backpacking a different way of camping

Backpacking: A Different Way of CampingWhat is camping? To most
people, it is perceived as a time to pack up the car, drive to local camp
grounds, and spend the weekend in the great outdoors. It is a time to
frolic with family and friends around a campfire, singing songs, playing
games, and roasting marshmallows while listening to ghost stories that
can only be heard while camping. However, to the avid backpacker,
camping takes on a different perspective. While experiencing the great
outdoors is very similar to car camping, backpacking is very different in
many respects. Preparation for backpacking and car camping and the
locales where one can set up camp are very different. In either case,
experiencing the great outdoors and its natural beauty cannot be
surpassed.With car camping the only real limitation is one's vehicle. A
person is limited to the vehicle's capacity to carry or tow. For example, a
camper will bring a stove, a twelve man tent, two coolers of meat and
potatoes, five gallons of water, and maybe tow a camper. On the other
hand, when backpacking, the circumstances are very different. One is
limited to his or her own capabilities: the amount of weight that can be
carried, endurance levels, just to name a few. Provisions must be
carefully measured. If overloaded, it can affect performance while hiking
to one's destination, but if not enough provisions are carried it, will impact
how long one can last out in the wilderness. The equipment must be
minute in size and weight. Special lightweight stoves, tents, sleeping
bags, and clothes must be used when backpacking. The average weight
of a full backpack is about thirty-five pounds. A camper is completely
dependent on what is in his or her backpack to survive in
nature.Reaching one's final destination for car camping and backpacking
are also very different. To get to the campsite while car camping, one
follows a road map to the park, drives to the ranger station, picks up a
pass, and pulls in to the campsite. Depending on the size of the park,
there are usually fifty to one hundred campsites filled with weekend
warriors. While backpacking, reaching the campsite is a greater task.

First, the backpacker enters the park, gets a pass from the ranger station,
and drives to the trailhead. At the trailhead one loads his or her gear in
the backpack and firmly attaches it to their waist and back. Finally, the
backpackers hikes two to twelve miles to reach their destination, following
a topographical map and utilizing a compass. If one is fortunate, there
will be someone camping at the same site. Backpacking is usually done
by oneself or in a group.Going to the restroom is also very different in
both cases. For one, there are no portable restrooms while backpacking.
A shovel and toilet paper are a backpacker's only means. One picks a
spot, digs a hole, and squats. It is a very peaceful experience with the
birds chirping, the wind blowing, and trees swaying. While car camping,
there is usually a communal restroom that almost always smells of
disinfectants or deodorants.Car camping and backpacking are two forms
of camping that differ from each other in the respect that backpacking is a
more independent form of camping. If one feels like escaping the city just
for a few days, one can hop into a car and drive to a campground. It is
relatively easy to prepare for car camping, but backpacking is much more
rigorous and requires much planning. Though more limiting in what one
can carry, backpacking allows a person to see the outdoors in a way that
car camping cannot. The most beautiful sights are seen while
backpacking, and this is because a car can only take one so far. Most
backpackers experience something that most car campers will never see:
the beauty of nature untouched by common man. Regardless of the
mode of exploring the great outdoors, an exciting adventure awaits.