   The Great Outdoors!
  Outdoorsmen, yes you, I know you''re out there. I want to get more involved in the great outdoors. Anything you suggest I do? Go camping maybe in the woods (not a campground)? Remember, I''m just a newbie. The only outdoors stuff I know I''ve learned in camp... Damn, I wish I lived in nicer weather/forested areas places... 
  Start by doing day hikes and go on maintained trails. Find a ranger station and they should be able to hook you up with maps and a trail parking lot permit if necessary. There''s all types of trails. You might find youserlf in the woods, out in a meadow, or above the treeline on a mountain. They also differ in how long they are and much elevation gain they have. That means that it''s easy to find trails that you dislike, so remember what you like about hikes and what you don''t. That way you can get more selective on where you go and have more fun.Start with an easy hike; not too long and not much elevation gain. This can help you get started on figuring out what you can handle. Bring along something to eat and water. Dress lightly, bring sunglasses, and maybe a hat.If you get more serious, you can buy clothes that are designed for hiking. They''ll breath better and dry quicker. Hiking shoes made for the terrain you like are also a good idea.When you''re comfortable with day hikes that are longer and more challenging, you can start trying multi-day hikes. I haven''t gone on any myself, so I don''t much advice. Go with other people, bring a cell phone, know of possible dangers like snakes and bears, and inform people how long you should be gone. ;  I was thinking of trying hiking also.  Someone told me about Orienteering, I''m not sure what the difference between the two are.  I think I''d have to go pretty far for a hiking trip. ;quote:Original post by tuxx  Outdoorsmen, yes you, I know you''re out there. I want to get more involved in the great outdoors. Anything you suggest I do? Go camping maybe in the woods (not a campground)? Remember, I''m just a newbie. The only outdoors stuff I know I''ve learned in camp... Damn, I wish I lived in nicer weather/forested areas places...    You should state your age and how mobile you are.;  Ah yes, the great outdoors. I love camping. When I am not on the computer, I long to be in the woods.Bishop made a good point, that helps determine what you should do, but the first and foremost rule, for a newbie, is not to go too wild. Bring a buddy, preferably someone with even just a hint of experience, incase something goes wrong (you know, mauled by a bear, falling off a cliff, absorbed into a blackhole, etc) who can get help if need be, and to help with some of the activities. To start, you don''t want to go to the middle of nowhere in the woods. Never, ever, a good idea for inexperinced campers. Campgrounds may be made for wimpy people who just want to smell pine trees for a few days, but they can offer help should something go awry. In California, there are many good places to camp without feeling like you''re in a campground. A few spots in Yosemite are nice, and if all you want is a day trip, then they have some really excellent trails to go, and also have fun things to do for the more adventurous and experienced woodsmen. I know one of the funnest things I did in Yosemite was climb the face of Half-Dome. That was an awesome day, and after wards, we slept on the summit.There is also the Redwood National Park that is nothing but trails in an area surrounded by huge, beautiful Sequioa Redwoods. These are the biggest trees in the world, and it is so serene and peaceful there, and most of the trails are steady, nothing to steep for you to hike up or down. Close by in the Sierra Foothills, there''s a small little wooded area (by small I mean it''s not quite as big as a national park but it is a statepark) called Diablo Grande. I like to drive up there once a week and just walk around, and there''s hardly anyone ever there so camping there is pretty fun. Down the road about 5 miles out there''s another state park, Hatfield, close to the Merced River. Great place to fish for trout, and the San Juaqen (sp?) river is close by, though no camping areas in the immediate area, is a great place for Bass fishing.If hunting is your game, there''s plenty of things around here, but mostly it''s the wild pig that''s sport, there are deer, but they tend to live in higher elevations. Duck hunting out here is spectaular as well.The only other place I have camped outside of of California is a little place in Oregon known as the Lava Beds. It''s an area about... oh I don''t know I think it''s a few hundred acres, of cave systems carved by volcanic activity. The best time to visit is in the winter because they are all ice caves. I know this may sound confusing because as you may know (or not) caves are the same temperature all year round, but for some odd reason, ice caves are not always frozen, go figure.While I am on the subject of cave, CA has damn near 100 parks just for caves. The three off the top of my head, and the only three I think I''ve been to are Moaning Caverns (you have to to the repel tour, it shows alot more than just taking the winding stairwell), California Caves, and The Great Caverns. Moaning Cavern and California caves were all discovered the same way; both were found by accident and were examined if they were gold deposits but they are just limestone caves, but the Grate Caverns was an indian burial ground that was also found by accident, and when I went was still being explored, but it has a HUGE cave lake, which by now I am sure visitors can actually see upclose, and possibly take a boat across it since that''s what the owners of the park were planning to do (at the time I went about 3-4 years ago we only went about 50-100 yards deep).All in all, I think it''s a great idea you want to get out and explore the wilds. I think more people should have the same additude towards camping and get away from television and computers and cell phones since it''s rather hard to get a signal out in many of the places I''ve been and stuff like that. Take some time out and just relax, listing to nature, breathe the air, don''t drink the water, unfortunatly, because there is some virus, at least in some of the Sierras that is lethal, so only drink if you have a portable filtration system, and relax. I hope that whatever you decide, you have a good, fun and safe trip. ;  you should come visit washington or oregon sometime. Very nice weather for hiking and great places for hiking. ;  (Up North Backpacking)I use to do a fair amount of backpacking. What a great experience. The trails I took was forested to rocky terrain with the Canadian Shield and all.Get a good pair of hiking boots with good ankle support. Good ones are light with excellents tread. With all the mosquitos and black flies etc, I always had to carry a good bug repellent. I also wore jeans with track pants underneath as a second barrier. Some times, two pairs of socks with track pants tucked under the second pair. It can get quite hot if you are not in the shade of a forest. I also rubbed small amounts of deet around the ankles as well. Long sleeved shirts as well, with a long sleeved track shirt underneath. Also deet on the hands and forearms, and around the head.My treks where planned in advance. Get to know how to use a compass and have an escape plan if it becomes necessary to leave in a hurry. Make sure your hiking boots fit well and get some city hiking in to work them in and to test how they are. You want to solve blister problems before you take into a hike.Get a tent that is suited for your needs. I have a small 3 man tent that is waterproof and light and easy to set up. Careful where you setup a tent. I have made a mistake or two on my treks. Avoid ant colonies, rocks etc. If you can, Pile a heap of dry leaves in the place where you will put up your tent. This will give a soft ground to lie on. Make sure the tent is secure and won''t blow away. Also, since most rain storms come out of the north west, have the entrance facing south east.Be very careful on what food you take. You don''t want to lug around bulky foods that are of poor nutritian. Carry a light wait stove. I used a small kerosene stove. Make sure you have access to water. I usually got water out of the river. For drinking, I got tablets to treat the water with. But a small amount of bleech should suffice as well.