Camping Books

Rebeccasreads recommends TREES OF THE WEST as a modest guide to distinguishing characteristics, unusual facts, husbandry, edibility, & beauty of each tree.

Will easily fit into a backpack for your travels among the tall trees of Western America.

Trekking on a Trail provides basic hiking information and suggestions for simple activites. A substantial portion of this book is devoted to safety information and lists of gear hikers should carry or wear. Much of this information, such as what sort of socks to wear and how to buy a pack, seems more aimed at parents than kids.

The book includes...

a section on stretches to use when warming up for a hike,
a set of suggestions for gear, clothing and food to carry,
a section on different kinds of packs,
a simple map reading lesson,
advice on staying found, what to do when lost, and what to pack for an emergency and for first aid,
a section on reading the weather,
a section on what bugs and plants to avoid,
a few suggestions for trail snacks,
a handful of suggested activities for children on hikes, such as making a hiking journal, hiking stick and skipping rocks on water.

Fran Lee provides colorful and charming illustrations throughout that may make the some of the otherwise dry material in the book more appealing to children.

This college textbook is a concise but comprehensive guide to starting a walking program. The book highlights everything you should know about walking. The writing flows nicely and is easy to follow. The topics are reinforced by diagrams and photographs in every chapter. The books give a complete overview of how walking can lead to total health and wellness.

A worthy follow up to Camping's hated and loved, "The End of the Church Age...and After." (Check out my review of that book, too.) This book, again by Harold Camping of Family Radio, gives yet, more BIBLICAL reasons, yes, all from scripture, not from his mind...on why true christians are being warned by God on the dangers of staying involved in the churches and congregations. Powerful. Man, talk about a wake-up call. Read it with an open mind. Thank you.

Very user friendly recipes for the most part. I prepared the chili and the red pepper& lentil stew and they made for fantastic trail meals - actually, they were so good they wouldn't be out of place on the dining room table rather than the camp site. Anyone who's planning to make these meals on a regular basis really should invest in a dehydrator to save time, money and energy - the prep for my two meals took nearly 36 hours in a conventional oven. As I said though, the results were well worth the effort. Sure beats having peanut butter sandwiches or Mr. Noodles for dinner after an all day hike.

I've emphasized the hiking part of the subtitle, because over half the book covers traveling on ice and snow, not just staying in place at a camp. Both stopping and going are important of course, and this book is an excellent survey of both subjects.

There is information about proper clothing for hiking, skiing and snowboarding, including equipment for snow shoeing and climbing over rocky terrain. Another chapter covers navigating, food and nutrition and traveling in groups.

Gorman is especially good on details; choosing a sleeping bag involves understanding quality of fill, shape, size both in action and on the ground, and temperature ratings. Water is a major consideration; we emit at least a pint of water sleeping in the cold.

Gorman recently gave an interesting interview to the "Concord Monitor" which introduces beginners to winter camping. High points include:

"The first time out winter camping, it is not such a bad idea to not go really far out into the back country. Going to a state park or national forest campground just off the road is a good way to shake things down, do everything right before going on a longer trip.

"During that first close outing, do jumping jacks or mild exercises - stretches, too - to warm up before getting into that sleeping bag. Don't worry, campgrounds are less crowded in winter, so don't be shy. Trying out that new stove? Use it in the evening to make yourself a hot water bottle, close it securely and place it in the bottom of the sleeping bag as added warmth. Then heat that water in the morning for coffee.

"Wear a cap to sleep, and be sure your clothing is dry. Feel comfortable layering clothing. That's a natural thermostat and can help you maintain your comfort level.

"Before you go, learn to plan ahead. In winter, many public parks and campgrounds are closed. Those that remain open often have limited services - like no water - and some require contacting the park before venturing in. Private campgrounds tend to have more services."

Gorman's book is an revised and updated edition of Gorman's highly regarded Amc Guide to Winter Camping: Wilderness Travel and Adventure in the Cold-Weather Months. I've looked at the glowing Amazon reviews of the previous edition. This revised edition is significantly better.

Gorman is an enthusiast; join him if you want to "explore the winter wilderness and experience the joys of winter."

Robert C. Ross 2008

This is a great resource if you are unfamiliar with the area in which you will be going. In the beginning of the book, they explain the rating system very thouroughly. Once you understand the rating system, it becomes easier to read the descriptions of the camp grounds.

Also a bonus (to me) are the literally thousands of ads on nearly every page. It's kind of like the yellow pages of the camping world.

They don't give a lot of detail about the campgrounds. Just the pertinent information as it pertains to the ratings. However, there is always a way to contact the campground, usually via email (which works fine for me).

We are planning a trip to Cherokee, NC this summer. This guide helped us narrow down the field to around five campgrounds out of over 25.

Not the definitive resource, but definitely the starting place for most camping adventures.

Woodall's are great campground directories. The only thing that is missing is important information about the swimmingpool; heated or not, indoor or outdoor. Maybe Woodall will add this information next year.

This is an excellent guide to commercial RV parks, but there are quite a few public campgrounds not listed. Also, because this book is loaded with RV park advertisements, Woodall's won't make any negative comments. Although this guide is of no use to tent campers, nevertheless, every RVer should have one.

Woodall's are great campground directories. The only thing that is missing is important information about the swimmingpool; heated or not, indoor or outdoor. Maybe Woodall will add this information next year.