Camping is no easy chore. For beginners, you can save a lot of headaches by learning from the camping mistakes of others. Consider avoiding the following common camping mistakes on your next trip to the woods for a better time!

1. Arriving at your campsite exhausted and near dusk. Setting up camp in the dark can be a complete nightmare. Be sure to arrive with a sufficient amount of daylight left so you can get everything situated.

2. Leaving the mattress pad at home. If there’s nothing but the bottom of the tent between your sleeping bag and the ground, be ready for a restless night!

3. Leaving food or trash out overnight. Do this and you can almost certainly expect to wake up and find that an animal of some sorts has ravaged through everything.

4. Thinking a tent for four people will comfortably fit four people. Unless you like sleeping on top of your friends and family, always buy a bigger tent than you think you’ll need. Believe me, you’ll be glad you did.

5. Bringing too much stuff. People, you’re camping! You don’t need to bring your kitchen sink with you. Unless it’s an essential item, leave it at home and rough it up a bit!

6. Letting the dog off leash. Even the most obedient dogs will find it hard to contain themselves in an area full of new smells. Unless you want to be walking through the woods calling out “Sparky!? Sparky?!” all night, consider keeping your best friend curbed.

7. Setting up camp near a cliff. Going to the bathroom in the middle of the night should not be a life or death matter.

8. Bringing insufficient drinking water. If there’s one thing you don’t want to skimp on, it’s drinking water. Think about how much you think you’ll need and bring double.

9. Not bringing enough blankets. Do you know how cold it gets at night when you’re sleeping outdoors? Oh, double up on the socks too!

10. Leaving the flashlight at home. Bring several flashlights and spare batteries for each of them.

11. Forgetting bug repellent and/or sunscreen. Both of these items are crucial to enjoyable camping.

12. Not cleaning up. Camp responsibly. Clean up after yourself before you leave. The only evidence of you having been there should be your fond memories.

13. Building a fire or using a stove inside a tent. This is incredibly stupid. A torrential downpour is still no reason to start a fire in a tent. Never start a fire in a tent.

14. Setting up a beach campsite below the high water mark. Usually high tide is around midnight. If you set up camp close to the water line during the day, you’re likely to wake up to a wet campsite. You should be able to detect evidence in the sand of the high tide point from the night before. Set up camp considerably behind that mark.

15. Cooking elaborate meals. Even if you have a stove or grill, cooking at a campsite is nowhere near as nice as cooking in your kitchen. Keep the meals simple and easy!

Invest in a good backpacking frame

Of all the places to scrimp and save, your backpacking frame isn’t it! Think about it – every day of your trip, you’ll be counting on your backpacking frame to hold all the gear you’ve brought with you. Therefore, it’s important to visit a specialty camping store with a knowledgeable staff that can help identify the best choice for you. The ideal backpacking frame should be made of light, sturdy materials, and should be fit to your individual body type. A 5′ tall woman will need a different frame than a 6′ tall man, and choosing the wrong size frame for your body could result in serious injury on your backpacking trip.

Pack small and light

Obviously, a backpacking camping trip isn’t the time to bring along your three room pop-up tent or your heavy down-filled sleeping bag. Instead, invest in light weight equipment that’s specially designed to be carried in a backpack. Typically, these items will be made of durable materials and will be designed to fold up into smaller spaces. In addition, look for collapsible mess kits and cooking equipment that will easily fit into one of the pouches in your backpack. Take a good long look at everything you intend to bring and ask yourself if it’s really necessary, or if it’s a luxury you could live without.

Plan your route

If this is your first backpacking trip, consider trekking to a local state or national park that you’ve visited before. The familiar territory will help you to feel more comfortable about venturing off with nothing but the items on your back. Better yet, plan your first backpacking trip with a more experienced friend or guide, or take a class to help you prepare for your journey. Some adult education programs or specialty camping shops offer these classes to help introduce you to the sport.

