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Camping Through the Decades
Snapshots of camping history remain steadfast in the minds and hearts of camping pioneers, moving beyond the boundaries of time. Let us honor the past and embolden the future of camping - through the eyes of pioneers.
 Before urban sprawl infringed upon the land, campgrounds were settled on large plots of acreage. In the '20s and '30s the wilderness went on for miles. "The wilderness isolation is not like it used to be. We were used to the freedom of the woods, and we decry its passing as the years go by," notes Fred Rogers, who turned 94 this year and started camping at age four.
In the '50s, campers went about their tasks unfettered by environmentalism. They drank from clear streams and lakes oblivious to pollution. "Our only rule was that we scrubbed our dishes at the river downstream from where we drank water and swam. We cut down saplings for tent poles, and dug trenches so the rain would not seep under our tents," says Robert Telleen. The campers of today tread lightly on the land, teaching environmental awareness and recognizing their impact on nature.
What did campers wear through the decades? Jean G. McMullan describes the evolving uniforms of youth campers: "In 1915-1929, the standard wear for girls was long, serge royal blue bloomers worn with long black stockings and white or blue pullover blouses with smaller collars. Former director of Camp Wyonegonic in Maine, Helen O. Cobb, age 92, reports that in the '30s as a young counselor, "Clothes were sent to camp in wooden trunks in the early days. Now we have campers arriving with canvas wheeled roll duffels and plastic trunks - foot lockers are popular, too." The '30s-'50s saw cotton, must-iron blouses change to knit (no-iron) shirts, often with camp logos.
 McMullan recalls the early decades (1910-1930) of Alford Lake when campers arrived by steamship from New York and Boston to the Rockland, Maine, docks. They spent the night on the ship and arrived in the morning. They transferred to horse-drawn buggies and, later, to open truck "buckboards." Today they arrive by chartered buses, small planes, cars and SUV's.
Camp foods in the '50s were made from scratch. No prepared foods were available. Campers might carry dry macaroni and wedges of cheese that would not go bad for the day and make macaroni and cheese. On the first day of a trip, a group of hungry campers might take along pounds of frozen hamburger that would thaw during the day. They would cook a meat casserole or hamburgers later that day.
The joy, discoveries, and teachable moments that camping offers children and adults have endured through the decades - some things never change.
(excerpts from www.asacamp.org)
Reading this article reminded me that indeed some things never change. Despite the overwhelming amount of competing distractions for today's youth, camping remains in the top 3 most popular outdoor activities for youths and adults, according to the recent "Outdoor Recreation Participation 2012 Report". Further, statistics show that when kids are exposed to the joys of camping at an early age, they are over twice as likely to continue camping for their entire lives as opposed to those who first camp after the age of 18.
In the fast paced world in which we live, it is reassuring to know that some of the best things never change.
See you round the campfire!
Jeff Basford
President
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CAMPING 101 from PahaQue
Tips from the PahaQue Camping Experts
Rural Camping: Easy Ways to be Prepared
When it comes to camping or any outdoor adventure, safety is a priority, especially if you're someone like me who likes camping in rural areas. Rural camping is a get way to get in touch with nature and forget about work and cell phones since they don't work! Trust me, I've tried, and having no internet access or reception forces you to relax, which is why I usually go in the first place. Of course, the more rural you go, the more isolated from the world you become, which can be dangerous. If you do go rural camping be sure you are prepared and know how to prevent forest fires - this is every campers responsibility.
What to Prepare for Rural Camping Before you go
- Tell someone where you're going. This is one of the most important things you can do to ensure a safe trip. If you're not exactly sure where you're going, give at least a general idea with major highways/streets or GPS coordinates, and provide a timeline of your return. In the event you get lost in the woods, people will come looking for you. If you don't tell anyone, how will they know where to look?
- Get a permit if required in the area you plan to visit. The last thing you want is to locate a pristine destination away from the world, only to be spotted by a ranger and get ticketed, and those tickets are pricy and will definitely dampen your experience.
