Well, here you are on vacation. You have found a wonderful quiet meadow on the shore of the lake! But before indulging in a serene rest, you need to set up a camp: put up tents, organize a kitchen, and so on and so forth. This is not to say that this is a pearl of great wisdom, but there are rules that will help you avoid various incidents and troubles.
Where to pitch the tents?
The tent should be placed either on a hill, or simply on flat ground, but in no case in a low place.
Arriving at the resting place, look through the area carefully. Ideally, it should be flat, dry, located on the bank of the water body, and protected from the wind from the opposite side. In principle, the conditions are quite feasible, especially on the shores of the Gulf of Finland: wherever you look, there are solid beaches. The idyll is destroyed only by a strong wind that periodically swoops in from the sea, so it is better to set up camp at a distance from the coast among the trees. Sometimes it happens that the parking lot is located right on a rock. This has both pros and cons. A huge plus is that a tent set up on a stone forehead (as large gentle rocks are called) will never flood. Even if it rains very hard, water will flow into the lake.
Put the tents at a distance from the fire and from each other
The second rule applies to a group with several tents: do not put them too close to each other. Since the awning needs to be stretched with ropes, there is a high chance of tripping over the rope or peg, especially if they cross. Snoring or other noises from neighbours may also interfere at night. A distance of 5 meters is sufficient. Approximately the same distance must be observed from the fire so that sparks and smoke do not fly to your shelter. Place tents to the windward side of the fire widespread. The entrance is usually oriented towards the campfire and at the same time towards the bank of the water body.
Clear the area, make the substrate
Before settling up a hiking tent, it is necessary to clear the site of debris (by the way, as well as the entire territory of the camp) and cones. Sleeping on bumps, even with good rugs, can`t be too much fun! And see that there are no protruding stones - this is even worse. After that, it's best to make a substrate out of fir twigs to keep it warm, dry, and relatively soft. In no case do you need to chop spruce for this! Cut off the lower branches, 2-3 pieces from different trees - this will not cause any damage to the trees. Lay them out on the ground so that they evenly cover the entire surface under the bottom of the tent. The preparation is over, we set up the tent and proceed to the kitchen equipment.
Where to make a fire?
For good, the kitchen (fire) must be dealt with first of all, because it will be a common cause for everyone, and only then to set up home.
Choosing a place for a fire
As a rule, all parking lots already have a campfire site. Even if it is not indicated by anything, but you can see where your predecessors burned before you, there is no need to arrange another fireplace. Just upgrade it: put stones or bricks around, if such suddenly appear nearby. Spread logs around at a distance, again if they are any. Never cut healthy trees for your own needs - this tree has grown for 20, 30, 40 years not for someone to sit on its remains for 2, 3, 4 days.
If you are lucky enough to find a wild place where there is not a single campfire, place it not too close to the bank, otherwise, you will be tortured when the wind blows from the water. If the clearing is large, you should retreat 10-15 meters from the coast, or even more.
Preparing a camping kitchen
If you are brave and desperate tourists who want to test yourself for strength and skill, we suggest preparing food right on the fire. There is nothing difficult about this, but you need to adapt so that all the food does not turn into a mass (this often happens, because it is not so easy to regulate the heating). Have you made up your mind? Then we set up a tripod or two spears with a rod over the fire, on which we will hang pots. If there is a folding table - good, no - any more or less flat surface (wide stump, log, stone) will do. Instead of chairs, there are logs that we laid out around the fire. That's the whole kitchen!
If you have a hotplate with a gas cylinder, everything is much easier. And another very important point is that the kitchen must be protected from rain, so we pull an awning between the trees (always at an angle so that the water can drain) or put up a folding tent if there is a tile.
What to do with waste?
During the cooking process, various waste products appear. Something can be left right in the forest: any food waste, paper, and even tin cans (they need to be burned well in a fire) will eventually turn into fertilizer for trees and other vegetation. In order for the processing process to go faster, and you do not observe rotting residues every day, you need to dig a hole in the forest away from water. There you will put all the food leftovers, and cover it on top with the dug soil and removed sod when you leave. Choose the size yourself depending on the length of stay in the parking lot and the number of people.
All the rest of the garbage must be collected in bags during the entire trip and taken to the trash heap. Even if someone left the trash before you, do not be like these people, or even better - take with you at least some of what they left behind. It may not be very pleasant to dig in other people's garbage, but you feel unspeakable pride when you did something good.
Where to set up a sanitary zone?
For a seasoned hiker, the issue of toilet and shower is usually not worth it. The toilet is everywhere, the shower is in the lake. However, if you are used to comforting and are not going to part with it even in hiking conditions, it makes sense to purchase a special lightweight tent that allows you to stand up to your full height while washing. Water can be safely taken from the lake. If it is too cold, heat it over a fire or in the sun (water heats up very well, especially in a black container).
In the same tent, you can install a special bucket for the toilet. It is lightweight, inexpensive, available at any garden center, and is comfortable to sit on. If you really need a cozy home environment, take a dry closet with you. True, you can't ride on a train with it, such a device is only for those traveling by car and preferably with a trailer. Set up a sanitary tent at a distance from the bank and residential tents, but not too far away so as not to run through the entire camp at night.
And one more useful recommendation: take a can of mosquito repellent or a stinky spiral with you, otherwise you will not be able to relax in the toilet room.
About the author
Melisa Marzett is a world explorer, a traveler, a writer, and a life enthusiast. She is writing for www.resumeperk.com while traveling throughout the world discovering it from other angles. Her life motto is that life is beautiful and too short and there is simply no time to waste.
