Wilderness Pleasures: A Practical Guide to Camping Bliss

Kevin Callan is the author of 11 books, including The Happy Camper and the popular A Paddler's Guide series. A key speaker at major North American canoeing and camping expos for 20 years, he is the recipient of three National Magazine awards and four film awards, including top award at the prestigious Waterwalker Film Festival. Callan lives in Peterborough, Ontario, birthplace of the modern-day canoe.

Introduction

I went along to iron out the wrinkles in my soul. -- Omond Solandt

I SPEND A LOT OF TIME WRITING ABOUT THE UNPLEASANTNESS and discomforts of camping -- stories of biting insects, nuisance bears and bad weather. I'm not sure exactly why. For some reason they're always the first tales to be told when I return from a trip. I guess, truth be told, misadventures usually make for better narratives. But what gets me out there in the first place, and what keeps me going out, is definitely not the discomfort. The pleasures of wilderness travel have always been the main attraction for me and, I have to assume, except for a few masochists, the same goes for most other campers out there. There are many ways to get comfortable out there without spoiling the experience. That's the reason behind this book. I thought the time was due for me to highlight the good things, not the bad. Or find the good in the bad. Call it an act of responsibility if you will -- this is my way to tell people who haven't gone camping before about the many wonders waiting for them out there, and a way to strike a chord with others who have already gone and experienced them.

Don't get me wrong. I'll still come back and tell tales of grueling trips, and enjoy every minute of it. But there are moments when we all need to consciously seek out and then recall feelings of delight, happiness and contentedness. Times when just the smell of a pine tree, the sound of a loon call, the touch of a cool breeze, anything joyful, really, draws us back to wilderness. That's what this book is all about. A reminder of why we really go out there in the first place.

Seriously, aren't we generally out camping to have fun? I know I am. I get great pleasure out of planning a perfect trip and traveling with good companions; I enjoy my moments of solitude; I'm delighted when mixing a good martini or baking the perfect s'more; I'm jealous of others who have packed along better luxury items or own a more technically advanced camp gadget but proud of my own homemade gear; I'm obsessed with the idea of making love in a canoe at midnight or taking an early morning skinny dip; and I'm absolutely thrilled to spot a bear out on a trail, and even more elated to spin a tale about the close encounter when I return home.

There are, without a doubt, a lot of pleasures to be derived from heading out into the great outdoors, and I greatly anticipate my next trip because I enjoyed the last one. This is the basis of my happiness while camping, and my contentment in life in general. It's what this book is all about -- the pleasures found while camping.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction

THE ART OF ANTICIPATION: Getting Ready for Your Trip
Doing the Research
Map and Flap Parties
Lightweight and Fancy Free
Routes Less Traveled
Camping in the Backyard
Spending More Time Out There

GOOD CAMPING COMPANIONS
Taking the Kids Camping
Dog Paddling
How to Make Love in a Canoe
The Zen of Solo Tripping
Women Only, Please

COOL CAMP GADGETS AND FASHION STATEMENTS
Homegrown Gadgets
Understanding My GPS Manual
Traditional Gear that Still Works
Good Fashion Sense
The Perfect Camp Hat
Green Gear

ALL THE THRILLS WITH NONE OF THE SPILLS: How We Get Around
Mr. Canoehead
Kayaking
Car-Camping
Mountain Biking
Walking in the Woods

FEELING AT HOME IN THE WILDERNESS
The Birth of the Therm-a-rest
Staying Warm and Cozy
Keep It Clean
Pooping Perfectly in the Woods
Sauna Sweat Is the Best Sweat
Skinny Dipping

EATING WELL
Recipe Contest
Baking in the Bush
More S'mores

BUSH MARTINIS AND OTHER WILDERNESS SPIRITS
Perfect Bush Martini
There's a Blackfly in My Chardonnay
Hot Toddies
Single Malt Whisky
Irish Camp Coffee

GETTING CLOSE TO WILDLIFE -- BUT NOT TOO CLOSE!
Common Camp Critters
Who Pooped Behind My Tent?
Lynx: Encounter
Running with the Moose in Northern Ontario
Catching a Trout on a Fly

WATCHING THE WEATHER
Keeping Warm and Dry
A Wise Sailor Once Said
Lightning Does Strike Twice
Watching the Night Sky
Moon Magic
Northern Lights
Somewhere Over the Rainbow

EXPLORATION: The Joys of Living to Tell the Tale
Knowing Trips Worse Than Yours
River Paddling
Loving to Portage
Sharing Bear Stories
What We Really Fear Is

INTRINSIC VALUES OF WILDERNESS
That Special Place
Campfires
Living Primitively
Wilderness and the Art of Deception

Bibliography
Index