Kabala Teatro Colombia Travel Tips

Posts Tagged ‘camping’

Copyright 2006 Karin Manning

It’s true.

You too can now enjoy the same quality meals you enjoy in your home kitchen in your campfire kitchen with little fuss.

Meals around the campfire are just as much the centre of camping life as meals around the kitchen bench at home.

It’s possible to unleash the gourmet campfire chef within you when you know how to make your campfire work for you!

For an experienced outdoorsman, the key to good outdoor cooking is both simplicity and creativity. Outdoor cooking need not employ the techniques of a high-paid chef, or even require the latest array of advanced cooking tools. It’s all about a case of good preparation, good thinking, and a whole lot of luck.

Here are some simple campfire cooking skills that will help you create mouthwatering dishes around the campfire in minutes that are not only delicious but turn out just the way they would if you were at home.

It is best to start off with a low heat fire and if the food isn’t cooking quickly enough increase coals.

Practice with a friend’s camp oven before you go out and buy one for yourself.

There are basically two kinds of fires – a trench fire or the traditional, old-fashioned above ground fire. A trench fire is a pit dug into the ground about 30 x 45 cm deep.

Look for ground that’s free from rocks as this is easier to dig. If the ground should become loose and the sides fall into the hole, place rocks around the top to support your barbeque plate and grate.

Building a below level fire will be safer for you in windy conditions.

A below level fire is also easier to cook with in bad weather conditions.

A trench helps retain the heat if you are forced to use poor quality wood.

If you use good quality dry wood in the morning you will normally wake up to hot coals under the ashes.

Remember it takes time to build good coals. Don’t expect to be able to cook a delicious feast 10 minutes after lighting your fire.

Use the cooler end of the trench fire for cooking cakes, dampers and scones.

Remember to preheat your oven over the flames and level out the ash and coals at the cooler end and place your oven down on those coals.

It’s a good idea to check the food you’re cooking every five to ten minutes and to add or remove coals in accordance with how your foods are cooking.

Lift your dutch ovens and other cooking utensils off the fire by using a thick rag and a piece of wire with a hook on one end.

Carry strike anywhere matches as well as a butane lighter and candle.

Keep matches in a plastic jar with cotton wadding on top.
Read the rest of this entry »

Africa is called the “Dark Continent” for its supposed mystery, but there is nothing mysterious about a destination site like this. You should definitely consider an Africa vacation.

Africa is probably the most diverse continent on the planet and a vacation there can hold just as much variety. No matter what you are looking for, an Africa vacation can fulfill all your trip desires.

We think of Africa first as a land of jungles and wild animals and that is certainly true. For an Africa vacation, you may want to consider some of the amazing safari adventures, which will take you to places that most people have only dreamed about. Imagine elephants and lions in the wild; that can be part of an Africa vacation. Although primitive in its beauty and feel, being on a safari does not mean living like an “animal”. Throughout the numerous game preserves and national parks, where you will see nature at its best, are also some of the finest accommodations in the world.

On your vacation, you can stay in guest lodges that rival anything in the cosmopolitan areas for luxury and service. Most of these venues will make you feel like you are a king or queen of all you survey, with excellent amenities you would not necessarily expect on an Africa vacation.
Read the rest of this entry »

Six hours from the trailhead, 2 hours past his turn-around time and with storms filling in from the valley, Alex Theissen was at the edge of panic. What had started as a unremarkable spring outing in the White Mountains was going south quickly and the prospect of spending the night exposed at the timberline, with plummeting temperatures and not much more than some hard cheese and a foil survival blanket was becoming a distinct reality.

The impending sense of panic is familiar to any individual stranded on a windward shore with a gale coming on, disoriented in a maze of bike trails or caught, like Theissen on an exposed ridge with foul weather on the horizon. In many cases, what happens next is the crux moment wherein survival or full blown disaster ensues. In the case of Theissen, survival started with the acronym, S.T.O.P.

Sit … Think …Observe … Plan …

Rather than giving in to an all-too-human panic response, Theissen sat, took stock and acted in a way that likely saved his life. What follows is a briefing on what went through his head … it’s a lesson applicable to all hikers, hunters, canoeists and others who find themselves exposed and unprepared in falling or already frigid temperatures.

Shelter / Warmth

In cold temperatures, exposure can kill before anything else has a chance. In Theissen’s case, staying above the timberline was untenable; thus getting below the treeline was his first priority. After that he would need to find or create shelter, and finally (if possible) create warmth.

While it’s beyond the scope of this article to describe shelter making or fire building in detail (shelter can be found in tree wells, in snow caves, and in the hollows of river banks; tinder is less available in winter than summer, none-the-less evergreens will often yield dry needles, pitch impregnated bark can often be sourced and if the snow-pack is not so deep as to disallow it, reserves of dry leaves and grass can be found under trees, rock overhangs and in tree wells), suffice it say that without either, chance of survival diminish.

What Theissen did was find a root cavity that provided both shelter and tinder; he sealed it as completely as possible with packed snow, and insulated himself from the ground using evergreen boughs. He managed to nurse a fire which, while it really never took, provided a certain degree of comfort and localized heat.

Route Finding

There was no way Theissen was going to find his way back to the trailhead in the impending whiteout. And it needs to be stressed; there was NO way he should have tried … even descending to the treeline was a challenge. That said, he was not lost and he had to keep it that way.

Route finding depends on visibility; thus traveling at night, in a white-out or in heavily wooded terrain increases the chances of becoming lost. It’s doubly important in these conditions to think, observe and plan … and to acknowledge that it’s not always prudent to act. It’s often better to stay put than it is to flounder around in unfamiliar terrain risking further disorientation and injury.

By marking his return route to the ridgeline, and traveling only so far as required to ensure shelter, Theissen knew that once visibility returned he would be able to find his way back to the trailhead.
Read the rest of this entry »

The best camping tip you can get is to abide by the Boy Scout motto and “be prepared.” There are all sorts of things that can happen on a camping trip so expect the unexpected. Make lists of items that you should bring and pack all the essential equipment. Take into consideration the area where you will be, any rules for the camping site, weather conditions, safety and fun.

The Campsite
Make sure you have the proper equipment for camping. Know what sleeping arrangements are and where you will be cooking. If you are using a camper or RV, much of this will be supplied in your facilities but you will need to know any rules for the particular campsite. If you are sleeping outdoors, make sure you have tents and sleeping bags as well as warm clothing. Bring waterproof matches for campfires and cooking. Set up tents according to instruction. Always leave your campsite the way you found it. The best rule of thumb is to make sure it looks like you were never there.

Food
Bring only the cooking utensils you will need to prepare meals and eat. You will not have a dishwasher and may not have trash bins available. So, make sure you can easily clean and dispose of food items and waste. Bring lightweight, non perishable and easy to cook and clean food items. Canned foods, trail mix, soups and stews are great nutritional meals that are easy to store and carry.
Read the rest of this entry »