| Camping provides a great temporary escape | | | | lot of water to douse the flames, saving your |
| from the stresses and dangers of suburban and | | | | clean drinking water when at all possible. Stir the |
| urban life. However, the camping experience is | | | | ashes and use more water until the remains are |
| fraught with its own set of dangers. The wise | | | | cool enough to the fingers. |
| camper must take these into account and | | | | WILD ANIMALS |
| prepare in advance how to make safety in the | | | | Most people do not encounter wild animals when |
| woods a high priority and counter the inherent | | | | camping in the woods, certainly not up close and |
| risks. | | | | personal. But that does not mean they are not |
| In part 1 of this two-part series, we looked at | | | | living in the habitat and posing a quiet danger to |
| safety related to food preparation, preparing clean | | | | humans. It can definitely be entertaining to spot |
| drinking water, and how to minimize the risk of | | | | them from a distance, not to mention serving up |
| illness from ticks. | | | | great snapshot opportunities with a raccoon, deer, |
| In this second and final part, we will now turn our | | | | or even a bear. However, in such a situation, |
| safety focus to properly handling camp fires, | | | | distance between you and the animal is one of |
| avoidance of wild animals, and giving caution due | | | | your best friends. |
| consideration while walking through any wooded | | | | Never (ever) attempt to feed an animal you |
| areas. | | | | encounter. It is not your pet dog or cat and may |
| CAMP FIRES | | | | attack! That is an instinctive response. Even if you |
| For many people, the thought of sitting, talking, or | | | | make no gestures that seem threatening, the |
| singing around a camp fire lies at the heart of the | | | | animal may interpret it that way. |
| outdoor experience. No fire, no fun. However, a | | | | If a wild animal approaches you, back away |
| fire handled improperly can lead to inadvertent | | | | slowly and do nothing to invite its approach. |
| disaster. So safety is of the essence. | | | | Minimize your risk of an animal encounters in the |
| When starting, enjoying, and later putting out a | | | | first place by wrapping all food securely and |
| fire, use common sense. | | | | putting it away when you have finished eating. |
| For example, if you are camping when the | | | | Then throw away food-related trash in camp |
| weather has been dry for a lengthy period of | | | | provided trash receptacles. |
| time, it would be safer to skip the camp fire | | | | PERILOUS ACTIVITIES |
| altogether. This issue itself may actually influence | | | | There is nothing quite like a long, quiet walk in the |
| your decision on selecting a time to camp. | | | | woods. Remain on paths that have been designed |
| Additionally, only build fires in camp ground | | | | for walks. Use common sense. |
| provided areas, such as fire rings. Otherwise, clear | | | | * Refrain from hanging on tree branches. Old, |
| out a small area in your camping site, and place | | | | dying, or thin wood can easily snap off. |
| rocks around a circle to set the parameters for | | | | * Avoid walking close to or leaning over steep |
| your fire. Within the circle, dig a hole several | | | | cliffs, whether they are primarily rock or brush. It |
| inches deep for the wood you will burn. | | | | would be easy to slip or lose your balance. A |
| If you have not brought your own wood on the | | | | subsequent fall could be disastrous. |
| trip, gather wood that is already dead and lying | | | | * Do not attempt to conquer gravity in the |
| nearby. Make sure that any leaves close to the | | | | opposite direction either. That is, refrain from |
| fire pit are raked several yards away and that | | | | climbing steeply angled rocks. You are on a |
| there are no paper products lying on the ground. | | | | camping trip, not a mountain climbing expedition. |
| Throw those in the trash. | | | | * In the winter, never walk on frozen water. |
| Once the fire is started, let it build slowly with | | | | Regardless of surface appearance, there is no |
| smaller twigs and dead branches, only placing | | | | method to assess how thin and weight-bearing |
| larger pieces of wood on the pile as the flame | | | | capable the ice may be. |
| grows. Make sure small children remain several | | | | As you can see, the camping experience is not a |
| feet away from the flame, as the heat can | | | | danger-free zone. The great outdoors certainly |
| become intense while it grows. And they certainly | | | | provides compelling motivation to seek quiet time |
| should not be close enough that they could slip or | | | | with nature. But this activity cannot be done with |
| trip and fall in. | | | | reckless abandon. In fact, making safety in the |
| And finally, never leave a camp fire unattended. | | | | woods a habit actually assists with maximizing the |
| When leaving the area (say for a walk) or going | | | | many positives of the camping experience. |
| to sleep for the night, extinguish the flames. Use a | | | | |