Camping Safety Tips: Part 2 Camp Fires, Wild Animals, Dangerous Activities

Camping provides a great temporary escape from the stresses and
dangers of suburban and urban life. However, the camping
experience is fraught with its own set of dangers. The wise
camper must take these into account and prepare in advance how
to make safety in the woods a high priority and counter the
inherent risks.

In part 1 of this two-part series, we looked at safety related
to food preparation, preparing clean drinking water, and how to
minimize the risk of illness from ticks.

In this second and final part, we will now turn our safety
focus to properly handling camp fires, avoidance of wild
animals, and giving caution due consideration while walking
through any wooded areas.

CAMP FIRES

For many people, the thought of sitting, talking, or singing
around a camp fire lies at the heart of the outdoor experience.
No fire, no fun. However, a fire handled improperly can lead to
inadvertent disaster. So safety is of the essence.

When starting, enjoying, and later putting out a fire, use
common sense.

For example, if you are camping when the weather has been dry
for a lengthy period of time, it would be safer to skip the
camp fire altogether. This issue itself may actually influence
your decision on selecting a time to camp.

Additionally, only build fires in camp ground provided areas,
such as fire rings. Otherwise, clear out a small area in your
camping site, and place rocks around a circle to set the
parameters for your fire. Within the circle, dig a hole several
inches deep for the wood you will burn.

If you have not brought your own wood on the trip, gather wood
that is already dead and lying nearby. Make sure that any
leaves close to the fire pit are raked several yards away and
that there are no paper products lying on the ground. Throw
those in the trash.

Once the fire is started, let it build slowly with smaller
twigs and dead branches, only placing larger pieces of wood on
the pile as the flame grows. Make sure small children remain
several feet away from the flame, as the heat can become
intense while it grows. And they certainly should not be close
enough that they could slip or trip and fall in.

And finally, never leave a camp fire unattended. When leaving
the area (say for a walk) or going to sleep for the night,
extinguish the flames. Use a lot of water to douse the flames,
saving your clean drinking water when at all possible. Stir the
ashes and use more water until the remains are cool enough to
the fingers.

WILD ANIMALS

Most people do not encounter wild animals when camping in the
woods, certainly not up close and personal. But that does not
mean they are not living in the habitat and posing a quiet
danger to humans. It can definitely be entertaining to spot
them from a distance, not to mention serving up great snapshot
opportunities with a raccoon, deer, or even a bear. However, in
such a situation, distance between you and the animal is one of
your best friends.

Never (ever) attempt to feed an animal you encounter. It is not
your pet dog or cat and may attack! That is an instinctive
response. Even if you make no gestures that seem threatening,
the animal may interpret it that way.

If a wild animal approaches you, back away slowly and do
nothing to invite its approach.

Minimize your risk of an animal encounters in the first place
by wrapping all food securely and putting it away when you have
finished eating. Then throw away food-related trash in camp
provided trash receptacles.

PERILOUS ACTIVITIES

There is nothing quite like a long, quiet walk in the woods.
Remain on paths that have been designed for walks. Use common
sense.

* Refrain from hanging on tree branches. Old, dying, or thin
wood can easily snap off.

* Avoid walking close to or leaning over steep cliffs, whether
they are primarily rock or brush. It would be easy to slip or
lose your balance. A subsequent fall could be disastrous.

* Do not attempt to conquer gravity in the opposite direction
either. That is, refrain from climbing steeply angled rocks.
You are on a camping trip, not a mountain climbing expedition.

* In the winter, never walk on frozen water. Regardless of
surface appearance, there is no method to assess how thin and
weight-bearing capable the ice may be.

As you can see, the camping experience is not a danger-free
zone. The great outdoors certainly provides compelling
motivation to seek quiet time with nature. But this activity
cannot be done with reckless abandon. In fact, making safety in
the woods a habit actually assists with maximizing the many
positives of the camping experience.

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