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Camping: Ah Nature! - Camping |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 26 July 2007 |
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Page 1 of 3
 Ah, the great outdoors. Summer’s a great time to leave the city lights behind you.
Some campers like to face the outdoors with a 50-pound pack on their back. Others prefer car camping so a nice cold 12-pack is always within reach. But let’s face it, all campers have one thing in common: Everyone has put a hot dog or a marshmallow on a stick and cooked it over an open flame. And more importantly, people who love the outdoors have their own stories.
From unexpected encounters with wildlife to spending days on end in the wilderness, northern Coloradans know how to enjoy camping and live to tell about it.
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Crew Nordfelt has spent more than 20 days of his 11 months of life in the great outdoors. That’s because the little bundle of joy was lucky enough to be born into a camping family.
His parents met while rock climbing. When Crew was born, friends told them it would be the end of their adventures. His father, Brady Nordfelt, 26, of Fort Collins wants to prove them wrong.
“I really enjoy camping and want him to enjoy it, too,” Nordfelt said. “He likes chasing squirrels and crawling after them. This way he doesn’t fully get raised in the house playing video games.”
And with a few Teddy Grams and Goldfish, Crew is happy. Nordfelt, who works at Jax Outdoor Gear and has a degree in outdoor recreation leadership, has his fair share of camping stories.
“I spent six weeks camping in southern Utah,” he said. “It was the best experience. Nothing but nature.”
Nordfelt remembers all the guys on the trip packed Speedos to wear in front of the girls as a practical joke.
“I chickened out,” he said. “Once I saw them, I realized I made the right decision. They looked ridiculous.”
Then there was the time he was sea kayaking and the group was tired of drinking sun-heated water. All 22 campers piled in a raft with a motor and headed to the closest marina.
“We looked like a bunch of refugees,” Nordfelt said.
He has a collection of memories of hiking, biking, survival courses and phenomenal scenery. Some of his favorite are from around the campfire.
“Friends will sit around the fire and chat without the distraction of the city,” he said. “We will end up talking ’til midnight.”
 Though he may not be old enough to remember his first camping experiences, Nordfelt’s son will someday have stories, similar to his dad’s. At Crew’s rate, he will have a lifetime of adventures stockpiled by the time he is 10.
Nordick’s favorite camping food: French toast with vanilla extract and cinnamon.
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The closest camping partner of Jacy Riel, 32, of Fort Collins is her beloved Lab named Maddy. They get out about two or three times in the summer months. One of her more memorable outings is to the Flat Tops over the Fourth of July in 2003.
“We took my dog and hiked at night for a couple miles,” she said. “The next morning we hiked to where all these gorgeous alpine lakes were. It was great. There were no mosquitoes.”
When they got to Devil’s Causeway, Maddy was terrified to cross the rocks. With steep edges descending 1,200 feet, who could blame the poor dog?
“I took her pack off and crossed,” she said. “She had no choice. She cried and eventually crawled across. She was so excited when she got to the other side, she turned around and ran back over it.”
Among her normal camping gear, Riel carries a sleeping pad for Maddy. On the bottom side, she drew a chess board. She then brings chess pieces for an entertaining game in the woods. Riel said she doesn’t go car camping — she’s more of the backpacking camping type.
“The fun thing about backpacking is you can relax,” she said. “I get a lot of reading done.”
Riel’s favorite camping food: Annie’s Mac and Cheese. “It’s lower in salt than some prepared meals. I don’t take milk or butter, just add extra water and throw in the cheese.”
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 Kumar Karakheti’s eyes light up when he talks about being in nature.
“It puts you in a good mood,” the 35-year-old of Fort Collins said. “I’m a nature lover. It makes my day. You get to avoid the traffic and noises, and get to hear the peaceful and wild animals and watch the Milky Way.”
Karakheti, who works at REI in Fort Collins, grew up in Kathmandu. When he finished college, he got a job with a travel trekking company in Nepal called Maya Devi Trekking. He is now the owner and still leads trips as a guide every six months.
Karakheti said the wildlife is probably one of his favorite parts.
One time, while camping in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, he heard a mysterious noise. He stumbled out of his tent to find a black bear near the campfire.
“I was jumping up and down yelling, trying to scare him and make him go away,” Karakheti said. “It was a pretty phenomenal experience.”
The bear was about 20 feet away. Karakheti’s wife was in the tent. He was surprisingly calm because he knew it would be worse if he panicked. Eventually, the bear ran off. Looking back, he can appreciate having the chance to see such a thing in the wild.
His favorite area in northern Colorado is near Arthur’s Rock in Lory State Park west of Fort Collins.
“It really reminds me of Kathmandu,” he said.
Karakheti’s favorite camping food: “I like freeze-dried food. Mountain House is my favorite brand.
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 Mike Berry, 25, of Fort Collins, once had camping guests that just wouldn’t leave. He was at Jackson State Forest at the American Lakes Campground in California.
Berry planned to stay only one night and head home after a day of fishing, but was forced to change his plans. It was late August last year around 8:30 p.m. The sun had set and so Berry’s headlamp lit the way. As soon as the light hit the side of his car, he saw a glint of a pair of eyes about 20 feet in front of him.
“There was a baby moose sitting by my car,” Berry said. “At first it was neat to see the baby, but that quickly faded to, ‘Oh crap, what am I going to do?”
As the mother moose approached the baby, Berry froze. He stood completely still for about 5 minutes as the mother knelt down by the car. Fear sunk in. He knew more people are killed in the back-country by moose than bears. Paralyzed, he watched the mother moose.
“I don’t think she ever saw me,” he said. “I knew I needed to get out of there as quickly and quietly as possible.”
Berry slowly backed away. He stashed his backpack and fishing gear under a picnic table and continued back up the path. Periodically through the night, Berry checked back to see if they were gone. Unfortunately, most of his camping gear was trapped in his car. So, he spent the night sitting under a tree in his sleeping bag, trying to stay awake.
Finally, about 5 a.m., the moose wandered off and Berry could get into his car.
“They would have been prettier from 100 feet away,” Berry said.
Berry’s favorite camping food: Red beans and rice.
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|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
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| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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