Outskirts Outdoors

Hydration Pack

One of the fondest childhood memories I have is camping with my dad. My dad and I would grab our sleeping bags, tent and fishing poles and head down to a local lake for a weekend. Camping can be a wonderful activity for the entire family. It can also become a huge disaster if you are not prepared or don’t know what to expect.
Regardless of where you go camping it is important that you be prepared. The following is a list of items you should consider for ensuring you are prepared for an enjoyable camping trip:

~a durable tent
~sleeping bags
~flashlights with extra batteries
~first aid kit
~water and hydration packs
~trash bags

If you carefully plan your camping trip, you and your family will surely have a great camping experience.

Winter is often way too cold to get out with the family. For some extremist the time is just right to head for the hills. But there is something to do for everyone. Start thinking about the gear for the new season of camping. What gear do you have that needs repair or even replacement. If you make your list now you will be ready for those spring specials.

So some things to do if you are not going out now.

Try to get the sleeping bags aired out. Go ahead and use a spare room or garage space and get them open. If you have a day of crisp clean air go ahead and use the clothesline and hang it up.  You will notice the freshness.

Check your campsite accessories. Look over your lanterns, cooking gear and all of your disposables.  Make a list of what kind of replacements you need.  Mantles for the lanterns, replacement table covering and many more items will be on preseason clearance soon.  Open your storage containers make sure any battery operated products have the batteries out and add replacements to your list.  Also check for any perishables that may have left from your outing. Throw out any food that may have gone bad.  Refill your storeables that dont go bad like salt and pepper or other seasonings. If you are low or out of your favorites add them to your list.

With just a little time indoors checking your gear you a head start for the new season.

Trip to Pinnacle Mountain State Park 12/7/2008

It was a nice Sunday afternoon as my wife and I pulled in to park at the west summit trailhead. On our way to the summit, we noticed the base trail had a new marker so for lack of a better plan we took the base trail and watched our status on our GPS . We use a Garmin Vista to navigate. The old base trail was prone to being muddy but the new one is high and dry. It was a nice walk to the east summit trail and we pretty much had it to ourselves. Pinnacle is the east terminus of the Ouachita trail which runs from the visitor’s center to Talimena Ok. We took the trail to the visitor center where we picked up some much needed snacks and got the scoop on the new mountain bike trails coming to the park soon. After a short break on the observation deck we headed back to the van. The original idea for the day included a bike ride but we had such a good time hiking that it never happened. To get to Pinnacle Mountain State Park, take highway 10 out of Little Rock, turn onto highway 300 and watch for the signs.