What're your favorite camp pass-times?

[Liamy77]

Well keepin it clean for a change (unusual for me)... Of course I like different things depending on company, place, mood, etc. That said, among other things I like a card game called "black *&%$#!" in groups... on my own - making things, reading and music playing (if you can stretch the term "music" to cover what I do?)... just wondered what you get up to?

[Liamy77]

I know we shouldnt waste posts but COOKING and EATING deserve a special mention IMO!

[johnw]

- Eating (there is also enjoyment in the self-sufficiency of cooking in the bush, even if it is simply boiling a billy on the gas stove)
- Although I'm not really a social animal, a "campfire" chat with companions can be fun. NB a candle lantern is a good substitute as actual campfires are not permitted, or are discouraged, in many locations. And we really should avoid using them these days anyway.
- Wildlife spotting
- Photography
- Soaking up the views
- Exploring nearby
- Reading a book
- Listening to music on the MP3 player
- Researching the maps etc for the next day's walking
- Sleeping

[sailfish]

Hi,

Often solo:
Generally just like taking it all in, listening to the small sounds etc.
Fishing (evening and night)
Sometimes play my quena or listen to music.

Regards,
Ken

[michael_p]

Happy hour(s).

[ollster]

Happy hour(s).

Yup, drinking hard liquor and talking @#$%. Oh, and star jumps.

minor moderator edit

minor ollster edit - seriously - what's the point of the optional swear filter if you're just going to edit??

[Liamy77]

It is necessary to talk ?? when one is ?? stops us exploding all over the countryside IMHO...

i like nice warm "star jumps" too.... of course with little kids it's harder to find the time / energy for them.... I keep thinkin along those lines every time i think of the funghi (or with your avatar i should say Fun-guy?) - sorry bout the corny Dad-joke....

minor moderator edit

[frenchy_84]

vodka and tang goes down pretty well

[Singe]

I like sitting on rocks and looking at things. Drinking and socialising I can do any time, for me time spent in the bush is all about quiet contemplation

[Nick S]

Once my tent is setup and food has been cooked I like to wander around and take a few photos. I usually have a book to read if I'm not feeling contemplative enough.
Starjumps have never crossed my mind

[north-north-west]

Stretching for about 4 hours to help the aged and decrepit body cope with the exertion.

Star jumps? I've worked hard enough getting there, I'm not going to start doing &^%$#@! calisthenics to pass the time.

[lyndoor]

...a deck of cards & a mean game of "500" or my personal favourite "Up & Down the River".

When we took our kids on the Overland, they became obsessed with "500" to the point of turning over the huts in search of cards (because we only took one deck), migrating any decks discovered to the next hut or befriending only those fellow walkers with a deck!!! They played into the wee hours quietly with the patience of their fellow campers. It was serious business.

lyndoor

[frank_in_oz]

Love a good late afternoon nap and reading a book.

Then a wander around at dusk checking out the sunset and any wildlife.

I always take a large cigar for each evening. Suck on that for about half an hour while I enjoy being there. It is heaven wherever I am!

[Drifting]

I like sitting on rocks and looking at things. Drinking and socialising I can do any time, for me time spent in the bush is all about quiet contemplation

Same here. Talking with and watching my daughter play when she's with me, and photography go high on the list.

[Nick S]

I've played many games of 500 along the overland huts, it can be quite addictive. Invariably one person hasn't played it before and we have to play a few open hands, but it's certainly my favorite card game.

[Lindsay]

Reading...to me a good book is not a luxury but a necessity. When I'm not reading I like to just chill out by sitting quietly and watching for wildlife or watching the sunset - or sunrise if I'm up early enough.

[Macca81]

I always take a large cigar for each evening. Suck on that for about half an hour while I enjoy being there. It is heaven wherever I am!

have done that a couple of times, with a nice whisky (guinness doesnt hike as well as spirits).

otherwise, set up camp, cook dinner, go for a swim/take a walk and a few photos, then finish with a bit of light reading...

[stepbystep]

vodka and tang goes down pretty well

Thats crazy talk - Zubrovka, straight up - Tang is a crime to the digestive sytsem.... other than that pretty much basking in the glory of all things natural, photography, identifying flora, wildlife spotting and finding the best spot to take in the magic hour as night descends.......cards and maps once tent bound.

