camping withdrawal

[Lifeangel1]

Does anyone go through camping withdrawal in the winter months?? I get real bad in January. It isn't even December yet and already I'm feeling it. Is there a cure?? Help!!

[fritz_monroe]

This is our first year with a camper and I'm already feeling it.  What I plan on doing is keeping an eye on the local weather and when we get a nice weekend forcast, camp for the weekend.  We always have a weekend or 2 in January or February that is a bit warm.  This year I'm going to take advantage of it.

[dthurk]

The family's on a "no more camping!" kick at this point.  I was willing and ready to go on a Veterans Day weekend trip, and was considering Charleston, SC over Christmas vacation for a week, but was vetoed on both.  I should probably go by myself, but that wouldn't be any fun for any of us.   This just makes withdrawal even worse.

[Beerlifter]

I would go year round but I too get voted out. It's 75 here right now and the nights are only getting down to mid 30's. Don't understand why the don't want to go out. Nothing like snuggling up on a cold night out in the boonies. Dang............I wanna go camping!!!!

[skamper75]

December is always a busy month so its not hard to get through till first of the year. Family wont camp until late March so I go backpacking in Jan, Feb and March.....then April and May; Sept, Oct, Nov.

[PattieAM]

In February of this year, I had a severe case of cabin fever, so took the PUP and my 20 yr old daughter to South of The Border - Camp Pedro.  

It was a great get-away, full hookup sites, under $20/night, propane refill cheap, eateries within walking distance, all the tacky shops and junque!  My daughter loved the indoor pool.  

Think we will do it again this year - 'Save Our Sanity'....

[ScoobyDoo]

Had a fantastic 4 day weekend, only 2 other campers in the park. We go agin before Christmas until after New Year.

[CampDirt]

I am definitely going through some kinda cabin fever here.  It's suppose to get to -2 (yep, that's a minus sign) tonight.  6" of snow so far in south Aurora and DTC area.  Up to two feet in the mountains.  For all you skiers, Vail got dumped on last night - 9" new with more to come.  We're expecting at least another 3-6" tonight and more of the white fluff on Saturday (it's going to be really cold during Denver's anual Parade of Lights Sat night! :mad:

So, with all this extreme cold and snow, I'm ready for a nice warm weekend in my camper.  It's not the snow that I want to run away from (I do love skiing), it's the bitter COLD (in the teens)!  I'm wondering if I should trade in the camper for a hot tub!      OK, that's extreme, and no, never... but a hot tub sure sounds good right now.  Can't wait for the RV show in Jan so I can pretend it's warm.

[AustinBoston]

I remember one couple, I think they were in Michigan.  They would call ahead to the nearest state park, and the park staff would plow out a site for them to camp in.

I'd bet they didn't suffer from camping withdrawal.

Probably knew a thing or two about keeping a pop-up warm, too.

Austin (burrr....)

[vjm1639]

I'm having severe camping fever! Haven't been out since JULY! My mother had a massive stroke in mid July and we've gone through months of regular hospital, rehab hospital, home therapies and are now going for outpatient therapy. She lived in her own home alone in Tennessee so now I've brought her home to live with us. I've quit work to be here with her and we had to cancel all our camping trips this year . We'll have to see if we can get her out camping this spring....she always hated it.... I'm hoping we can even get her in the camper. The wheel chair probably won't fit, but luckily she's a skinny lady. I can't believe the withdrawal I've had. We set it all up to winterize and I almost cried when we closed it up! :>
 
 
I've been living vicariously through all your pics this year!

[tlhdoc]

I camped 3 of the last four weeks.  I think I am done camping for the year and I wish I was camping this weekend.

[CampDirt]

Hey, AB, you mean like this?
 
  Click on photo for larger view.  It's posted on my Webshots page for now.
 
I found this old photo on the web somewhere, possibly on the Good Sam site.  If anyone has seen this before I would love to give due credit.  It's not my photo, but it's kinda cool (er make that cold:frosty: ).

[AustinBoston]

Hey, AB, you mean like this?
 
  Click on photo for larger view.  It's posted on my Webshots page for now.
 
I found this old photo on the web somewhere, possibly on the Good Sam site.  If anyone has seen this before I would love to give due credit.  It's not my photo, but it's kinda cool (er make that cold:frosty: ).

Close, but these people were definitiely using a pop-up (and, IIRC, had pics of it set up with 4" of light powdery snow on the bunk ends).

Photo forensics:  Comparing the depth of snow on the camper with the depth of snow on the picknic table, it seems there was 3"-4" of snow on the ground when they arrived.  There doesn't appear to be any snow under the camper, however, so either 1) the pad was plowed before they parked or 2) no snow fell between when the previous camper departed and the photographed camper arrived.

Alternative explanation: The internal heat in the camper melted half the snow on the roof.

The car looks mid to late 1950's, and was probably more than adequate in it's day for towing that camper.  They may have used a WDH or a hitch wheel.

The camper has an old Winnebago logo on it, and despite the forward overhead bunk, was probably towed on a hitch ball, not as a 5th wheel.

Assuming the car was new or nearly new at the time, everyone who had anything to do with that camping trip is either middle aged, older than middle aged, or deceased.

The picnic table is almost certanly totally returned to the environment now.

It would be very interesting to know where the campground was.  A lot of 1950's campgrounds are shopping malls today, and are in locations most of us would not want to camp if they were still campgrounds.  But it would be nice to know this was deep in the woods somewhere that is still deep in the woods.

Austin

[chip]

[snip]
...
The car looks mid to late 1950's, and was probably more than adequate in it's day for towing that camper.  They may have used a WDH or a hitch wheel.
...
[end snip]
Austin

If you want to more closely date the picture, the car looks to be a 1959 or 1960 Chevrolet, maybe a Bel-air.

That's the limit of my picture forensics-ness.

(Not that i am old enough to remember the great finned cars of the late '50s, but my dad had a '59 Chevy, which he bought new.  It was blue, though.  I was three.)