For the past few years I've been doing a lot of camping, both the real "backwoods" canoe trips with friends, and "car-camping" with my family. The one thing I've discovered is that I much prefer car-camping in autumn than in summer. First of all there are no bugs, which is always a plus, but more important is the feeling I get from being outdoors in my favourite season.
The air is crisp and refreshing. It's cool enough to wear a comfy sweater, but not so cold you'd want to be home. Which also means you have a reason for a crackling campfire other than cooking food. The leaves are all changing colours, and as a bonus most of the parks are not full. In fact you may only have two or three other groups camping in the whole park! No rowdy party people.
What to do while autumn camping:
- Day hikes to see the changing leaves.
- Find the spookiest tree you can (make sure to get a picture!)
- Collect leaves to press at home.
- Go for a night-hike!
- Tell ghost stories around the campfire.
- Have Thanksgiving dinner. (Hey, it's possible)
What to pack:
- Sweaters
- Thick socks (and extra socks!)
- Flashlights (for night hikes and telling ghost stories)
- A Tarp (or two) for keeping out rain (just in case)
- Waterproof matches and a barbecue lighter
- A book of ghost stories
- Warm sleeping bag (0 to -10 degrees celcius)
- Long underwear and sweatpants (for bedtime)
- A tuke (that's a "winter hat" for you non-canucks)
- Camera