Even if you’re a more experienced backpacker, it’s still a good idea to plan your route ahead of time, instead of wandering off on the trails on your own. Having a planned route will help you avoid any dangerous geographic features you aren’t prepared for – like rivers or ravines – and will help rescuers find you, should you become lost. On that note, it might be a good idea to invest in a portable GPS device that will help rescuers locate you, especially if you’re an experienced backpacker taking more challenging routes.

Practice makes perfect

Once you’ve assembled all your gear, practice unpacking and repacking it all several times before you head out on your trip. Your first night on the trails isn’t the best time to discover that it isn’t so easy to fit your tent back into the tiny bag it came in! Plus, it’s important to get used to the feel of the backpack on your shoulders before you embark on your trip. Try walking around the block a few times with your backpack on and loaded to be sure it’s adjusted properly to your body.

And that is just an average.

Some people say that about half a person’s body heat can be lost through their head.

See, your mother did know what she was talking about when she told you to wear a hat so you didn’t get cold.

You should now take a minute to go apologize to her for giving her such a hard time when you were a kid because you didn’t want “hat head.”

Now you know that wearing a hat when it’s cold out, whether you are camping or not, is important. And, when camping, keep that hat on when you’re sleeping. You’ll stay much warmer.

For more helpful information on how to dress in cold weather, read this article from SierraTradingPost.com

That means there is the danger of ticks clamping on to a person’s body. And since ticks are known carriers of Lyme Disease it is best to take steps to avoid them.

One tip usually given to avoid ticks is to stay on marked trails and avoid tramping around in brush (a tip given in the short video below). That’s not so easy to do when someone is hunting, especially if they are tracking a wounded animal. And how many times have we seen something off the trail while hiking that we have wanted to get a closer look at?

So make sure that “tick checks” are an end of the day activity anytime you or your family is outside in wooded areas.

Then reality hits when one of those yellow jackets that seem to be everywhere this time of year stings me. Then I start to think about how I have to start getting out sweatshirts to wear at night and how it won’t be long before fall will be over and I’ll start seeing that four letter “s” word stuff - snow.

But even though Fall brings to mind both good and bad things (doesn’t almost everything?) it’s still my absolute favorite time of year to go camping.

With that in mind, this week’s posts are going to be a series of some great fall camping destinations where you can not only enjoy the beautiful scenery and partake of the bounty of fall (aren’t fresh crisp apples one of the most wonderful things?), but also enjoy a few more days outside in the fresh air, and get cozy around a few more campfires before winter arrives and many of us pack our camping gear away until next year.

The states featured in this 5-day series will be: Vermont, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia and Oregon.

First up is my favorite - Vermont.

VERMONT Vermont is considered the crown jewel of states to visit in the fall. Pictures don’t do the area justice even though the pictures of the fall colors are breathtaking!

My husband and I took our first trip to Vermont 8 years ago and even though we planned the trip a little late in the season when color was past peak, the color was still breathtaking. We took the trip just before we were bit by the “camping bug” so it was a car trip with nights spent in local hotels.

I’m hoping to go on another trip to Vermont in the next year or two, this time with my camper. Since I have a pop-up I shouldn’t have problems towing on the roads in Vermont, but if you are towing a large trailer, 5th wheel or have a Class C or Class A Motorhome, keep in mind that some roads in the state are little more than rugged dirt paths and some of the mountain roads are narrow, steep, and kind of scary (scratch -the “kind of ” - some of them were really scary to me but I’m kind of a wuss).

So if you’re camping with a bigger rig, or any tow vehicle, my suggestion is to find a campground to stay at for the the duration of your stay in the state or maybe pick 2 (one in the Northern part of the state and one in the Southern part of the state, splitting your trip into 2 segments) and take day trips around the area with your car, truck or motorcycle.

