I get asked all the time the same questions about hiking and camping, When I come home from a trip people ask me the same things in each of the stores I work at, so I thought I'd answer some of them on my blog.1. No I am not afraid of black bears. I do not worry about getting eaten by, mauled by, or chased by them. We only have black bears in New England. Grizzly Bears on the other hand are dangerous. When I have slept in grizzly country I admit I have been nervous. Black bears are nothing to worry about. All but one bear I have ever seen ran the other direction when it saw me. The other one walked right along the trail in front of me for 300 feet. Then walked into the woods.
When people say "they are more scared of you than you are of them ", It is true for me since they run away and I try to get photographs.
2. No I do not get lonely. When I go camping alone, I don't get bored or feel alone. I don't go up to get away from friends. I just look at a trip alone as a trip to New Hampshire, not a trip alone.
3.Yes I shit in the woods. No it doesn't bother me.
4. No I don't carry a gun. My boss seems to think I'm going to get raped by extras from the movie Deliverance. I consider the trails in New Hampshire very safe. There is nothing to worry about.
5. If I had to choose, the animal in New England that I would most worry about it would be raccoon. About half have rabies, therefore you can't reason with them and their spit is deadly. I have never seen one anywhere but my car so I don't give them any thought either.
6. There aren't any poisonous snakes in New Hampshire. In fact there are very few poisonous snakes in New England. There are a few timber rattlers in Vermont, Connecticut and Mass. There are also copperheads in MA and CT. They are not widespread or common. I have never seen one. So no I do not worry about poisonous snakes.
On a different note, there are no "water moccasins" in New England. All of the snakes that people say are moccasins around here are northern water snakes. Northern Water Snakes obviously live in water. They do not fear people and they can be curious. They may check you out, which can be taken as aggressive. They won't harm you SO STOP KILLING THEM.
7. I know a lot of people would consider the way I camp "roughing it", but I just consider it camping. Packing is simple and I have most of it my camping box anyway. Last week DJ and I went camping at the same time but not together. He went with his girlfriend, I alone. The only thing I took from the camping box was the lantern. He took the box
8.When I camp I don't bring a cooler because I don't want to deal with ice issues every day. So I found foods that I don't have to keep cold like soup cans, Chef Boyarde, and snacks like granola bars, and fruit snacks. Fruits like plums will keep a day or two.
9. When I go camping/hiking, I do not go out to eat if I'm alone. I just eat my supper, usually with a view of a mountain somewhere. When I go with Laurie, we usually get pizza after a hike in Lincoln, NH.
10. Yes after a big hike sometimes my knees hurt a lot.
11. I don't like biting insects anymore than the next person, but unless they are swarming, I don't let them keep me inside.
12. I do not worry about diseases from ticks or mosquitoes. I wear bug spray and "try" to remember to do a tick check, but I have never thought I shouldn't go outside because of West Nile Virus.
13. Usually I camp near the car. When I backpack, I take as little as possible. When Laurie and I went into Wind Cave all we took were tents, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, snack for breakfast, drink, raincoat,change of socks, bug spray, small first aid kit (basically band aids, ibuprofen and her contact lens stuff, toothbrush/paste.) That's it. If I was out longer I'd consider another shirt, and of course more food/water.
14. Even though there is a fire pit in the picture, I never have a fire. I hate the smell on my clothes. I've probably had three fires in the last ten years camping, if that.
I'll add to this list, if I think of any other FAQ
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