Re: [Paddlewise] "Commado" Camping

>And what do you plan to do when whomever it is you are hiding from finds 
>you while you are out there all alone?<

<snipsnip>

Are you suggesting that because I'm a woman, I shouldn't be out alone? I'm 
not going to let worries about "what might happen" keep me from living my 
life. But just like everyone else -- men included -- I need to be conscious 
of safety. It's kind of like that discussion about not leaving food or 
toothpaste in your tent to reduce the chance that a bear will identify you 
as a tasty morsel. Of course, folks travelling in bear country have been 
known to carry a gun for protection. Maybe I should think about getting a 
gun permit! ;-)

Anyway, if a campground is busy and full, then sure, it's likely safe to 
camp there as a woman alone. But if the only other occupants are a bunch of 
guys with a cooler full of beer, I'll pass, thanks. Really, I can't remember 
the last time I camped in a busy campground. That would sort of imply that I 
was car-camping, and I'd still prefer a guerrilla camping spot where I can 
sleep in the back of my station wagon, rather than a crowded, noisy 
campground filled with blaring radios and screaming kids!

to catching a few z's in the woods, it appears some folks think that 
guerrilla camping means setting up a tent on someone's lawn and hoping the 
property owner won't notice. Believe me, it's not impossible to find a place 
to sneak a sleep without folks knowing about it. As a transplanted East 
Coaster (Chesapeake Bay region), I appreciate that out West here it's a 
heckuva lot easier to find a secluded spot to snooze.

If one is truly practicing "low-impact guerrilla camping" -- no fires, no 
noise, no brush-clearing or wood-chopping, etc. -- I don't know what the 
difference is between sleeping for eight hours and stopping unseen on 
someone's property to take a pee, to have lunch or to take a mid-day snooze 
break.

While I have lots of friends with whom I enjoy getting outdoors, I find I'm 
most connected with my environment and more open to my experience of life 
when I'm alone.

Jackie suggested that even travelling with one other woman is safer than a 
woman travelling alone, but I doubt that's true. And don't get me wrong... 
having a man around can be handy -- they can lift heavy stuff, open tight 
jars, and some can even cook! ;-) -- and there are definitely places where 
it's safer to travel with a man in tow (I'm thinking particularly of some 
international destinations). I have one particular male friend who is a 
champion guerrilla camper. Together we'd found some really primo places to 
nod off. In all our backcountry adventures, we have never once stayed in an 
official camping spot.

I apologize to all of you out there who view me a rogue.

Any other hard-core guerrilla campers lurking? I know you're out there!!!! 
Being your usual stealthy selves.......

SYOW,
Kasia



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