Now, let’s talk about the gorgeous fall colors. If you’re wondering why the color is so much better in Vermont and the other New England states it’s because the area has many more deciduous trees that turn colors and shed their leaves each year (hardwoods like maple, oak and beech) than coniferous trees which usually stay green and don’t shed their leaves (pine, spruce and cedar trees). That means when the leaves start turning the area is awash in the brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds we typically associate with fall with few “green” trees breaking up that colorful view.

That is why Vermont is considered the number 1 destination in the United States to view spectacular color and why reservations are highly recommended during the peak viewing season (Columbus day weekend is typically considered the peak foliage weekend and falls on October 11 and 12 in 2008) although color starts showing around mid-September and goes as late as the first part of November.

The northern parts of the state have peak color earlier than the southern portions but instead of guessing when to go, check out the color forecast at Vermont Vacations and click here for their current fall foliage report. If you’ll be away from an Internet connection, call 1.800.VERMONT (1.800.837.6668). As the fall color season gets into high gear, the hotline will have updates twice a week (on Tuesdays and Thursdays).

The great news for 2008 is that color is expected to be great because of warm weather and rain in the early part of summer that helped the trees develop healthy and strong leaves.

A few tips about fall travel in Vermont from Vermont Vacations:

1 - the first two weekends in October are the busiest of the entire year so make reservations (including campsite reservations) as early as possible.

2 - consider a visit during the week instead of the weekend

3 - think about staying in another state and driving to Vermont. Vermont is not that wide - only about 80 miles. Vermont has many residents who commute daily to either New York State, New Hampshire or Massachusetts for their job. East to west driving in Vermont can be a little tricky though. I remember when we were there we thought a trip was only going to take about 30 minutes because our destination was only 25 miles away but we forgot about the mountains we had to drive through to get there.

Where to stay - Sue from the Addison County Chamber of Commerce was kind enough to provide information on area campgrounds. View the list by clicking here (it includes both private and state campgrounds).

If you’ve read my blog posts in the past you know I’m a fan of the campgrounds at state parks because they are typically roomier, have more nature themed amenities like hiking trails, bike trails, and fishing, and most importantly to me - they are almost always cheaper. The downside is that they often don’t have as many amenities as private campgrounds (such as electricity and water hookups) plus there may not be many sites large enough to accommodate large RV’s (if you’re curious about why that is, it’s because most state parks were built over 50 years ago when campers and RV’s were smaller). Several of the state campgrounds in Vermont are already closed for the season, with many more closing by mid-October so call ahead if you want to stay at a state campground to be sure it’s open and to be sure it will accommodate your camping rig. Otherwise, there are plenty of great private campgrounds as well.

Mid-Vermont’s most popular state campground is Little River State Park, 30 miles south of Burlington. It’s open through Columbus Day weekend and has 81 tent/trailer campsites and 20 lean to sites. It was named Park of the Year. As a bonus, it’s not far from Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory! I went there on my trip to Vermont, took a tour, and had some delicious ice cream. And if you’re a cheese fan, it’s only about 34 miles from Ben and Jerry’s to Cabot Farms for their factory tour (yes, I know they are 2 very “touristy” things to do but I was a tourist when I was there and was happy to play the part - I took a tour of the Vermont Teddy Bear Company too).

Beautiful Fall Drives In Vermont
Sue from the Addison County Chamber of Commerce says that any drive over the Green Mountains in Vermont is beautiful in the fall. There are 4 gaps that can be driven in a day or two and they all pretty much run between Rte 100 to the east of the mountains and Rte 7 to the west of the mountains.

Here are 5 recommended drives (4 gap drives through the mountains and one non-mountain drive):
1 - Rte 73 which runs west to east between Brandon, Vermont and just south of Rochester, Vermont, going over the Brandon Gap. Take a break in Brandon to walk around their downtown and have lunch at one of their restaurants. Brandon is also one of the gateway villages to the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area which is in the heart of the 400,000 acre Green Mountain National Forest. The Moosalamoo Recreation area has over 70 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding but a flood in August damaged some trails and roads so check the Green Mountain Forest Conditions web page for closures or call the forest office at 1.802.747.6700 before heading out.

