New from AZ

**jp43** · 08-19-2007, 03:07 PM

Hello everyone,

I'm 35 years old with wife and 4 kids and own a stressful business.

I recently have feel an itch to get away and experience nature. This urge is strange because until now I've despised camping unless there were major accomondatoins.

My first adventure I'm planning is a 2 day canoe trip through Topock Gorge Nevada with my 2 young sons in mid-October this year. Depending on how that goes, I might try something a bit more rough.

I'm toying with the idea of going out and roughing it in the wilderness. I have no idea where to start and am searching for information and advice.

I don't want to do it wrongly and have a bad experience and get burnt out!

Glad to be a part of these forums. Thanks in advance for your support!

**owl_girl** · 08-19-2007, 03:16 PM

Hey jp43 welcome to the forum. Make sure you stay warm on your camping trip, even on a warm night it feels cold after you’ve been laying there a while.

**nell67** · 08-19-2007, 03:42 PM

Hi and welcome to the forum!

**Tony uk** · 08-19-2007, 05:24 PM

Hi and welcome here, To the "Wolf Pack" as sarge puts it

**Sarge47** · 08-19-2007, 05:59 PM

Here's my 1st bit of advice, it starts with a question, How old are your boys? Are they old enough to join the Boy Scouts? I' would advise you to personally visit one of your local troops and introduce yourself. There you should be able to meet people who'll give you a bunch of useful info on what your looking for. Since you say you shied away from camping don't start out by going it alone with your family. Big Mistake! Go with an experienced camper who can help guide you over the rough spots, remember, you have to crawl before you can walk!

**wareagle69** · 08-19-2007, 08:49 PM

i used to live in arizona my self up in flaggstaff, camp verde during my bullriding career then in glendale if you can hook up with cody lundin in prescott(to those who know it"s pronounced prescett if your from az)

any how welcome to the pack.

always be prepared

**trax** · 08-20-2007, 12:41 PM

Yeah, what volwest said. What's your skill and experience level? You know, if you don't have the experience there's places in most areas where you and the kids could take things like canoeing lessons together, good way to get started and a good way to bond. Personally, canoeing is the number one stress buster for me, so I think you're on to a good thing, but like that one guy in here says "always be prepared" Hey...maybe more than one guy says that here...Could be on to something.

**jp43** · 08-21-2007, 06:31 PM

Thanks for the advice so far everyone. What I'm hearing is that I need to start slow and be prepared.

My boys are 9 and 11. Oldest is just starting in boy scouts.

I've done a lot of camping especially when I was younger, so I'm not entirely new. I did a 50 mile canoe trip as a boy scout and a 50 mile hike as a teenager.

My thinking is that this first trip won't be too rough. We're parking our car at a camp ground and will be bussed 8 miles up the river where we'll canoe downstream to our camp site. Then if that goes well the next day we'll do an additional 14 miles down stream(through Topock Gorge) and be bussed back up to our vehicle at the end of the day.

The colorado river is wide and slow here. My biggest worry is just the exertion going to be needed, and whether my boys paddling will help or if it will end up just being me doing the bulk of the work (I'm planning on having all 3 of us and our gear in a single canoe). What I like about this trip is that we have the opportunity to stop after the first day if it ends up being too difficult.

Originally Posted by volwest

Do you have first aid experience?
Do you have basic survival training?
Do your kids have first aid and survival training in case you become ill or injured ?

No recent first aid or survival training (other than that as a boy scout 20 years ago). My children know nothing of first aid or survival.

I guess I have some things to do before heading out in the wild. That is exactly why I came here, for this kind of advice. Thank you.

**Sarge47** · 08-21-2007, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by jp43

Thanks for the advice so far everyone. What I'm hearing is that I need to start slow and be prepared.

My boys are 9 and 11. Oldest is just starting in boy scouts.

I've done a lot of camping especially when I was younger, so I'm not entirely new. I did a 50 mile canoe trip as a boy scout and a 50 mile hike as a teenager.

My thinking is that this first trip won't be too rough. We're parking our car at a camp ground and will be bussed 8 miles up the river where we'll canoe downstream to our camp site. Then if that goes well the next day we'll do an additional 14 miles down stream(through Topock Gorge) and be bussed back up to our vehicle at the end of the day.

The colorado river is wide and slow here. My biggest worry is just the exertion going to be needed, and whether my boys paddling will help or if it will end up just being me doing the bulk of the work (I'm planning on having all 3 of us and our gear in a single canoe). What I like about this trip is that we have the opportunity to stop after the first day if it ends up being too difficult.

No recent first aid or survival training (other than that as a boy scout 20 years ago). My children know nothing of first aid or survival.

I guess I have some things to do before heading out in the wild. That is exactly why I came here, for this kind of advice. Thank you.

Beware of charging, snoring moose! Ya never know!

**wareagle69** · 08-21-2007, 06:49 PM

oh so it's gonna be like that eh sarge...

**trax** · 08-23-2007, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by Sarge47

Beware of charging, snoring moose! Ya never know!

We're so lucky to have you here, Sarge, warning us newbies about the REAL dangers out there. But let's just clear this up...if they're charging, they're not snoring, they're snorting...if they're snoring, they're not charing they're farting...that got it right wareagle?

**Sarge47** · 08-23-2007, 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by trax

We're so lucky to have you here, Sarge, warning us newbies about the REAL dangers out there. But let's just clear this up...if they're charging, they're not snoring, they're snorting...if they're snoring, they're not charing they're farting...that got it right wareagle?

oh. My bad, I thought they snored funny.