Written By Olivia Crawford
The wind whips through the trees, and the fire crackles beside you. The tall pines surrounding you sway, as the last light of day slips behind the horizon. The smell of burning wood and fresh pine surrounds you as you take a deep breath in. A coyote howls in the distance. Camping can be a peaceful, relaxing experience, but to make it even better, here are some tips to try while camping or backpacking, and a few places to try going to to get the best views this fall season;
What to Wear:
Bring sandals to wear at camp site if backpacking; feet swell under the weight of the pack, and it's just nice to have sandals to let your feet breathe.
Bring layers, to use as a pillow and as layers at night and in the morning.
General Tips:
Avoid going in random streams if you can help it, and if you do, check for leeches after.
Before you go, learn how to put up a tarp to keep your supplies dry if it rains.
Right when you get to the campsite, put up the tarp.
If it's raining and you need to get a fire going, placing the fire under the tarp, if the tarp is high enough, will usually work.
Bring a bag of birch bark and a small lighter to make it easy to start the fire.
Food:
Roasted starbursts are BOMB.
Bring a jar of your choice of peanut butter; you can put it on practically anything, or just eat it plain to fill you up easily.
Bring a bar of chocolate to eat with the peanut butter.
Instead of regular S’mores, you can try Reeses Smores or S’moreos.
An easy lunch is banana bread with peanut butter and honey.
Pancake scramble is a good substitute for when pancakes go wrong, or oil was left in the car.
If possible, bring a small container of olive oil! It will most likely come in handy!
Instead of using water to make oatmeal, use tea, for more flavor.
A couple places to try going camping or backpacking:
Stone Mountain park is a very easy place to go camping; they have bathrooms and showers, as well as a designated place for your tent and a grill.
Cheaha State Park is also a great place to go camping, but beware, the primitive camping has an outhouse and that's about it. For showers and bathrooms you have to sneak into the RV camping lot. But the view at the top of the mountain is surreal, with a pool overlooking the surrounding valley, and the Devil’s Den is at the bottom of the mountain, a deep swimming hole you can jump into off the rocks.
Of course, the Appalachian Trail has made its way onto the list, but only backpack here if you are a more experienced backpacker; it is pretty awesome, but be careful!
Jackal Island is another cool place to go camping, if you excuse the mosquitoes and bugs. It is a beautiful island off the coast of Georgia and has wild horses and long beaches to explore.
Tallulah Gorge State Park is another beautiful place to go camping; the park also features a suspension bridge over the river that runs through it.
Fort Yargo State Park is a perfect in-between place to go; the camping spots are not too close so that you feel crowded; however, the bathroom is a bit ghetto and has wasps in the summer.
If you try these awesome ideas, you are sure to have a memorable experience! Happy camping!