[Vanhackspace] Fwd: ToorCamp First-Hand Campsite Recommendations

[Joe Bowser]

For Toorcamp Attendees!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jacqueline <seattlicious at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 2:37 AM
Subject: ToorCamp First-Hand Campsite Recommendations
To: ToorCamp <toorcamp at googlegroups.com>



Divide and I just got back to Seattle after helping out at Toorcamp
for a couple of days.  We have a few important points to communicate
about interacting with the environment at Toorcamp.

Remember we are camping at a decommissioned missile silo.  They
generally don't build missile silos in beautiful forest meadows or
river valleys.

1.  The terrain is pretty harsh.  Without long pants and/or ankle high
shoes, you will have very prickly burs stuck into your feet and ankles
after a few minutes of walking around.  Sandals and shorts may be fine
in the common areas and in cleared campsites, but if you want to walk
around the site freely, bring long pants and boots.

2.  The sagebrush is thick in some areas and will need to be cleared
before you set up camp.  Plan for about 20 minutes of brush clearing
after you arrive and bring or borrow a set of work gloves for this.

3.  Staking your stuff down is very important.  The ground is made up
of 3 inches of sand/dust followed by a thick shelf of small rocks.
Regular tent stakes may not be enough to hold down things that can
catch wind (which can gust up to 60mph, but normally gusts up to 30mph
off and on during the day).  Besides your vehicle, the best way to
secure your tents and shade structures is with 3/8 inch (no thicker) x
2 feet rebar.  Hammer it in at a 45 degree angle away from your
structure and then tie guy lines to it.  Make sure to hang something
visible from your guy lines so that people do not walk into or trip on
them.
Note:  if you don't have time/space to get rebar, there will be rebar
to purchase from the camp store

4.  Protect your gear from dust.  Cars and wind kick a lot of dust
into the air.  Make sure to store sensitive equipment in a safe place/
container, especially while you are not using it.  It is amazing how
much dust will settle in your car if you leave it parked at your
campsite with the window open all day.

5.  Prepare for the weather.  This is eastern Washington desert.
Bring sunblock, chapstick, hat, sunglasses etc.  Also, it gets down to
about 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night, so make sure to bring a warm
coat.  A headlamp would be useful too, as the ground is very uneven,
and you may have to walk a little ways to get to a porta-potty at
night.

If there is something your don't have/can't get in time, there are
large stores about 30 minutes away in Moses Lake.  In addition, many
necessities are stocked at the Toorcamp store.

Also, don't let these warnings discourage you.  The site is actually
really cool, despite the environment being a bit rough.  We just
wanted to give you a few tips so you can be as comfortable as possible
while you are camping.

Divide and I will be back at the Toorcamp site on Wednesday evening.
Feel free to flag us down if you have any questions about your camp
setup or placement.

Cheers,
Jacqueline

P.S.  Please forward this information to others who are not on this
list
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