[north-north-west]

Thats crazy talk - Zubrovka, straight up ...

A man who knows his vodka. Or who has at least one crazy Polish mate to introduce him to the best.

[Liamy77]

But be careful... drink too much and you can end up basking in your natural glory!?!

[plaz]

For a variation from solitary reading when tent bound or on rest days I often get a play from a second hand bookshop and we read this aloud (when alone at campsites). Last trip to the eastern arthurs we had a volume of david williamsons early plays - often we were cacking ourselves. Classics can be fun too - I remember doing a pretty passable Othello outside pine valley hut one lazy afternoon. Singing is good too, although really requires a campfire for best atmosphere. I get a bit sick of quiet contemplation on a long walk and start to develop a need for loud noise.

[Taurë-rana]

Sleeping, definitely.

[north-north-west]

Cryptic crosswords are good. Lighter than a book and can be hellishly time-consuming, especially if you get the better ones, like those from The Times.

[Bush Walker]

If you are interested in "campfire" activities, then there are lots of ideas around.

Initiative games are a good example

KILLER - The OA leader should explain the rules of the game and then when everyone's eyes are closed s/he should pick a Killer by tapping the person on the head. (If the leaders want to play, slips of paper can be passed around and the one with the X is the Killer). The Killer kills by blinking one eye at his victim. The victim must see the blink in order to be killed and must wait for 5 seconds after the blink before "dying". (Be melodramatic!) Once killed you become a spectator. The survivors must try to figure out the identity of the Killer before they are killed. If someone has a suspicion one can announce, "I have an accusation." Unless someone else says, "I second the accusation," the game continues. If someone does second the accusation, the two accusers count to three and then each point to the person each one suspects. (Without conferences, gestures, etc. before pointing.) If they both point to a person who is innocent or if they both point to different suspects, (even if one of the suspects is the Killer), they are both dead because of poor detective work. If both point to the Killer, s/he must confess and the game is over.

but Minute Mysteries are my favourite

* These have become a fun thing to do while hiking down the trail.
* The person presenting the mystery should give the situation and ask what happened.
* The others participating must solve the mystery by asking questions.
* The presenter can only answer yes, no, maybe, or it doesn't matter.

8. A man goes into a seafood restaurant down at the harbour. He orders the special for the day, albatross soup. He takes one bite, then goes out to buy a gun and kills himself.

I have documented 25 initiative games from the Group Development and Leadership Chapter from the Outdoor Action Program Leader's Manual written by Rick Curtis, Director, Outdoor Action Program. http://www.bushwalkingskills.com/p/this-material-is-group-development-and.html

[Phil Box]

Best card game to introduce into a group of individuals is King Mao. Just make sure no knives are present otherwise the first round may see you being stabbed because of the frustration of the individuals you are tormenting. See google for rools. I introduced a group of ten climbers doing a Tassy trip and they hated me for the first couple of rounds till the lightbulbs started going on in their heads. Warning highly addictive and may be detrimental to ones health and the sanity of the group.

[Liamy77]

sounds a bit like the effects of "black *&%$#!" (sort of a reverse harts game where you get to dump unwanted points on people)

[tas-man]

After dinner, nothing better than pulling out the ole blues harp, and playing a few medleys of scottish jigs or bush ballads!

If you are game . . here's a sample! http://www.badongo.com/audio/17416011

[Liamy77]

nice playin. makes a change from the usual blues... usually all i get requested is Do you know the "refrain from playin"

[juju]

When my son is with me we play word games and mostly the other adults will enjoy playing too. One we like is 3 word story tag. eg.
me - Once there was...
he - a fast hare...
me - who didn't win...
he - then he did...
me - but the tortoise...
he - fell over a...
me - rock and won...
he - no he didn't
etc etc
the game invariably goes on until the hare kills the tortoise or vice versa (although it's very difficult to kill someone with 3 words...) and then the game gets silly, we crack up and we may as well have had happy hour...

[Leppy]

Nothing better than tweeking the set-up.... always somthing else to try. Playing the Quena when the stars are bright and the fire is nothing but red hot coals