now

10 • GAYLORD NOW • August ‘08 A Gaylord Herald Times publication
things you might need camping
5By Chris Engle
Tent: Coleman
Eagle Rock
Bug repellent:
ThermaCell
Seating/bedding:
Travel Hammock
Bedding: Chinook
50-degree bag
Lighting: Coleman
LED marker light
Okay, so it’s almost August
already. Have you gotten out
camping yet? If not, shame
on you, but that just may be
because you don’t have the
proper gear to enjoy a night, or
a week, in the woods.
Here are the newest additions
to my camping gear,
put to the test in my favorite
proving grounds: The woods of
Northern Michigan.
Need more? Check out the
Herald Times’ Guide to an Outdoor
Summer, in the “Media” section at
www.gaylordheraldtimes.com and
see the new gear in action.
1 2 3 4
with its own screen — big enough
The Eagle Rock appears to be
the result of Coleman listening to its
customers’ needs and suggestions.
It sets up quickly — five minutes
between two people. Half of the
sleeves, which can be a bugger to
push tent poles through, have been
replaced with simple clips that do
the same job. It has a doggy door
to let midsize dogs through while
keeping most of the mosquitoes out
— or, for families without dogs, a
handy way for letting the raccoons
in.
Other neat features: Waterproof
fabric, attached shoe mat, net “loft”
for lantern or small items
Here’s a new way of keeping
mosquitoes away.
Called the ThermaCell, it’s a
device that burns butane to heat
a repellent insert, dispersing the
chemical as an odorless vapor.
At first, the cordless phone-size
device seems bulky compared to a
can of bug spray, but anyone who
has spent more than a weekend
dousing themselves in repellent
without a shower can appreciate
not having to wear any.
On a still evening, the Therma-
Cell can keep the bugs away from
the entire campsite; on a breezy
day, you might need a spritz or two.
Optional feature: Holster with
two pouches holds extra butane
cartride, ten inserts; clips to belt or
tree
Another new addition to my
pack this year has already become
a permanent fixture on my campsite:
The Travel Hammock.
Unlike its cumbersome
rope-and-wood grandfathers, this
one’s made of parachute nylon,
crushes down into a sack the size
of a grapefruit and weighs about a
pound.
When it’s strung between two
trees on the shore of a lake at sunset,
it’s the best seat in the house.
Toss in a sleeping bag, and you’re
all set for a night under the stars.
Eat your heart out, dirt.
Other neat features: Breathable
nylon means no sweating; attached
cramsack doubles as beverage
holder
When it comes to picking out
a sleeping bag, it can often be a
guessing game.
Being too hot is almost as bad
as being too cold, so finding a right
bag for the season — and the
sleeper — is crucial. Degree ratings
can sometimes be arbitrary among
different brands, but the rating for
this bag is fair.
The Chinook 50-degree bag
started to get chilly when temps
dipped into the 40s; but a night 5
degrees warmer was comfortable.
It’s be a good bag for summer, but
it’s back to the bulky bag come
winter.
Other neat features: Rounded
hood with drawstring locks in heat;
bag crams down to the size of a
two-liter bottle
Powered by watch batteries,
5
these quail egg-size lights clip to
anything you want to mark in the
dark and stay lit for 20 hours.
Bathroom spots, trails, tent
zippers and fishing rod tips all lend
themselves well to these lights.
They can also be clipped to dog
collars to show where pets are,
even if they’re out of the reach of
firelight or flashlights.
Available in green, red and
amber.
Other uses: Tent night light,
beverage marker
— Coleman Eagle Rock, $42
(sale price); ThermaCell, $22 ($12
for holster); Travel Hammock, $47;
Chinook bag, $30; all available at
Jay’s Sporting Goods in Gaylord.
Coleman LED beacons, $6 for two,
available at Kmart and Jay’s.
View Michigan’s elk in the wild, or right here in the city
Michigan’s native elk
population disappeared
around 1875, but rebounded
after seven elk were
released near Wolverine
in 1918. The Pigeon River
Country State Forest, about
13 miles east of Vanderbilt
on Sturgeon Valley Road, is
the heart of Michigan’s elk
range which is home to an
estimated 1,000 animals.
?The best time for viewing
elk is early morning
and late evening. Elk-viewing
areas have been established
where the ground
has been seeded with rye,
alfalfa, buckwheat and
clover to draw the elk,
deer and turkeys into open
areas.
Elk have been sighted
on Fontinalis Road, about
three miles north of Sturgeon
Valley Road near the
Cheboygan County line
where a small parking
area and a field have been
cleared by the Dept. of
Natural Resources (DNR);
at an elk-viewing area
(with DNR signs indicating
the location) on East Sturgeon
Valley Road, about
eight miles east of Vanderbilt;
and about .4 miles
north of the intersection
of Osmun Road and Clark
Bridge Rad in the Pigeon
River Country State Forest.
Chances of seeing elk are
increased by remaining at
or near designated parking
areas.
Detailed maps of
various elk viewing sites
are available at the DNR
District Office, 1731 M-32
West, Gaylord. 732-3541.
Gaylord viewing
In Gaylord, the elk/deer
enclosure off Grandview
Boulevard and Elkview
behind Kmart is a popular
attraction, enabling people
to get an up-close look at
the elk.