A few weeks ago I took a trip to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. I went to video tape my friends Elk hunt. In the process, I was able to take a couple quick videos of the beautiful and mesmerizing landscape. We were camped near Ouray, Colorado in the Uncompahgre National Forest.
I have many, many more videos and images from my trip to the Uncompahgre National Forest, but they will have to wait until I have more time. Until then, please leave a comment and let me know what you think of my videos.
Load up the kids for a family fishing trip!
The ability to get outside and experience nature as it’s intended is a great way to feel alive. One of the best ways to truly enjoy the great outdoors is to take your children, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, or grandchildren on an afternoon fishing adventure.
Today, I want to share 6 tips for fishing with kids that will increase the enjoyment of being outside and taking part of the art of family fishing. Adults and children alike will appreciate not only the sport of fishing but also the bonding time that this wonderful outdoor-sports activity presents.
Family Fishing
With all the joy that fishing brings, especially fishing with kids, this activity also brings with it a certain set of safety issues that if followed will make the children fishing fanatics in roughly 5 minutes! As most fishermen understand there are sharp hooks and sharp fins and sometimes sharp, pointy-teeth that need to be first addressed and then experienced in order for the family fishing experience to be a great and safe one.
6 Tips to Successfully Fish with Kids
Keep children close at all times during a fishing trip – You’re going to be by water and accidents do happen. The boat or dock can get wet and things may be slippery. You might turn your back and splash, someone might be in the water. Keep all children close in case an accident does happen.
Explain the dangers of sharp hooks and heavy weights – It’s awfully difficult to fish without any hooks or weights. Talk to all the kids about how to handle the hooks and fishing poles. Show them how to cast safely so everyone can have a great time.
Make a home base in case separation occurs – It’s always a good idea to have a meeting place in case something happens. If one of the kids walks off, as many young children do, you know exactly where to meet. It’s also a good idea to tell everyone to meet at your base camp at a specific time so you can “check-in” to make sure everything is okay.
Pack food and water – Children can work up a pretty big appetite on a fishing trip. You don’t have to pack a whole meal but just ensure that you have snack and drinks for everyone. If the fish are biting, it would be a shame to quit just because the kids are getting hungry.
Teach the children how to operate the rod and reel safely and correctly – Part of the fun of fishing is hearing the “zing” of the line zipping out of the rod. Every kid wants to be able to cast so take a few minutes to teach them how to work the rod and reel. Even if you’re not having much luck with the fish, the children will still be entertained simply by casting and reeling.
Bring a tackle box full of patience and understanding
– Children have a very short attention span. They want to be entertained and run around. Be prepared to teach kids that fishing takes patience and a little luck.
A good tent seam sealer will keep you and your family dry on your next camping adventure.
If you are an avid camper, it’s bound to happen … you’ll get stuck out in the rain. Rain can really put a damper on any camping adventure, but with a little preparation and a couple of bucks you can limit the damage that rain can do on your next camping adventure.
Seam sealing your tent is one of the best ways to waterproof your tent. I recommend it so much that I felt it warranted a video.
Since 1905 Coleman has been helping people enjoy the great outdoors with their legendary camping equipment.
I was doing some research the other night and the television happened to be on as well. My eyes were glued to my laptop and suddenly I heard a familiar word.
“Coleman!”
I quickly turned my attention to the television and to my surprise was a fantastic commercial for Coleman, The Outdoor Company.
As the commercial played through I thought that it effectively conveyed the message that they have been bringing people together for over 100 years. They truly are the “Original Social Networking Site”.
On my latest camping adventure I finally decided to try out out the best outdoor stove on the market – the MSR WhisperLite Internationale Camp Stove.
The MSR WhisperLite Internationale Camp stove heating water for our morning coffee.
I’ve heard a lot of great things about this product over the years, light-weight, easy to use, easy to carry, simple design and effective to name a few. However, I never tried using this camp stove. MSR’s most popular model and the product I’m going to review is the WhisperLite Internationale (it’s approximately $90.00 USD).
From the first time I used it, I knew that I probably won’t use any other outdoor stove again. This past weekend I went camping on an uninhabited island in Northeastern Wisconsin called Rock Island. In order to get to the campground you have to take two ferries and then hike at least half a mile to get to your site. Obviously, you had to hike all your gear in and out, which meant less was more.
Anyway, I figured that this would be the perfect opportunity to put my new camp stove, the MSR WhisperLite Internationale, through some testing. The Internationale model is a variant of the legendary WhisperLite stove.
Save money when backpacking by purchasing food from your grocery store.
One of the biggest concerns people have when gearing up for a backpacking adventure is, “What are we going to eat?” Rightfully so. That’s a very important question that everyone should ask themselves as they begin to plan their next outdoor adventure.
Many people that are new to hiking often run to an outfitter and purchase food that the outfitter recommends. Unfortunately, they could have gone to their local grocery store and purchased some cheap backpacking food instead!
Below is a video that shares some great tips on how to backpack cheaper by buying food from your grocery store.
Do you find yourself getting “freaked out” by eerie sounds of the outdoors?
One of the scariest things you can experience while camping at night is to be woken up by an unknown sound. When you’re lying in your tent and you hear an animal sniffing around your campsite, your mind suddenly flashes all kinds of images of wild animals ready to attack you and your family.
Well, 99% of the time that fear couldn’t be further from reality. In most cases campers get midnight visitors simply because they left something out that an animal would love to eat.
Let’s say you forgot to pack away a few marshmallows from the smores you made earlier. Well, raccoons, porcupines, squirrels, opossums, bears, etc all love the sweet taste of those marshmallows. They mean you or your family no harm; they just want a sweet treat!
Memorial Day weekend – a few days known for honoring those who fought for America’s freedom, the beginning of summer and camping. With a poor economy, people are still getting outdoors, but they are staying much closer to home.
This was exactly the case for me this holiday weekend. My girlfriend and I wanted to get outdoors, but didn’t want to spend a fortune in the process. So we decided to spend Memorial Day at the highest natural point in Wisconsin, Timm’s Hill. Yes, it’s spelled with two m’s and ironically called a hill.
6 Ways to build memories on your next family camping trip!
Every time I begin to pack for my next camping adventure I always think about those family camping trips I took as a kid. I remember the stress that my brothers and I put on my parents not only while packing for the weekend, but also while at the campgrounds.
As a kid, my brothers and I were always on the go. We constantly wanted my parents to play some game or do something besides sit and relax. I also remember my parents struggling to find activities that we could do as a family on our camping get-a-ways.
It’s interesting because I still play these games and continue to pack the gear/equipment every time I go camping. Below is a list of 6 personal favorite family camping activities of mine.
Ladder Golf
Ladder golf is a game that is played by 2 – 4 players or 2 teams of 2 players. The object of the game is to toss the bolas (the 2 golf balls tied together by rope) onto the rungs, or steps, of the ladder. Ladder golf is great for camping trips because it’s easy to play, easy to set up, easy to transport and can be played by anyone on virtually any surface. Read the rest of this entry »
Homemade apple pie right straight from your campfire!
Okay, so it’s not exactly apple pie because there’s no crust, but it does taste just like grandma’s apple pie! This is a quick, easy, and tasty campfire recipe for your next camping adventure. All the ingredients for for this gourmet dessert are easy and light-weight to pack. This tasty little treat is designed to make four servings.
Here’s what you need:
2 large cooking apples (Granny Smith, Braeburn, Jonathan, etc)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup maple syrup
Preparations:
Core the apples and cut into thick slices.
As for your campfire, try to have red coals to reduce the smokey taste.
You want to have your cooking grate about eight to twelve inches above the coals.
