Dunes Long Trail - OnLine#4 - Where-Ever Camping or "Stealth Camping"

First off I'm a hiker not a camper. Backpacking is a hiking tool for me not a camping too. That's the whole reason for light-weight backpacking anyway. Sure lightweight gear leaves more room and pounds for luxury camping. Just not my style.

The last Dunes Long Trail Hour #3 covered hiking a lot of no-sweat miles a day. The key was to use all the daylight for hiking and resting and eating. But not camping. Some of the best time for the most pleasant and productive miles are dawn and dusk.

I wake up wanting to get warm and to stay warm. I skip the morning fire and begin packing immediately. I get walking soon. Because walking warms quickly. And I don't sleep in. At my first or second hiking break I make breakfast. When the day gets hot and I really want a longer break anyway I make dinner. I find a place with a flowing stream or pond and shade and small sticks for a fire if needed. In other words the perfect camping spot.

But no. And while I may take a nap just after "dinner", I'm up and walking till darkish. That's how to make lots of easy miles.

At dusk all I need to find is a flat space to sleep. No fire; no cooking; I have water; I just want to hit the hay and sleep. I'm no where. Not a campsite. Not somewhere the animals know to come looking for food. No bears. It's dark so no one can even see me or my tarp. I'm safer from strangers. Indeed, Ray Jardine has called it "stealth camping."

That will be our discussion on April 9th at 6:30pm at -> https://meet.jit.si/Dunes_Long_Trail_AT

Dunes Long Trail website -> https://duneslongtrail.wordpress.com/