Exogeny Network ℠

It's really all about getting your feet wet, in a safe and fun way, learning to enjoy the outdoors.  We don't try to conquer it, but we teach you how to regard it as your friend.  Its a fantastic way to keep the budget intact and "get away."  Its great for kids, I know I read about one study that showed that kids who spent time outdoors in nature just generally did better at everything.

  It's cheaper than a therapist, so why not give it a try yourself? 

     I know that after spending the vast majority of my life living in remote areas of the United States where camping wasn't so much a "fun-zy" thing as it was a way to be where I needed to be when I needed to be there, I ended up living in the 'burbs of New Orleans.  Granted New Orleans isn't known for being a high stress major big city, but to me it was gigantic!  The apartment complex I lived in at first had more occupants than any town I had lived in before! 

     After Katrina, everyone's stress levels skyrocketed.  Between standing in lines and the daily tales of horror you heard from friends and acquaintances as we dealt with the aftermath, the frustration of trying to live in a city that suddenly didn't seem to be part of the United States anymore, and the normal stress of life, I started to see people dropping like flies.  Suicide claimed way too many, stress induced illnesses claimed some more, and most of the rest seemed to start living on prescriptions to help them cope.  I thought I was unaffected by it all, as my losses were minimal, until one day I was reading an article by Chris Rose, a local journalist who did his own battle with depression in the post-Katrina phase, and I realized...I was affected too.

     I found the same relief I had found a very long time ago when I was a single parent with little time, less money, and a lot of worries.  I went camping, I got outdoors, and as I learned about the world around me, I found a new peace, a new joy, and a way to safely escape the stress and give myself some coping room.

    Along the way, I met the Hippy, a survival expert and camping fanatic with an amazing amount of knowledge, and a lot of knowledge in particular about the Southeastern United States' flora and fauna, which was utterly alien and kind of frightening to me.  I had heard stories about snakes that attacked by dropping from the trees, giant spiders that could practically carry away a turkey, alligators that lurked everywhere to kill my dog or me, strange venomous snakes, and plants filled with poisons.  Then there was the land, or lack thereof, to add to the fear factor.  Swamps and bayous, rivers and lakes, all filled with assorted watery monsters that would sneak up on me to kill or maim me. 

     I knew the deserts and high plateaus of the West, but this may as well have been an alien planet that I was now faced with.  Despite being moderately experienced at camping and hiking, I was intimidated by this new habitat and climate.

     I haven't had any horrific experiences in the wilds here.  Granted, Red Dog hasn't been allowed to swim in waters likely to host alligators, and maybe I'm a little paranoid about THAT...but she doesn't complain too long!  As I discussed camping with the other people I knew, I realized that there were a lot of people out there who had never experienced the fun of camping, never slept a night in a tent, and knew even less about the world they had lived in all their lives than I did after a couple of years.  It wasn't that they didn't want to do it or didn't want to know, they didn't know how and were more intimidated by the seemingly exclusionary camping club than they were by the prospect of venomous monsters lurking in the shadows.

     A plan began to form in my mind as I thought about the world we live in.  Our economy totally sucks right now, and everyone is strapped for money.  By the time you buy gas to go somewhere, the motel fund is sucked too dry to bother going.  Most kids are living with divorced or separated parents, and often their parents have not remarried, leaving them struggling in a world where the economy is prejudiced against the single adult. 

 Money for vacations is tight, money for weekend get-aways is tight.  Sometimes there is no TIME for a proper vacation, or the juggling of kids and school and visitations make it tough. 

      I wanted to give these struggling families an option, to let them get out and experience the outdoors.  I wanted for singles of all ages to feel free to try it, whether its a middle aged man or woman with no kids, or a struggling 20something with 3 kids, they need to discover that the natural world is an amazing thing filled with beauty and wonder, a place to find peace and tranquility, not something to fear and dread.

      The best protection for Nature is to have the majority of our population appreciate its value, rather than regard it as "unused land."  Voters who have never visited a National Forest are highly unlikely to be enthusiastic about tax dollars going to protect something they don't care about.

     So, with the Hippy's assistance, Get-Ready-GO was born.  We will soon have some great podcasts available free of charge. 