- Pack extra water and food. The more rural you go, the longer it will take you to get back to civilization so be prepared to avoid a shortage. Sometimes we forget how much water we actually use outside of drinking it, like washing our hands, cleaning a skillet, brushing our teeth, etc.
- Remember a first aid kit! Accidents can happen at any time, and if they do occur, we need to be prepared.
- Don't forget bug repellant and flash lights. Bug activity can be high in rural areas and being covered in bites doesn't exactly equate to a relaxing trip. Flash lights are also a must to see clearly at night and prevent falls.
get more camping advice at camptrip.com
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CELESTIAL NAVIGATOR from PahaQue
Mars and Saturn Reign in July and August
Because of the angle from which the sunlight strikes the moon, the moon will be a waxing crescent rather than a waning crescent, growing rather than shrinking, and the rest of the characters in the cast will be totally different. The planets Venus and Jupiter will be replaced by Mars and Saturn, and the star will be Spica instead of Aldebaran.
While the moon has just entered the scene from the right, moving towards first quarter, the planets and star will be making their "farewell appearances" for the season as they head towards the right into the "wings" behind the sun.Because Saturn is a very large slow-moving planet and is always quite far from the Earth, it doesn't change its appearance much from our point of view. Astronomers measure the apparent size of objects in the sky in angular measures: 90 degrees from horizon to overhead, 60 arc minutes in a degree, and 60 arc seconds in an arc minute. The Big Dipper is 25 degrees across and the moon is 0.5 degrees, or 30 arc minutes, or 1800 arc seconds.
The largest any planet appears, as seen from Earth, is Venus at its closest, a mere 1 arc minute or 60 arc seconds. That's why planets look so small, even in the largest telescopes.
The brightness of objects in space is measured on a magnitude scale, where the brightest stars are magnitude 1 and the faintest visible to the naked eye are magnitude 6. Objects brighter than the brightest stars, such as the sun, moon and brightest planets are listed as negative numbers on this upside down scale.
Red Planet sky show
Mars, in contrast to Saturn, is quite small and moves rather quickly around the sun. As a result Mars changes its size and brightness quite markedly over the course of its apparition. The bright star Spica is 263 light-years distant, at magnitude +1.0 the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. It represents a sheaf of wheat in the Virgin's hand, and its appearance in spring is a signal to farmers to plant their wheat.
Although these four objects (Mars, Saturn, Spica and the moon) appear close together in the sky from our vantage point on Earth, in reality they are at vastly different distances, so different that it is hard to find a common distance scale. This is why astronomers sometimes use time as a yardstick, using the speed of light -186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second) -to get a meaningful comparison for us regular humans. The moon is the closest, its light taking only 1.24 seconds to reach us. Mars is next, but its distance must be measured in light minutes, 13.2 light-minutes to be precise. Saturn is far enough away that its light takes 1 hour and 22 minutes to reach Earth.
When we come to Spica we must use a much longer yardstick: Spica's light takes 263 years to reach us. The light we see from Spica left the star 263 years ago, in the year 1749. So, when you gaze at these four objects grouped grouped closely together in the evening sky on Tuesday night, be aware of just how far apart they really are.
Excerpts from nightskyinfo.com
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Purchase the Pink Cottonwood 10x10 at the regular price of $249, and we will donate $100 to St. Jude's Children's Hospital to support children's cancer research, OR to SurfersHealing.Org to support Autism research and therapy - you choose which charity you would like to support.
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Whether you are a tent camper, or a trailer camper, PahaQue has what you need to make your outdoor experience the best it can be by providing top-quality products designed and manufactured with pride. We stand behind every product we make with a Lifetime Warranty. Since 1997 - Serious Outdoor Adventure Gear by PahaQue. PahaQue Wilderness 13125 Danielson Street #105 Poway, CA 92064 888.700.TENT (8368) |
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