catapult magazine

I need to know who is interested, where they’re likely to want to go (possible locations, camping sites they’d recommend etc.) and what weekend dates work for them. And any questions related to this phase are welcome.

I am very interested. Pete is too, although he doesn’t know it yet. would you believe we are more poor this year than last? There is no way we would be able to travel far. We would only be able to go camping somewhere in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, perhaps New York, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, or Indiana. The week adn weekends surrounding July 4 are out for us. Also, there are two weeks when I may be in GR at Calvin for a Christian Environmental Conference. Exciting! That is in July as well….and then there is August. We will be going to Mexico for a week from the 4th until the 10th. (Mission Trip)
Shalom, Sarah

The Smokies would be too far for you, sarahwalsh? I’m still pretty keen on the Ohiopyle spot, but I’m open to other suggestions in the Smokies.

Okay, I take back my Redwood National Forest vote. I was there this weekend,and it’s fun, but it rains a lot. I vote (even though I know we’re not really voting) for the desert. And peyote. :)

i’d like to check out the Smoky Mountains, because i’ve never been there before. however, the National Park is the most popular park in the U.S., so we might have to deal with crowds. one campground i found is Big Creek campground near Mt. Sterling and Waterville, NC. here’s a web site with an excellent description of the campground:

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/camping/article/0,1406,KNS_396_746848,00.html

i think i might be drooling. though maybe this place is too wild for some of our less adventuresome campers. we’d have to bring some biodegradeable soap—no showers.

another place i’d like to check out (we just got some free samples of Backpacker Magazine) is the Catskills in NY. the following link has an interactive map that lets you click on all of the campgrounds in the park to see what they offer.

http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/do/camping/catskills.html

i thought that Bear Spring Mountain and Little Pond looked like good choices—not as commercial as some of the others, but with showers, swimming, boating, hiking and RECYCLING (no need to have Sarah haul all of our recycling back with her!)

Okay…this camping thing has definitely caught my attention but it has been YEARS since I’ve done anything like this. Greenies accepted? Will there be a decision soon? I’m hoping so…I’d to see if I could swing this.
The Catskills look, sound, very appealing! Less primitive rather than more appeals to me as a greenie.

Is there still interest for a western site?

Hello everybody, this is my first post, quite the zygote I am. Last spring a bunch of friends and I visited the Smokies and it is stunning; in a rich, subtle way. We stayed at the Smokemont campground, which is on the main drag through the park, it was perfect in the Spring; hardly anyone there. In the summer the main campgrounds might be busier, they also have RV spots, yikes. It seems that the smaller campgrounds on the northern or southern end of the park would be less crowded and be more tent-oriented, specifically Abrams Creek, Cataloochee or Cosby Creek. Cosby Creek is right next to the Appalachian Trail and is surrounded by streams. All of the campgrounds have no showers, just bathrooms- there is always a dip in the streams. In the middle of the park there is a sweet hike up Mt. le Conte, you can even camp at the top, so if people are adventurous, it is’t too hard of a hike. Also, if this is chosen as the site, for the love of all that is good and decent in God’s creation, Do not drive through Pigeon Forge/Gatlingburg. It is a gross mishap of tourist crap. Times that would work for me would be early june, or mid july (either east or west). Catskills would be cool as well. There is my not so small two cents on the issue.

bridget: yes, we’ll be doing both a western and an eastern ^camping is not optional this year.

all this talk of camping is making me eager for spring and summer . . .

Can one who HATES (oh, and I mean hates) camping but likes the people who go camping put in a bid for at least one of the sites having some amemities beyond the hole for peeing in? I do realize that often the more amenities, the more “state park-y” the site is, which means less privacy for our late night drunken charades and explicit singing around the campfire…

Ultimately, do what the majority wishes. Just wanted to state the non-camper’s position (since everyone else seems to be much more in tune with nature than I am!).

I’ll second that.