Branbury State Park on Lake Dunmore is near Rte 73. It has 22 tent campsites and 6 lean-to campsites. The park is open from Memorial Day through Columbus Day weekend.

2 - Rte 125, west to east from E. Middlebury over Breadloaf Mountain/Middlebury Gap to Hancock. The views are great but the road isn’t so great. Because of flooding in August there is dirt and gravel along some of the road surface edges although the road is open, but only to passenger vehicles in some areas.

The Robert Frost Interpretive Trail is just off Rte 125, about about halfway between Ripton village and the Breadloaf School of English. It’s an easy walk through a woods a little over a mile long where people can pause to read markers with Frost’s poems written on them. The walk is meant to show people what one of the walks in the woods was like when Robert Frost took them while thinking about his writing. Maybe the walk will inspire the inner poet in you!

3 - Rte 116 from Bristol east over the Lincoln Gap to Warren. Both Bristol and Warren have nice downtown areas. Note that some of the road surface at the peak is dirt.

Bristol is celebrating their annual Harvest Fest on September 27, 2008. The festival offers family fun with music, horse/wagon rides, children’s activities, a craft festival, the “Taste of Bristol”, a kid’s area, and bandstand music. Car enthusiasts should stick around the next day, September 28, 2008 for Bristol’s 4th annual Better L8 Than Never Car show that will features 26 classes of vehicles to drool over, 10 “best of” trophies, muffler raps, music and lots of delicious food.

4 - Rte 17 from Bristol over the Appalachian Gap to Waitsfield is an especially beautiful day drive with lots of scenery. The road is completely paved but it does have lots of twists and tight turns.

5 - For a nice drive that’s not in the mountains but has nice views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks, drive along Vermont’s “coast” (Routes 17, 22A and 125 all skirt along the edge of the shoreline of Lake Champlain). Start at the city of Vergennes where there are nice shops and good restaurants. If you’d rather stay at a cottage than camp, check out the Basin Harbor Club (click here to take a photo tour of their cottages)on Lake Champlain where you’ll have a front row seat to watch the migration of waterfowl that are heading south to a warmer climate for the winter.

For great camping with a view of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks, check out Button Bay State Park. It has 73 campsites, and 13 lean-to’s. The campground is open from Memorial Day Weekend through Columbus Day weekend.

Getting Some Exercise in Vermont
Walking on a treadmill or being a gym rat may be some people’s idea of great exercise but many others would rather be active outside in the fresh air. There’s plenty of opportunities for great outdoor activity in Vermont. Click here for some great bike trail guides. There are lots of choices including: Lake Champlain Region Bikeways Map and Guide, Heart of Vermont Bikeways, Adirondack Coast Bikeways, Northern Adirondack Coast Bikeways, Cycle the City (Burlington), Island Line Trail, Champlain Islands Bikeways, Northwest Dairyland, Franklin County Bicycle and Walking Guide, Guide to the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail and Bicycling Along the Richelieu River. Whew! I got tired just typing out all those choices.

For hiking trail information visit VTLiving.com.

How About Something Delicious
All that biking and hiking in the crisp fall air is bound to work up an appetite. How about some fresh, juicy, crisp apples? Click here for a list of Vermont apple orchards.

If you prefer something even sweeter, like delicious, pure Vermont maple syrup (and other maple products), stop at one of the numerous roadstands in Vermont or click here for a list of sugarhouses that are open year-round.

Lastly, this article about Vermont wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention the covered bridges. I saw several when I was there and enjoyed every one of them. Many have weight restrictions so you may not be able to drive over them if you have a large RV or trailer, but you can still stop, look, and maybe ask other people also looking if they’ll take your picture. My husband and I did that while we were there and we had the good fortune to hand our camera to a professional photographer. We got a great picture but that was before my “digital camera” age so I’m unable to share it here.

