Camping In Style

Bear Country Precautions ●    Keep a close watch on children and teach them what to do if they encounter a bear. ●    While hiking, make noise to avoid a surprise encounter with a bear. ●    Never keep food, gum, wet wipes etc...  in your tent. ●    Store food and toiletries in bear-proof containers or in an airtight container in the trunk of your vehicle. ONLY IF there is no bear box. Bears WILL break into cars.  ●    Keep a clean camp by cleaning up and storing food and garbage immediately after meals. ●    Use bear-proof garbage cans whenever possible or store your garbage in a secure location with your food. ●    Don't bury or burn excess food; bears will still be attracted to the residual smell. ●    Garbage should be packed out of camp if no trash receptacles are available. ●    Never approach a bear or pic...

Bear Country Precautions ●    Keep a close watch on children and teach them what to do if they encounter a bear. ●    While hiking, make noise to avoid a surprise encounter with a bear. ●    Never keep food, gum, wet wipes etc...  in your tent. ●    Store food and toiletries in bear-proof containers or in an airtight container in the trunk of your vehicle. ONLY IF there is no bear box. Bears WILL break into cars.  ●    Keep a clean camp by cleaning up and storing food and garbage immediately after meals. ●    Use bear-proof garbage cans whenever possible or store your garbage in a secure location with your food. ●    Don't bury or burn excess food; bears will still be attracted to the residual smell. ●    Garbage should be packed out of camp if no trash receptacles are available. ●    Never approach a bear or ...

Image from Fish and Game California California Department of Fish and Game News Release May 5, 2011 DFG Offers Tips on Staying Safe in Bear Country The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) reminds campers, anglers and hikers enjoying the outdoors to take precautions to limit black bear encounters. A key element to safe camping and recreating in bear country is to limit food odors that attract bears. Image from Keep Me Wild “Bears are constantly in search of easily obtainable food sources," said Marc Kenyon, DFG statewide bear program coordinator. "A bear’s fate is almost always sealed once it associates human activity with potential food. It’s always unfortunate when a bear has to be killed because people either haven’t learned how to appropriately store food and trash, or simply don’t care." California’s growing black bear population is now estimated at more than 40,000. Black bears are located in most of the state where sui...

T he best advise I can give on sunscreen is to use it. Ware a hat and lightweight long sleeve shirt. They make SPF protecting clothing too. Here are some of my favorite non-toxic sunscreens that are earth friendly and are biodegradable for any of the lakes or rivers you will be swimming in. I like these brands because they are more fluid and go on easy. One note about sunscreen is the higher the SPF (Sun Protection Factor) the greater the protection. So SPF 40 means you can stay out 40% longer without damage. However you are saposto apply prior to sun exposure and reapply a second coat 30 seconds after the first to meet the products protection standards. Lastly having a UVA & UVB protection is equally important. Natural sunscreens use Titanium Dioxide and Zinc for the active ingredient so the higher numbers will have more of a white coloring. I like using the lower numbers to avoid the white pasty look and keep reapplying. For my daughter I use the higher SPF and she doesn...