     We have books to recommend reading either by borrowing them from your local library or buying them yourself. 

     We'll have pictures, stories, reviews of equipment and products, how-to articles, and anything else that our readers/listeners want to know about. 

     Its all geared for the "regular people," not high end users with unlimited budgets. 

     Along the way, we're also going to include emergency preparedness, as it is so closely related to camping and the skills used there, and is  also an important piece of knowledge to have, even while we all hope that we NEVER need to use it.  Its too late to wait until you need that particular bit of knowledge to learn it, but camping is a way to "practice" while having fun.  We will even include some links to other sites that may have some useful information!

This page will be changing often, reflecting new information we add, so check back often, as some things may only be posted for a limited amount of time.

If you are shopping, please consider the advertisers we have listed as you compare prices and goods, and if you choose to buy from them, please do so through the links on this page, as that is how we break even on the expenses of maintaining this page.

 

 

 

 

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  "It's cheaper than a therapist, so why not give it a try yourself? "

 

Tonight's Episode is a journey into the Wild Wonderful Outdoors with your Host, Gia Scott, and the Mysterious Hippy, the Host of: Get-Ready-GO.

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http://www.get-ready-go.com

an Exogeny Network site

Winter 2008/2009

Winter camping is a different experience than summer camping, and has different issues entirely.  In summer, rainshowers, thunderstorms, heat, sunshine....these are the name of the game with weather.  There are also snakes & reptiles, insects & bugs.  In winter, however, there aren't these particular issues.  It is more critical to be adequately prepared in order to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable experience.

Car camping is less dangerous in terms of winter camping than most other types.  However, a stray snowstorm or blizzard can soon turn the trip into a much larger test of endurance than what was intended.  Something like this can happen even in the southern states that seldom are inflicted with blizzards, so don't think that just because you are within a few hundred miles of our southern borders that you are immune to the threat of severe winter weather.

I don't recommend winter camping as the first venture into the camping world.  Its a bit tougher than the summer experience and requires more forethought.  That does not mean that just because you haven't done it before that you CAN'T, just if you are going to do it, please go with an experienced camper or group.

If you are ready for that first trip in the winter, here are some suggestions from personal experience.  Cold & damp are your enemy, and most heat loss happens through your head.  Wear a beanie, even to bed.  Take a couple of them, they are small and pack easily.  Wear a different one to bed than you wear outdoors. 

Now you wonder why its necessary to change beanies before bed.  Not just your beanie, but do NOT wear any clothing that you were wearing out doors or during the day.  The clothing you wore during the day has collected moisture, and will cause you to chill as you sleep.  Your sleeping garments should be hung up inside your tent during the day to dissipate any accumulated moisture from the night.

Now your bed. 

The ground is cold, and it will literally suck the heat out of your body if you let it.  You want both a moisture and a thermal barrier between you and the ground.  If you are sleeping in a tent, and its properly set up with a ground cloth & tent floor, you have the moisture barrier already.  Now you just need a thermal barrier.

Sleeping on the ground is fine, but you will have to choose some thermal assistance.  There are closed cell foam pads that work well and are relatively inexpensive.  You can layer blankets under you to create that layer of insulatin too.  I personally don't recommend the air mattresses for a few reasons. 

1) they have to be inflated.

2) They frequently spontaneously deflate with no warning at 3 a.m.

3) air alone in a large pocket is not good insulation.

4) they are relatively expensive

5) they aren't very compact in a small to moderate sized tent.

I have had friends who spent very miserable nights after the failure of their air mattress.  The self-inflating mattresses are "ok" but I think they are a pain to deal with for the benefits--the closed cell foam is much easier, less expensive, more compact, and quicker to set up or pack up than the self inflating variety.

Cots are my favorite way to sleep in a tent.  That does not mean you do not need a thermal barrier though!  I typically will put one or two thermal pads and a folded blanket under me, then the sleeping bag.  Its as comfortable as sleeping on a bed at home then!