But most of all, no matter what you do while visiting Vermont, relax and enjoy yourself - and see if you can catch a glimpse of a moose. That’s the one thing I never saw while I was there even though I kept my eyes on the lookout for them(at least while I wasn’t watching for falling rocks!).

And, for a great “armchair tour” of Vermont to give you a taste of how beautiful the area is, watch the Webshots Vermont slideshow below.

VERMONT REVISITED - Autumn 2004 (Hi-Res)

For more information on Vermont, visit Vermont’s official tourism site, VermontVacation.com

Or maybe you want a way to remind yourself of an event that is going on at the campground you’re staying at such as a night time hike or guided nature hike for the kids where they can have fun and maybe learn a few things too, but you don’t remember it until the next day.

When I camp I try to not live by the clock and to use the time to relax and unwind a little bit, relaxing my shoulders closer to where they belong rather than up around my ears, which has the downside of me not remembering things like I want to.

Yesterday when I was writing a note to myself on the dry erase board we have hanging on the wall in our house that is one of the best purchases I have made, I realized a smaller dry erase board would be a perfect thing to have while camping.

I’ve tried keeping a notepad handy but it’s amazing how easily that thing gets buried or mis-placed even though we have a small camper but it’s ended up stuck in between a stack of magazines, underneath cushions, and once managed to jump into the food bin and get lost among the marshmallows and graham crackers.

Now is a great time to buy a small dry erase board. Stores are full of “back to school” supplies and dry erase boards are popular items for lockers and dorm room doors. Plus they’re inexpensive - I’ve seen them at WalMart and Target for $5-$10.

Plus they won’t take up much space and the “dry erase” part of them makes them reusable.

I’ll be picking one up tomorrow when I do my weekly shopping.

Then the next time we go camping and I wake up at 5 am wondering where my husband is, hopefully he’ll have been thoughtful enough to jot a note on the board telling me that he “went for a walk” rather than me laying awake thinking he’s taking the longest bathroom excursion ever, and maybe he’ll remember to write “trash bags” on the board when he takes the last one out of the box so I’ll know to buy more rather than finding an empty box on the next camping trip.

A girl can hope, right?

While most people I know use them for ketchup and mustard, I put canola oil and olive oil in mine and use them at home and at camping.

It is so much handier than having the whole big bottle of oil out plus it eliminates any worry about dropping and breaking a glass olive oil bottle, especially at a campground where some campers like to go barefoot.

When I need a squirt of olive oil for cooking or a squirt of canola oil for giving my dutch oven and other cast iron cookware a light coating, I grab one of my plastic bottles, pop the top, and give it a squeeze.

This picture is of my bottles and yes, it’s almost time to refill them. The background may look a little bizarre but I took the picture at home and decided to set them on my deck railing, hence the field and woods in the background.

I also use the bottles as dispensers for homemade salad dressing. They’re especially nice for vinaigrettes, and I always take one with thousand island dressing in it for making reuben sandwiches and one with Parmesan peppercorn or ranch dressing.

To make sure everyone in the family knows what is in each bottle, use self stick labels such as mailing labels or; if you don’t mind having the writing on the bottle forever, use a Sharpie marker.

If you cannot find them at WalMart, check with a local restaurant supply store.

I have always kept a container of baking soda inside my pop-up camper’s fridge to keep it smelling fresh and really like Arm and Hammer’s boxes specially designed for the fridge and freezer because now I don’t have to worry about it tipping over and spilling; but it didn’t help if we closed the fridge up after cleaning and hadn’t made sure it was 100% completely dry inside.

Now we keep crumpled brown paper bags inside our camper fridge when we’re not using it. The bags absorb odors and dampness, keeping the fridge dry and clean in between uses.

