PahaQue is not just a name, and although rooted in lore, it is something even more than just the meaning of the words.  It is a way of life, or at the very least, a way of looking at life. It is about experiencing and enjoying the great outdoors with family and friends.  It is about understanding the history of the land, and it is about the peace and solitude that can only be found in the places less affected by modern humankind.

No matter where you live and where you camp, history can be found everywhere.  From the Native Americans who once roamed every square foot of this land, to pre-historic animals, and even further back in time, the natural history of our land is all around.  But nowhere is it more visible than in nature.  To find it however, you must know where to look, and what you are looking for. 

One easy way to begin to understand the history of the land is to learn about the plant and animals that inhabit the areas in which you camp.  Learn how the previous inhabitants found usefulness in everything, and you will learn how a certain type of tree was once critical to a certain tribe's existence, perhaps for medicinal or spiritual purposes, or how that tree may have aided in the existence of certain bird or other plant species.

Aside from living examples of history, another way to understand the history of the land is to find more tangible relics.  Arrowheads usually come to mind first.  Almost anyone who has ever camped has found an arrowhead or knows someone who has.  Learning more about arrowhead types specific to your favorite camping area can provide much information about what types of game were hunted, how they were hunted, and even the time period of their use.  Cave drawings or other forms of pictographs are another exciting example of tangible evidence left by pre-historic inhabitants, thus providing yet another excellent learning opportunity.  Historic structures from our forefathers, particularly when preserved as a museum, provide still another source of information about the land, from yet another group of previous inhabitants who struggled to carve out an existence in a once harsh land.

Whether you camp in state parks or backcountry wilderness, the opportunities to learn more, and therefore further your appreciation of the land and its history, are all around you.  It may be just a short hike, or a day trip away from camp, but seeking out  opportunities to learn more about the natural history of the area you camp in is not only a great experience for kids and adults alike, but it also makes for great after dinner conversation around the camp fire.

Kids especially seem fascinated with the tales of frontier life and struggles, of Indian fights, of the trappers, hunters and other pioneer frontier folk that settled the land.  The stories come to life even more when they happened in the vicinity of your camp.  At night it is easy to imagine yourself in another time, and history makes great material for fire-side stories.  And perhaps with this understanding of natural history comes a deeper appreciation of the outdoors. 

This is just one aspect of the meaning of PahaQue - the family camping lifestyle.  Whatever you choose to call it, it all adds up to one thing - WE LOVE CAMPING!  It's a way of life.

Tent Washing

Howdy, campers! This is the subject NO ONE wants to talk about. However, if you want to increase the life of your tent, it is absolutely essential that you wash it periodically. First, let's discuss the TYPES of tents we may own. There are the smallish one/two man versions, such as backpacking tents like our Bear Creek line (Style 1), then there are the slightly larger two/four man styles, like our Green Mountain Tent (Style 2), and then there are the family style tents for four/six, with larger poles, similar to our Pamo Valley or Promontory Tents (Style 3).

Style 1 and most Style 2 tents can be washed at the Laundromat in a washer with NO AGITATOR. Use Cheer Free or another soap that has no perfumes or dyes. Wash in COLD water on GENTLE cycle. DO NOT DRY IN THE DRYER. Line dry at home outside if possible, until COMPLETELY DRY. Be sure to check corners for residual moisture. A tent put away wet is a tent that will never be able to be used again due to growth of mold and fungus. It will smell really yucky and will also delaminate the nice coating that keeps you dry. Style 3 tents can be hand washed in the bathtub, or set up in the back yard and washed with a cloth or brush. Have a bucket of soapy water handy, and keep dipping and washing. Rinse well with the hose, and allow to dry completely. If you wash in the tub, wring out as well as possible, and then line dry outside. Be sure to roll or fold your tents properly for storage, DO NOT STUFF INTO SACKS. Rolling ensures the proper storage of your zippers and doesn't allow them to kink, while stuffing will often kink the zippers, rendering them unusable later.

Following these simple steps will keep your tent not only clean but free from debris that can harm your tent over time.

HAPPY CAMPING! 

THE FEBRUARY NIGHT SKY

During the month's final days, Mercury, the innermost and smallest planet of the solar system, hugs the western horizon right after sunset. A good night to look is February 22, when a waxing crescent Moon lies 5° to Mercury's right.

Once you spot Mercury, you may wonder why it has a reputation for being elusive. Although the ancients knew of this celestial body, Mercury is the planet least seen by people on Earth without a telescope.

Even the great astronomer Copernicus - the man who put the Sun in its proper place at the center of the solar system, with Earth circling it - supposedly lamented near the end of his life that he had not seen it.

Mercury is hard to observe because it orbits closer to the Sun than any other planet so, from our perspective on Earth, it never strays far from the Sun's glare. Even at its best, the innermost planet can be seen with the naked eye only either shortly after sunset in the western sky or shortly before sunrise in the eastern sky. It never gets far enough from the Sun to appear in a totally dark sky.

Shining brilliantly in the southwestern sky soon after sunset, Venus will immediately grab your attention. On February 1, the planet glows at magnitude -4.1 and does not set until around 8:30 P.M. local time. By month's end, Venus remains visible until 9:30 P.M. local time and also shines brighter, at magnitude -4.2.

A telescope or even steadily mounted binoculars will show Venus to be about 70- percent lit. As the planet's orbit carries it closer to the Earth over the next several weeks, you will be able to see Venus' disk growing in apparent size, and the phase slowly decreasing.

Though named for the goddess of beauty, Venus is more like Earth's ugly sister. The two planets formed in the same general region of the solar system, suggesting that their compositions are basically similar. Theyare of roughly the same size, mass and density, and Venus orbits the Sun at an average distance about 70-percent that of Earth's.

But where Earth has temperatures and conditions conducive to life, a variety of environments and a robust magnetic field, Venus is a dry, hellish, high-pressure furnace whose magnetic field is not even strong enough to keep the solar wind from stripping away the upper atmosphere. Below ever-present clouds of sulfuric acid and a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere, the Venusian surface hits temperatures up to 860 degrees Fahrenheit (460 degrees Celsius).

Excerpts from nightskyinfo.com