In choosing your sleeping bag, pick one that is rated at least 10 degrees BELOW what your normal low for that time of year is.  Adding a microfleece "liner" helps as well--if your sleeping bag is too warm, you can always just sleep on top of it and use the liner bag.  I actually don't bother to buy a bag rated for less than 20 degrees F. even though I live on the Gulf Coast.  I do carry microfleece blankets along.  Yes, I often sleep on top of my sleeping bag rather than in it.  I also don't personally like the mummy-style bag--I tend to be claustrophobic and like plenty of room in my sleeping bag.

Another hint for winter camping--I often will put my clothes for the next morning, especially the inner layer, in the bed with me so that they are not icy cold when I get up.  I also tend to either put my coat under my pillow, use it as a pillow, or toss it on top of my feet so that it is close at hand if I need to make a midnight latrine visit.

Your big project before bed will be to get warm.  Try to avoid crawling into your sleeping bag in a pre-chilled state.  There are chemical packets for hand warmers/foot warmers that are handy.  If you have a campfire, you can sit beside it and toast your toes while sipping a hot beverage.  There are coffees, teas (herbal or regular), instant hot drinks (hot cocoa, cider, etc.) that are all good choices.  Roasting marshmallows is fun, or heating up that traditional s'more.  You don't want a lot of caffiene just before bed, but carbohydrates are sleep inducing. 

Now that you are toasty warm, sleepy, and ready to head to bed, you make your way to your premade bed in your tent.  You step inside your tent, and immediately take off your shoes (no sand in the bed!)  Your sweaty socks also come off, along with all of your day garments.  To sleep in, you want something loose, and not a million layers--your bed should be what keeps you warm, not 14 layers of clothing.  A flannel nightshirt should be sufficient.  A beanie or kerchief for your head.  If you are prone to aching legs, you MIGHT want to consider leg warmers or a pair of loose fitting sweatpants or flannel sleep pants.  Keep some easy to slip on shoes/slippers/moccasins near the bed for that potential midnight stroll.

Fall 2008

     Its time for our regular fall group camping trip.  I have a continual request for peach fritters at some point during the trip.  Of course, it seems I have a standing order for peach fritters anytime I can find a can of peaches.  I guess they are good! 

     What is YOUR family's favorite food during a camping trip?

email me and tell me!

     Baby Lauren is supposed to join us on this trip.  Its been a day or two since I had taken my kids as infants camping, so it will be a good reminder of do's and don'ts for camping with infants.  We are in the southern tier of the United States, so while we are anticipating cool weather, we are not anticipating COLD weather.  Still, we do have to be prepared, as we are all camping in tents of various kinds.  We'll give some cool weather hints in the upcoming articles as well. 

     The Hippy has also promised us some serious snare demonstrations as well.  We will be exploring the woods in late fall, and its going to be a great time.

 ^{The Get Ready GO bunch has a new arrival, a Beautiful baby girl, as of 8/3/08...so meet Baby Lauren!}

Camping Terminology

Basic Types of Camping Experiences

• Backpacking:   Camping trips in which everything is packed into backpacks for the duration of the trip, and one hikes into an area desired for camping.   Not recommended for the novice unless going with experienced backpackers. 

• Car Camping:   Camping in which you drive to your campsite or within a few yards of it.   Normally in a campground, whether public or privately owned.   Usually have some amenities, such as toilets, showers, picnic tables, etc. 

• Day Trip/Day Hike:   This is a hike or walk for part or all of the day.   No overnight gear is needed, although a survival kit is wise in the event of something going wrong.   Educate yourself, be prepared, have maps, and know your route.   These trips are also much more fun with 2 or more people, as well as safer that way.

•   Dry Camping:   Usually refers to remote or unimproved camping without access to water of any kind.   All water, for washing, drinking, and cooking, must be carried in. 

• Extended camping trip:   My personal favorite, it’s when you set up and stay in that camp for a longer period of time.   Typically refers to trips of 5 or more days in duration.   State and national parks typically have a 14 day limit, so it usually refers to less than 14 days. 

• Overnighter/Weekender trip: Obviously, this is a short camping trip.   Most of the same gear is needed as for the extended trip, but one doesn't want to get carried away to the point it takes the entire first day to set up camp, and the entire second day to take it down.   You want time left to enjoy yourself!

