Camping....when the trees come down.

[redhawk0]

Spent last week in mid-state NH camping. My wife and I and her sister spent the week in a State Park tenting. Tuesday morning the park services folks came around and said there was remnants of Isias coming through and gave us the option to get out if we wanted to. They informed us that the camp registration building would be manned all night in case of emergency.

We opted to stay...I've been in that park before when there have been bad winds and rain.

So...by 6pm the rain started...I had everything tarped and "wired" down tight in preparation. The rain lasted about 30 minutes but it wasn't as bad as the straight line wind storm/rain we got two years ago up there....anyway...about 7:30 the wind started picking up and again...no issues with the camp. We went to bed. At 10:15 we heard trees coming down like dominoes. Since home is only 45 minutes away...the three of us (and the dog) piled in the car and headed for the homestead. We got up early in the morning and were back there at the camp site for breakfast. No damage to any of our stuff...but the campground was a real mess. Lots of chainsaw activity last Wednesday...and power was out until Thursday afternoon for the entire campground.

I'm not a wuss by any means...but you know...when you're in a tent and the trees start coming down around you....it's better to be safe than sorry.

redhawk

[GhostHawk]

In my case it was usually beavers bringing the trees down around me. Just about as scary at 3am when your all alone in the north woods. Then discover that you ain't, alone that is.

[dangitgriff]

Bigfoot will damsure ruin a camper’s night:

https://youtu.be/M8xVsax_Beo

[Tatume]

In 1975 I was camping on Ocracoke Island, NC when a tropical storm made a close approach. I had buried "dead men" about two feet deep to anchor my tent, in lieu of tent stakes. These are short logs placed parallel to the surface, with a rope tied to the center. In sand it's easy to bury them, next to impossible to pull them up. The next morning mine was the only tent standing. It was an interesting night.

[Mal Paso]

Around here the branches that fall from Redwoods in the storms are called Widow Makers. No excuse necessary.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Widow makers is a term all loggers know well , and have seen or had a up close personal experience , same with wind storms and uprooting trees , have cut and yarded windfalls , rootwads from old growth timber is an experience I do not miss .

Used to camp in winter storms in the timber , city girls are always saying you hear that noise , well yeah its elk or deer or wind in trees but aint no one else crazy enough to be up here in this weather with the rain coming down in buckets wind howling and cold out . City girls are funny.

[bedbugbilly]

Glad no one was hurt and you certainly aren't a "wuss" . . . . you all showed just plain old "common sense". Anyone who has been in a woods when a heavy wind comes up and the dead fall starts dropping, knows it's to a good place to be.

Sorry you camping got interrupted . . . sounds like a great place to camp!

[redhawk0]

We had a blast...I'm always mindful of where to setup the tent and screen house when we camp. I like being near trees (for tie offs) but I'm always looking for loose branches/deadwood.

Other than the one windy evening...we had a relaxing time. Thursday/Friday the lake was glass smooth...the wife and I took the kayak out and had beavers, loons, turtles coming right up to the boat. The beaver was kinda funny...he popped up not knowing we were there. A slap of the tail and back down he went...I guess he didn't realize that we were moving and when he came back up, he was still next to us....again...a slap of the tail and this time he went the other direction....but so did I. He just went further than we could move that quickly.

We always have porcupines come through our site. They are fun to watch...but we have to be mindful to keep the dog social distanced from them. (haha)

Never seen a coon or bear...but I know the bear are in the area. My sister-in-law saw one on the access road when she was driving out last year.

We're careful not to leave food out at night...but we do leave the coolers. We just wedge them under the picnic table benches so the lid can't be opened. In our 18 years we've never had an issue with the porcupines getting into the coolers (even though they try).

redhawk

[justashooter]

about 6" of rain in 2 days in south-eastern PA with localised flooding closing roads.

[white eagle]

don't blame you a bit better safe than sorry
anyone hear the story of Quake Lake in Montana?

[popper]

3 pregnant ladies and husbands tent camping on the sandyTexhoma Islands. Just 'heat' lightening in the west. well, 2 tents down and 2ft of H2O in the boat. Learned my lesson.

[Geezer in NH]

redhawk0, You did good staying alive and safe is good instinct for survival. Nice job!

[redhawk0]

redhawk0, You did good staying alive and safe is good instinct for survival. Nice job!

Yeah...appreciated....I don't think you're very far from me. This was at Bear Brook SP...but I live 1/2 mile south of your border down in the dung hole state.

redhawk

[Geezer in NH]

I am north of there 8 miles west of White Lake State Park. Above the big lake.

Been to a family picnic at Bear Brook

[redhawk0]

Ah...ok...I deer hunt up in Center Harbor above Lake Waukewan (just above the big lake). My wife and I did so some camping at WLSP several years ago. It was very nice....I think the issue was they didn't take pets....where Bear Brook does.

I didn't think you were too far away...NH isn't that big...hahaha

redhawk

[mickbr]

I did a wilderness EMT course in a little place called Conway in NH about ten years ago. I was on leave from a contract in afghanistan and flew into to get the US EMT-basic qual as everyone wanted it on the CV back then. The EMT group was called SOLO. Great people in that part of the world and lovely countryside too. First time I had ever seen deciduous forests with all the leaves changing colors. Here we are tropical jungle, evergreen hardwoods. Only winds that can bring the trees down are cyclonic and wiping out tents long before that stage.

[luckyday]

Better safe than sorry is right. I would not want to be the one responsible for someone injured or killed. Smart to get out of danger. You went camping to enjoy yourself.

[BrutalAB]

A few years ago i went camping at a lake. Was a beautiful day, but was warned it was supposed to storm that night. Decided to go anyways. Took 2 trips by jetski to get both of us and our stuff to the campsite. Only packed food that had to be cooked and only one blanket.
Its dark by the time everything set up and the fire going and shortly after, it starts to rain.
Not worried at this point, ive kept fires going in the rain before.
Then the wind picks up.
This is when i notice that the zipper for the tent door is damaged beyond use. Wind is blowing rain into the tent at this point.
I sew the door shut with paracord.
Wind is really picking up at this point, my tent is blown flat it is so strong. Everything inside is soaked.
My fire is nothing more than embers and my food is pretty much ruined.

We make it through, hunkering down in the tent to keep it from blowing away, soaked and cold.

An hour later a neighbor texts me asking if i made it through the tornado that went through the lake. He was serious about the tornado and not just exaggerating the wind.


Did i learn my lesson about checking the weather forcast before camping?
Nope. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I have less than 5 days a year where i am free the following morning. So i actually enjoyed the tornado camping.