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10 TIPS
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FOR QUEERY GOOD CAMPING Words and photos by Molly McCormick
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e can’t all be masters of the trail, but we can all learn and join in! Here are a few, not-so-straight tips for how to have a fabulous time outside, regardless of ability and skill level.
Pick your campsite and location ahead of time. As a wildlife and nature photographer, there are plenty of times I “wing it” and let the adventure come to me as I go. However, when it comes to my sleep, there’s just some things I don’t mess with. (My fiancé can attest to this; if I don’t get at least five hours of decent sleep, she puts me in the dog house.) I try to always plan ahead. Do I want to stay in a reservation-only site? A firstcome, first-served? Are dogs allowed? Is their access to water? Is it BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land? There are a lot of questions that need to be answered before I put my tent up. There’s really nothing worse than arriving at your destination late and not having a spot to sleep.
Make sure you bring the right equipment, and no, I’m not talking about White Claws. 1 4 \\ J U L Y 2 2 , 2 0 2 0
Do you have a tent? Do you have a sleeping bag? Do you have a sleeping pad? Does your tent have a footprint? Do you have some sort of water filtration system? Have you tried out your equipment? Is it comfortable?
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A dear friend of mine worked at a rafting company one summer and needed a tent to camp for two months; we decided to pick one up at Walgreens on the way up to Buena Vista. A tent is a tent, right? WRONG! The thing disintegrated in the sun after about three weeks.
Not to plug myself, but I also work at REI; come visit us, and we can set you up with what you need ... and don’t buy tents from Walgreens.
Make sure you invest in comfortable, reliable, and dependable equipment.
its beautiful mountains, ever-flowing microbrews, and insanely unpredictable
Bring an extra day’s worth of food, water, and extra layers of clothing. Colorado is known for