• Remote or Unimproved Camping:   camping without any amenities such as running water, electricity, toilets of any kind, rangers are usually not present either, and one is pretty much alone.   Hunters often use these camps, which may be accessible by road.

•   Survival camping:   Camping by necessity, usually with minimal supplies, this isn't doing it for "fun" but because of some unforeseen event putting one in the situation of staying alive without much in the line of preparation.   Definitely not an ideal situation for most of us.
  

This wasn't a fair test, really. I had had a package lingering on my shelf, regarded with suspicion and ignored on many a camping trip because it was “freeze dried” and “instant.” How could it possibly taste worth eating? It probably would taste like cardboard, I told myself.

It had expired a year before, and still it sat there. I was talking with some friends, and we decided that we would give it a test for our dinner. It was easy, and if it was as awful as I was afraid it was going to be, we could toss it out and go get something else for dinner. I thought it was the safest way to “test drive” freeze dried food—when I had the option of something else.

We elected one of the group (the youngest and most easily intimidated) to be the “cook” for the evening. Together we read the directions, and the water was brought to a boil. The package was opened, and the bag extracted, the cardboard oval removed from the base, and the water added. Twisting the top of the bag, the cardboard oval held it in place, and it was left sitting on the stove to “cook.”

About 5-10 minutes later, we got brave and dished it up, dividing the meal for 4 among the 3 of us. It smelled pretty good, and didn't even look bad! The first taste was the test though, and it wasn't bad tasting. It was nice and meaty, with peas, carrots, and potatoes. The flavors were good, although it was too salty for my tastes, that's common with me, I really don't like much salt in my food. 

The package was over 12 months PAST the expiration date. It had not been stored in ideal conditions, as it had been along in a hot car/van/pickup on several trips and had been in the house post-Katrina when the temperatures soared high enough to melt candles. It was edible and tasty, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with at least this particular entree!

CLICK HERE TO

 WITH

 Starting A Campfire By Flint & Steel Method

Prepare an adequate furrow on a combustable surface, in this instance a bit of dried branch, or nicely dried inside surface of a dead tree bark is very suitable.  Sprinkling the furrow with shavings for Kindling.

Applying small dried bits of grass and twigs, and spark the steel blade over the surface of the portable Flint (in this case, a combination tool, handy as to not lose one or the other).

Apply more Kindling shavings at point of contact.  Pinched up to allow for spark to ignite kindling.  It begins to smolder on the furrow.

Applying additional small dried grass and twigs to the pinched smoldering kindling shavings, giving the smolder point a bit more wind cover, and allowing the smolder to catch more of the kindling shavings.

Success!!  The smolder from the spark has ignited the smolder and caught the kindling fuel afire.

Blow gently in order to Oxygenate the newly started campfire kindlings.

Then add your carefully selected dry firewood.

Burn more firewood......

Enjoy the Preparation of a Delectable Outdoors Repast Fit for Royalty

Summer Camping--A Group Weekend Trip

     I took a weekend to go camping with a few friends near our favorite creek, and it was a great time.  This is primitive camping at its best, which gives us all a break from the world of technology that we all live in.  It was also an exercise in "group camping," which can be tricky at times.

It can be tricky to coordinate meals, camp cleanup duties, and schedules at times.  With our group, at least no one had a schedule issue, so we didn't even go there.  But, what I mean by schedule issue is when the group does not have the same sleep/wake cycles, and the noise bothers the others in the group.  When camping with a group that isn't familiar with each other, set some basic ground rules, even if the area you are camping in doesn't have them, such as "quiet times."  Mostly its about being considerate and polite to your co-campers. 

 Meals can be trickier, especially if your group does not have someone who is an organizational maniac.  Loosely coordinated meals means either too much food or not enough.  There are two very simple ways to deal with this.

The first is to go with prepackaged meals, such as MRE's. 

Civilian MRE's are available in a wide variety of flavors, are shelf stable, and simple to prepare.  No one has to be camp cook, everyone just does their own thing.  While these are not extremely expensive, they are slightly more expensive than eating "normal" food, if the budget is a concern.

