Have any of you had the pleasure of taking your 2 1/2 year old daughter fishing for the first time? Well actually, it was a rock throwing trip more than a fishing trip, but it showed me what love is. Who knew that a little girl throwing rocks into a flowing river would have anything to do with love?

I find it so ironic that I used to think I knew what love was. That was before Cameron came into this world though. Since she’s been around, things have changed. Hell, I was married for 7 years and didn’t have a clue what love was about. I of course would have told you that I did. And I truly believed that I did as well. It’s not that I was consciously lying to everyone around me. Not at all. I really, really, really thought I knew. But then I found myself standing next to a flowing river with my daughter, on her first river fishing trip. I was tossing a worm around trying to fool a trout, and after watching me for about 5 minutes, Cameron had seen enough of this “fishing” thing. It was time for rock throwing to begin. And she threw rocks for the better part of 2 hours, while dad spent the time drowning a worm. I was so engulfed in being with her, talking to her, showing her the few trout that I did mange to catch, that I suddenly realized: This is what love is.

Not caring that someone was throwing rocks into the water in the place where I’m trying to catch a fish, is love. At least in my weird, messed up perception of the world. There’s no doubt about it. There was a time that a little kid throwing rocks into the water where I was fishing would have sent me into a tirade. But not this time. I was as happy as she was, and I suppose that’s what it’s all about. Although if that kid weren’t my daughter, I’m not sure the realization would have been the same.
Not to mention the fact that anytime I say, “Cam, do you want to go fishing?” now, she starts jumping up and down screaming, “Yes, Yes, Yes”. For a guy who has a fairly serious fishing addiction, this little jewel of information may be better than discovering what love is. She will happily go fishing, or I should say rock throwing anytime that I feel like it. That has to be one of the best things to ever happen to me. Well, to be truthful, Cam is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Trevor Kugler - Co-founder of JRWfishing.com
Trevor has more than 20 years of fishing experience, and noe specializes in ultralight trout fishing.
http://www.jrwfishing.com - products and information to save you time and help you catch more fish.
email - tkugler@jrwfishing.com

I was backpacking in the Sleeping Bear Dunes. It was March, so when I made it through the woods and over the dunes, I’d have miles of beach to myself. It was an over-nighter, a chance to test new ultralight backpacking equipment. I hiked the wooded hills quickly, enjoying the cold air.

Halfway through the forest, I stopped to cook noodles. The cheap 3-ounce pot was from a dollar store, and it worked fine. I was happy, because from the catalog descriptions, the expensive titanium pots are all heavier, probably because they’re too thick and with too many gadgets.

I had to use a small twig-fire when my homemade alcohol stove didn’t provide enough heat. I later learned that isopropyl alcohol doesn’t burn as hot as the alcohol used for a gas additive, but the twigs worked in any case.

Backpacking On The Beach

After eating, I hiked to Lake Michigan, and sat up on a large sand dune. I watched the waves push ice up onto the empty beach. Coyotes began to howl in the distance, and the clouds rolled in. I was on the beach looking for petoskey stones when the snow began. Backpacking in March has its risks.

I was in running shoes, and it would be below freezing that night. In northern Michigan, March is definitely part of winter. My feet stayed warm while I hiked, but I hadn’t planned on them getting wet. At least I had a pair of warm, dry socks for sleeping.

Ultralight Backpacking Equipment

It was the first time I used my GoLite Breeze backpack, which weighed only 13 ounces. I was hiking with about nine pounds on my back, and that only because I threw in some canned food. I was going light, but I knew the forests here and felt comfortable with my abilities.

My down sleeping bag was a 17-ounce Western Mountaineering HighLite. It was the first time I would use it below freezing (It hit 25 degrees fahrenheit that night). Fortunately, it wasn’t too windy.

At the edge of the forest, behind the dunes, I set up my small tarp. I piled pine needles and dead bracken ferns under it, finishing just as it became dark. This made a warm mattress, and I slept well, listening to the coyotes, and to the waves pushing ice around in the lake.

In the morning I was happy to see only a dusting of snow. My one-pound sleeping bag had been warmer than my three-pounder - and I thought that was light. I poured alcohol in the cut-off bottom of a pepsi can (my 1/2-ounce backpacking stove) and made tea. After some crackers I was soon hiking in my mostly-dry shoes, along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Backpacking Lessons Learned

I ended my trip that afternoon, with a hike to the village of Empire, seven miles away. I was mostly satisfied. Only two problems: My tarp was too small, and the alcohol I brought was the wrong type.

After backpacking in Michigan for years, I know it well. I know where to find dead grass and bracken ferns, for example, to make a warm mattress in a few minutes. Knowledge, obviously, can be as valuable as expensive backpacking gear.

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Whether Camping in Canada, Idaho, Missouri, North Georgia, New York, and of course Pennsylvania and the options are endless. While your options may narrow considerably if you are looking to either hike, fish, or boat, it would still take a lifetime to experience it all. Without even heading international!

However, just because there are many spots for camping, you don’t just pack your camping accessories to run off to the first camping spot you come across. Lots of thought goes into choosing a camping location.

When you are choosing a camping location, it is necessary to first consider the accessibility to the camping spot. Especially if you will be arriving by RV. Consider how you intend to get to the camping spot; by driving or by foot. If you are on your first camping trip, and you intend to go by foot, choose a spot that is half a mile walking distance. The view can also be taken into consideration as there is no use going camping in a spot where there is no view when there are many beautiful camping spots around you!

Remember to check if there is access to clean water for you to use during your camping trip. If there is no water, you will have to pack all the water for your needs and to put out the campfire that you make. Of course, when you make a campfire, you need firewood. So choose a camping location where there is access to firewood as you don’t actually intend to carry all the wood to the camping spot! It is always better to choose a camping spot that has dead wood as live trees don’t burn well.

Most important, avoid the ‘uncharted areas’ when choosing a camping location. This is because camping spots which are not established may make your tent roll down a hillside or you may end up having to sleep on rocks during the night, or sharing your food with a Bear! If you are adventurous and want to try out an ‘uncharted area’, make sure the terrain is level enough for you to camp.

The best places to look to choose a camping location would be in the local state parks, national forests, conferring with friends who have gone camping, and of course through the internet.

To receive a free copy of the ‘Ultimate What to Take Camping List’, visit Dependable Camping Equipment

Sam Jordan