Man Camp 2010

Man Camp continued the trend of adding an additional person every year. This year Peter Dauk joined Jason Barrett, Justin Millis and me at Camp Bravo.

I also continued my trend of bringing a little bit less gear than the prior year, but I still brought stuff, a fair amount of stuff, that I didn't need. Especially since the weather was so calm this year.

Peter had visited a few weeks before the big event and together we cut nearly a cord of firewood, but didn't haul any of it to the campsite. That made a huge difference in terms of comfort. Unfortunately it snowed a couple of times, effectively burying the firewood we had cut. Justin and I were tramping through the snow in the dark, looking for lumps that betrayed the firewood hidden beneath the snow.


The temps got down in the single digits, but the fire kept us warm. There was no wind, so most of us didn't bother with tents. I didn't bother with a sleeping bag or blanket either. I was very comfortable though. I think I suffered far more from the heat of the fire, which literally gave me the equivalent of a sunburn, rather than the cold, which was insignificant.



I rigged up a tripod with some board leaning against it, and then insulated my back and the ground with some foam rubber that I was going to take to the dump. I had fashioned a red-neck recliner, and it made all the difference. No cold could penetrate from below or behind, And the radiant heat from the fire could slowly roast me. I could lean back and doze, or listen to my iPod, and still feel the warmth from the fire.

Justin and Jason had a traditional bedroll going on. I think the old timers were on to something.
Justin's set up:


Jason's set up:



Peter had set up an improvised tipi, which I am sad to say I did not photograph. He brought his dog, and they made it through the night in fine style. I think he will bring less stuff next year, as will I. It is hard to resist the temptation to bring one more thing.

One thing we learned is that there were some dead trees that we cut down, old pines that had died several years ago, maybe many years ago, that Peter and I cut up. I thought they were too old and rotten to be much good. By morning, however, we were throwing 20" diameter tree trunks cut into 2' lengths on the fire and marveling how they burst into flame and put out searing heat in every direction.

Anyway, another great outing, and I think we will look back on this year as the year Man Camp became an institution, rather than an experiment.