Camping in Bear Country

When spending time in nature, it’s easy to lose yourself in the beauty and serenity of it all.  The smell of fresh air, the chorus of wildlife all around and endless views that are a photographer’s dream are there to be discovered.  The tranquility can be mesmerizing, but at the same time, you are at nature’s mercy.  A peaceful hike in the woods can become a fight for your life in a split second if you happen across the wrong animal at the wrong time.  Being out in nature is recreational for us, but for the creatures that live there it’s pretty much what they do for a living.  They live and die there.  They hunt or are hunted, forage for food, defend their territories, and raise and protect their families.  When we enter their domain, we become part of that equation from their perspective.  They don’t know we’re just there to enjoy a walk and take some pictures. They see us as just another animal that might pose a threat, and indeed, some of us do.  Sometimes we can even be seen as an easy meal!  Knowing this, it is up to us to take precautions and remain vigilantly aware of our surroundings.  Common sense and a little homework can make the difference between a fantastic outdoor adventure and getting eaten alive.

Catch Up & Review: 2012 Part 1 – Ocala National Forest

Enough time had passed since we moved to Florida and we really needed to do a good camping and hiking excursion down here.  It’s quite different here, in that summer is not the ideal time for these activities.  It’s really, really hot, and the insects are relentless – a perfect combination for misery!  Winter, on the other hand, is a lovely time to be outdoors for the most part.  Temperatures are moderate and the bugs are greatly reduced. 

So at the end of January we grabbed our backpacking gear and headed up to Juniper Prairie Wilderness Area, in Ocala National Forest.  The trailhead is next to the Juniper Springs Recreation Area Campground where we paid to park our car.  We wanted to avoid any vandalism that might occur at the trailhead, which we read reports of online.  We hiked to Hidden Pond, stayed overnight, and hiked back.  During the daytime it was about 80 degrees, and we were in the sun most of the time.  We wore pants as usual, and worked up a pretty good sweat.

Catch Up & Review: 2011 Moose River ; Wanakena/Five Ponds

In the summer of 2011, our vacation was spent mostly in the Adirondacks, after visiting some family. First leg of the camping trip was at Moose River Plains Wild Forest; we spent three nights there. It was awesome as always. One of the campsites we’ve always wanted to stay at but is always occupied was finally vacant, so we grabbed it. It’s a really pretty spot by the water.

Catch Up & Review: 2010 Part 1 Central New York; Moose River

We did a couple of day hikes near Syracuse in April, one at Highland Forest and one at Morgan Hill.  After a long winter spent indoors we get a bit stir crazy, so even seeing the little common things gives us a thrill.  We did find a clump of frog eggs in a mud puddle, and also saw a flock of turkeys in the woods.