfriendly, they may want you to leave. Be cautious about approaching strangers, especially in the desert. Seen way too many damn movies.

sundaycrowd

Party  Camp Towns

These camp regions below are known for their frequent rowdy campers and partying kids. If it is Spring Break, a 3 day weekend or anytime around a holiday, you can be sure the party will be here. Local pubs, busy restaurants, bon fires, motorcycles, quads, music all night.

Not seeking this kinda camping? ….means you’ll need to stay away.

San Felipe, Baja California
Ensenada, Baja California
Yuma, Arizona
Glamis Desert OHV
Lake Havasu, Arizona
Laughlin, Colorado River
Randsburg ghost town
Panamint Valley @ Ballarat
Jawbone Canyon, Mojave
Kern River, Kernville
Pismo Beach, California
Mammoth Mountain, Eastern Sierra
Belden Town, North Fork of Feather River

Caution: Big Time Grow Area

California cannabis growers & land owners are often well armed. They do not want to see any hikers or lost tourists hanging around their ‘private property’ boundary. KEEP OUT: Pay close attention to signs, or you could hear gun shots aimed in your very direction. Now that legalization has come, this list may soon get longer.

Regions listed below often have large grow operations (GROW-OP).

[Keep away and stay alive]

Honeydew, Emerald Triangle – Mendocino Co.
(Petrolia, Matole, Shelter Cove, Lost Coast)
Humboldt County
Hayfork, Trinity Pines – Trinity Co.
Weaverville, Junction City – Trinity Co.
Igo & Ono, W of Redding – Shasta Co.
Oak Run, E of Redding – Shasta Co.
Berry Creek, Lake Oroville – Butte Co.
North San Juan, N Gold Country – Nevada Co.
Santa Cruz Mountains –  Santa Cruz Co.
Nipton, California NV border – San Berdu Co.

 

randsburg

the real cautions

Ahh, the great outdoors. The thought conjures up different images for different people. Whether you picture warm desert breezes, cold mountain streams or simply lounging about in your campsite without a care in the world, we’re all thinking the same thing – relaxation in a nature paradise!

Still, most folks don’t think about the flip side of paradise; getting lost, inclement weather, wild fires, sprained ankles, poison oak, snakebites, etc. Whether you are headed out to desolate, snow-covered peaks or your local hiking trail, you’ve got to be prepared for the unexpected.

tentinterior

Would you like to be one up on the masses by reading some very simple tips? Or, would you prefer to continue stumbling blindly through the woods and fields, drinking contaminated water, picking up ticks, rolling around in poison oak and wrestling your dinner from a 500-pound black bear?

Check our Fire Safety page & for God’s sake, when the signs are posted “no campfires” it means no fires!!!

People who accidentally start destructive wildfires inside California (even by mistake) are often sentenced to over a decade in jail. Be very aware of all sparks, cigarettes, & any open flames.

hiking

Pack a good map of the area and obtain a recent weather forecast.
Be alert for signage or, as is often the case, lack thereof.
Bring along a first aid kit and know what’s in it!
Know what poison oak and sumac look like and make all attempts to AVOID it!

Bring plenty of water. NEVER trust natural water sources. Use Tincture of Iodine or some sort of water filter system. (Trust me on this one!)

bearboxprovided

camping

When in ‘bear areas’ and developed campgrounds, NEVER leave food in tents or the car, when bear box containers are provided. Community bear boxes are common throughout the Sierra Nevada and some NorCal mountains. Backpackers often use bear canisters. Use bear canisters and devise a sling method to hang your food. The bears will get your food if you do not take precautions, believe me! See more info on CAMPING with BEARS in California.

Flash floods, in river basins and most deserts in California. NEVER build camp or pitch your tent in dry riverbeds or along arroyos when there is a chance of rain (unless your tent comes equipped with oars or paddles). Breaking camp at midnight in 40 mph winds is never an easy task, and will likely have you headed home in the wee hours.

Check the forecast as much as possible when traveling. California is a big state with micro-climates and radical weather, so go out prepared for rain or snow if it is winter, spring or autumn (especially in higher elevation); Summers are generally hot and sweltering in California, over the past decade.

If you feel the absolute need to bring a firearm with you. Please obey all federal and local laws and regulations regarding said firearm. Most State Parks & National Park have strict rules for weapons.