The Outdoor Scene

I’ve been hearing how camping is experiencing an upswing again, which got me wondering how it all started. Thanks to Google and a research paper on the American Camp Association’s web site, I learned organized camping got its start in the late 1800s because people were worried about the effect technology was having on their kids and the environment. When the 1920s roared in, people fretted over spectatoritis. That disease, maybe the pre-curser to nature deficit disorder, was thought to be the result of people so oriented towards being spectators; they ceased being active participants in their own lives. Camping was again a suggested cure as it was in the 1970s when anxiety about the environment and children’s sedentary lifestyles sparked a resurgence.

Here we are today, in the part of the cycle where we’re again worried about our nation’s children, the economy and the environment. As a result, we’re going camping in droves. While there’s nothing new about the need to camp, there are a lot more options now for when, how and where you’ll do it. Mary Burnham, co-author of “Car Camping for Everyone,” breaks it down so your future trips are exactly what you want them to be.

Mary, who has co-authored six books and hundreds of magazine articles on hiking, paddling and camping with her husband Bill, reminds us there are millions of camping options on public and private land. You just have to know what you want. Following is her check list to help you plan your first or next trip.

Where and when to go camping
- Think about what destination you’d like to camp at: lakes, beaches, forests or mountains.
- Consider how far you’re willing to travel. Do you want to treat your peepers to a completely new vista? Or are you searching for rest and relaxation within an hour’s drive of home?
- Who is going on the trip? What interests do they have? Some parks offer planned activities for families while at others you’re on your own to entertain yourself.
- Decide what amenities you need to have. Do you want a secluded site with a picnic table and fire ring? Or do you need a hot shower, cooking grill and water and electrical hookups?
- How much do you want to spend? While camping is a low cost vacation, fees vary depending on whether you’re at a public land campground with few amenities or a private campground with a marina, self-service laundry and recreation room.
-Factor in who you’re going with. Is this a family trip or a large group camp out? That will determine what site or sites you may need.
- Once you’ve selected what scenery you’d like to enjoy over your morning cup of coffee, you can narrow down your final destination to public parks, public lands or private campgrounds.
- National and state parks offer great campgrounds, often with many amenities.
- Public lands such as national forests, wildlife refuges and Bureau of Land Management property offer campgrounds that may have fewer amenities but may be cheaper and less crowded.
- Search for public land campgrounds at:
www.nps.gov
www.fs.fed.us
www.blm.gov
www.fws.gov/refuges
- Check out your state park agency Web site as well.
- Check out private campgrounds at www.gocampingAmerica.com or www.koa.com
- Read online reviews of prospective campgrounds to see what others thought of their experiences.
- If you want to avoid crowds, pay attention to dates and locations so you don’t end up camping near an event such Bike Week or a NASCAR race. Also, consider going mid-week, when everyone else is at work.
- Finally, wherever and whenever you decide to go, make sure you reserve your site and avoid the disappointment of pulling into a campground that has its no vacancy sign out.
*You can reserve national lands sites up to six months in advance at: <http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/reservations/nrrs.shtml>  
*You can reserve many state park campgrounds up to 11 months in advance at <http://www.reserveamerica.com> 

If you want more great camping advice, I recommend checking out Mary’s book. What I love about it is the layout makes it easy to find and absorb the information. It packs a lot of tips in lists and short bullet points under pertinent photos. The chapters are logically organized and specific so you don’t have to read the whole book. Just find the information you want and dig in.

The Burnhams specialize in hiking in Virginia. To find a great hike, go to http://www.burnhamvirginia.com/hike.html

You can follow my updates on Facebook at facebook.com/tammy.sapp2 and Twitter @TammyDianeSapp.

Last week, I bid farewell to my routine and headed to the Mid-Atlantic Tourism PR Alliance (MATPRA) meeting in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Traveling is a wonderful thing.  Once I recovered from the flurry of undressing and unpacking at airport security, visiting ghastly public restrooms and pondering the questionable history of my hotel bed spread, it really was nice to take a detour from my pig trail.