The second simple way to deal with it is to have the person designated as Head Camp Cook do the shopping and bring all the food, dividing the cost among the group on a per-person basis.  This is somewhat an act of faith, because not all camp cooks are created equal, but if the group has camped together before, the camp cook was selected over time by reasons of their skill, their willingness, and their devotion to providing tasty meals for hungry campers.  Its really not difficult, even with today's skyrocketing grocery prices, to have a great selection of snack foods and good meals, including ice and beverages, for under $10 per person PER DAY if your camp cook is a savvy shopper.  If anyone in the group has special dietary needs, make sure the cook is able to accomodate them or supplementary food(s) will have to be brought for the person in question.  Some situations demand that the food be provided by the family of the special needs diet person, such as when it includes an infant.  Expecting the camp cook to accomodate that radical of a departure from the normal fare is not fair at all. 

Camp clean up duties are a touchy subject at times.  This includes trash and debris not being left around the camp or in its vicinity, maintaining an inoffensive latrine if its primitive, and then the regular duties of post-meal dishwashing.  It is NOT fair to expect the camp cook to also wash dishes and clean camp, or you may find your cook refusing to participate in future trips on the grounds that if she (its a fact, when its a case of everything being one person's duties, its often "mom" that gets the tap.) was going to work that hard, she would just stay home.  Camping is supposed to be fun for everyone, so divide up the chore portion.  Even very young children can help with dishes (they think its fun, and the mess is outside on a picnic table, not in the kitchen at home.) and picking up camp.  Helping to pick up the mess also encourages the mess to not happen to begin with!

The big rule is to NEVER EVER leave a camp looking messier than when you arrived.  It should be as clean when you leave as you wish it had been when you arrived---so if it had been left with trash, debris, etc. when the prior occupant had used it...just clean it up, including the fire pit.  ALWAYS clean out firepits, as some people are uneducated and will do things like toss batteries into a fire, and these are explosive when they get hot enough.  If the fire was put out before something like that did explode, it may be you who has the unpleasant experience.  (Yes, I did learn this the hard way once.)

In the post weekend discussion with one of my co-campers, we concluded we were carrying along too much excess gear, that weekend camping should not look like we are going on a year long expedition down the Amazon river.  Its very easy to start bringing along everything, including the kitchen sink, as you acquire more gear and more skill in camping.  This is the reverse of excess minimalism, and turns the trip into a misery of loading/unloading, setting up/tearing down, and packing it all up both to go and to come back home.  Gizmos and gadgets are entertaining, but think twice about whether or not you really need them along on a short trip.

I have a bad habit of bringing along extra gear on these trips, "just in case" it is needed.  It was June, and while the southeastern USA has frequent rain and thunderstorms, its very warm to very hot.  Just for basics, I had brought along two tables, my chair, a cot, three tents, a cooler, and my cook kit (including 3 different kinds of stoves.)  Out of that gear, I actually only used ONE tent, ONE cot, both tables, and the cooler.  The only thing I got out of my cook kit was some cinnamon and a can of peaches.  I never used any of my stoves, as we used the stove of one of the other members of the group.

Meal preparation also got excessively complicated too.  Different styles of eating weren't conducive to one cook cooking one meal at each mealtime.  Several of the group were "grazers" who were apt to eat a few bites here and there during the evening.  The kids in the group, (early teens) were more interested in the snacky sort of foods as well.  Cooking, barring that of the camp coffee that gets guzzled down, was actually not even needed, and we probably would have spent less money and had happier diners if we'd gone with the MRE routine. 

The sultry evenings were just not conducive to appetites that wanted a meal, but the continual activity and dips in the creek were good for inspiring the grazing type of eating.  We did have problems with keeping coolers actually CLOSED to preserve the ice's life as long as possible, so in a group situation, perhaps a single cooler designated for beverages and snacks might be a good idea to keep the other coolers closed.

I did test a new tent on this trip, one with an integrated frame and it impressed us all with its simplicity on a budget.  I had bought the tent on clearance at K-Mart for about $32, and it was a bargain!  It didn't get a real storm to test its weather worthiness, but for an inexpensive tent, it was a dream to put up.  I'll post a review of the tent soon, along with its specs.