I don’t know how it works, but I got the tip from a fellow camper who said it worked great for her so I decided to try it too.

When we get to the campground and put our camper up, I take out the crumpled bags in the fridge and set them aside to use when we start our campfires or when we start charcoal in our chimney starter for dutch oven cooking.

When I clean the camper after the camping trip, I crumple new bags and put them in the fridge until the next time.

It’s pretty much “no fuss, no muss.”

I think we’ve all heard stories of people who’ve been horsing around with fireworks and have been seriously maimed by them. One thing to keep in mind is that fireworks aren’t perfectly safe even when used properly. Even professional displays have fireworks that blow up on the ground or when they’re not supposed to which is why the pros always wear fire suits.

So even if you’re not camping, and just want to celebrate with some fireworks, then here are some tips for using fireworks.

• Read and follow and instructions and warnings.
• Sorry kids, fireworks are for adults only. Sprinklers are okay for the young ones
• Fireworks don’t belong in the woods, and in dry areas can ignite forest fires – better to go see a professional display in the area than use them in a wooded campsite.
• Only light fireworks on smooth, flat surfaces away from houses, leaves, and flammable materials.
• Be prepared. Keep a bucket of water handy and a first aid kid just in case.
• If you have a dud, never try to relight it. Douse it with water or bury it with dirt to prevent it from going off unexpectedly and dispose of it later.
• Fireworks are for outdoor use only
• Never throw fireworks or handle fireworks after they’ve been lit (I have a friend who got third degree burns all over his arm when the fuse burned faster than expected and went off in his hand.)
• Follow all local laws and ordinances regarding fireworks
• Only light one at a time.
• Be cautious during windy conditions. Be sure that no spectators are downwind of your display.
• Wear safety glasses if you’re lighting the fireworks or if you’re going to be in close proximity to the display.

1) Location Location Location

If you haven’t decided where you want to go camping, I’d recommend you take a look at going some place where the temperatures aren’t blisteringly hot in summer. That means southern states like Arizona, Texas, and many others aren’t as good of choices as Montana, Wyoming, the Rocky Mountains where it doesn’t get as warm in the summer.

However, picking a more temperate location isn’t always feasible so let’s talk about how to pick a campsite that will help keep you cool. Look for a campsite in the shade or one that will be in the shade in the afternoon when it will be the hottest outside. If you’re camping on the water, get a campsite close to the water as you can get a nice cool lakeside breeze (provided the lake is large enough) when you camp next to it.

2) Drink like a sailor (sort of)

Okay, so I didn’t mean to get your hopes up that you should spend your entire time in a drunken stupor with the intention of beating the heat. Instead, drink water and plenty of it. Sodas don’t hydrate as well good old water, and alcohol is actually dehydrating so you may wanna lay off the sauce at least when until the evenings when the temperatures are cooler.

3) Stay Outta The Sun

The sun I great for a lot of things. Without sun we’d all die. However, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. And if you’re out in the intense summer heat all die without protection you’re not gonna be too happy later on. Wear a wide brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen if you’re going to be out in the sun for extended periods of time. And if you’re pasty white like I am, then just make sure you don’t go out in the sun without sunscreen at all.

4) Be a cool dresser

They say you’re not supposed to wear white after Labor Day. Fortunately, it’s well before Labor Day so you’re in the clear. Wear whites and light colored clothing to stay cool. Also, wear breathable clothing like nylon and polyester and if you’re going to be highly active, leave the cotton at home.

5) Schedule wisely

If you love to hike or bike, plan those activities in the morning or for the early evening when things will have cooled off a little. During the day, water based activities like swimming and jet skiing will keep you cooled off. You could also do one of my favorites and take a trip to local wineries which are air conditioned, and not only that, you usually get free wine samples (yes, I know that breaks rule #2, but don’t look at ‘em like rigid rules, more like suggestions).

And if you want to keep your food cold too, then just read my post from a few days ago – keeping your food cold while camping.