My goal at this conference was to meet people, participate in a panel discussion and learn about the tourism industry. I’ve attended plenty of meetings in the last 20 plus years – outdoor writer conferences and trade shows, shooting sports summits, and wildlife and hunting conventions, symposiums and seminars. But never a tourism conference.

The two biggest and most obvious differences in the two types of get-togethers is wildlife meetings are mostly populated by men (though there are more women now than in the 1980s). The MATPRA meeting was overwhelmingly attended by women. That was nice. I had so many wonderful conversations while I was there, chats and revelations you can really only share with another female. One woman and I marveled at how when you’re young you get your thrills at rock concerts and parties, but when you’re older, there’s magic in gardening and bird watching.

In addition, based on this experience, tourism conference participants eat much better than the wildlife crowd. At a wildlife conservation meeting, you can expect to be served at least one entrée where the meat resembles a hockey puck in shape and taste. The MATPRA shindig was all about fine dining, and I ate like a beast.

Just as pleasing was the panel discussion I participated in which covered why and how to pitch outdoor travel to women, including hunting trips. The audience included convention and visitor’s bureau staff and travel writers, most of whom were not hunters. In fact, virtually all of the hunters in that room sat on the panel so I was curious to see how the message would be received. And based on feedback, audience reaction mirrored just about every survey I’ve ever seen on this topic – the majority of Americans approve of legal, ethical hunting.
 
The panel covered so much more than hunting, though. Cindy Ross, Mary Burnham, Karen Lee and our moderator Connie Yingling have hiked, paddled, birded, camped and hunted across this country. Most of our remarks centered on the fact that women are a viable outdoor travel market with tips on how to promote outdoor destinations to them.

Connie Yingling, public relations coordinator for the Maryland Office of Tourism, pointed out in her opening remarks that if you read a general travel magazine, you would think the only activities women are interested in while traveling are shopping and spa treatments. However, the Adventure Travel Trade Association reports 52 percent of adventure travelers (those who camp, bike, bird, paddle, etc.) are women.  The National Sporting Goods Association keeps tabs on how many women (and men) participate in each of these sports. You can see the breakdown below.

Another eye opener is the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (conducted every five years by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service), which reveals many women enjoy wildlife based recreation as well. Of the 87.5 million people who hunt, fish or watch wildlife, 45 million are women. 

Women may approach outdoor adventure and wildlife associated recreation differently than men, though. In general, it seems to me that men are interested in the number of miles they’ve hiked, the category of rapids they’ve paddled or the number and size of fish they’ve caught. Certainly women also relish those types of accomplishments. But our enjoyment is also based in being connected to nature, mastering new skills, rest and relaxation, improving our health and rediscovering who we are.

Something men and women have in common when it comes to outdoor recreation is the importance of spending time with friends and family. In addition, women also spend money on outdoor adventure travel, a fact that hasn’t fallen on deaf ears in the travel industry.

Yes, shopping does rank number one on just about every travel survey seeking to learn what women most want to do on vacation. However, a growing number of women are searching for more excitement than what they can find at boutiques, gift shops and outlet malls. And I predict as the travel industry seeks new business in this tight economy, we’ll see even more opportunities for women to embark on outdoor adventures.

National Sporting Goods Association Study of Female Sports Participation (2007)
http://www.nsga.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3346

Camping (vacation/overnight) - 23.3 million
Bicycle Riding - 17.5 million
Hiking - 13.9 million
Boating, Motor/Power - 13.6 million
Fishing - 11.4 million
Backpack/Wilderness Camp - 5.4 million
Target Shooting - 4.7 million
Kayaking - 2.9 million
Hunting with Firearms - 2.5 million
Mountain Biking (off road) - 2.5 million
Skiing (alpine) - 2.2 million
Water Skiing - 2.2 million
Mountain/Rock Climbing - 1.9 million
Archery (Target) - 1.2 million
Scuba Diving (open water) - 1.0 million
Skiing (cross country) - 0.8 million
Hunting w/Bow & Arrow - 0.4 million
Muzzleloading - 0.3 million