Camping

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Dalton and I talked about a lot of things, so I just wanted to reiterate a few of the topics and give you some links to finding some gear and more information for some of the places and things we talked about.

Here is a link to an in depth article about the 10 Scout Outdoor Essentials Dalton was talking about. The article also includes other lists of packing items.

To look for a backpack you an go to REI or Backcountry, they have very good backpacks according to Dalton. If you’re in the Stillwater area, Summit Co. also has really great backpacks. Dalton recommends the brands Gregory and Osprey.

To find some really good rain gear Dalton also recommends going to REI. He recommends the brands Marmot, Arc’teryx, and Patagonia for any type of clothing.

To find anything else you need, you can go to pretty much any outdoor store.

Here are links to Devils Den in Arkansas, and Greenleaf State Park in Oklahoma. I will need to make a correction in reference to the trail Dalton called Bee Creek, it is actually in Broken Bow, Oklahoma at Beavers Bend State Park on the Skyline Trail. For more information on that trail go to Beavers Bend website or see this trail guide.

Camping is a relatively inexpensive way to travel and provides a get away for the whole family. There are, however, several ways in which one can do this. Some of these include pitching a tent or camping in a trailer or RV. Typically, when I travel I’m almost always in the RV with my grandparents.

Recently, my grandparents moved their RV out to to Water Edge Resort campsite on Grand Lake. It’s a really great campsite with many beautiful views. We’re right on the water and we have a really nice deck that looks out into the cove.

This is the sight where our RV sits

We brought our kayaks so we could paddle around on the lake. Where we go down to the lake is a very steep hill, and getting the kayaks down was relatively easy, but bringing them back up took a little more work. We ended up rigging a pulley system by attaching the boats to some rope and pulling it up the hill. Other than that we kept the boats on the shore until right before we grandkids went home.

The water was really clear and actually warm compared to most lakes; if I hadn’t forgotten my bathing suit I actually would have enjoyed swimming in that water. Our neighbors had an Aqua Lily Pad and my 10 year old sister and her friend really enjoyed jumping in the water and doing flips and tricks on the mat. My 15 year old sister described it as a way of walking on water.

The Aqua Lily Pad is the green mat floating in the lake

Meals are always really easy when you’re camping. We had hamburgers and hot dogs, but you could just as easily have sandwiches to make it a more inexpensive meal.

All in all, camping at the lake can be a great inexpensive escape for any college student with a tent and a sleeping bag.