Some how I managed to survive four Queensland summers(up to 43 C but usually hangs around 38C) with no air con and another 5 in south-west Western Australia(Which still gets hot but not as humid). I never went camping in such weather however. In fact I have only ever been to school camps.

I've never been to a school camp, IlF, though I know some people who enjoyed them.

(I can't imagine living in the kind of heat you've lived through - though I've been exposed to it for short periods. That's one thing about living around here...it gets hot but in the long run winter is going to win )

I have another camping trip coming up this weekend, with quite a large group of friends (including NarniaWebber Ryadian and her family). Friday looks very nice, weather-wise, with storms possible over the weekend. I really hope the pollen continues to wind down. Now if we could just do something about the mosquitoes...

I am Tasmanian(just saying if they decide to form there own country with a better government than ours, I am in)(generally the summers are not too hot, but rather nice, I only have one memory of it being too hot to go outside), when I moved to Queensland however, the summers were long and the winters very short. So since I have become more tolerable of heat.

The thought of mosquitoes makes me think of those wetland activities I had to take part in during lower highschool. Absolutely hated it. Not only was a bitten by mosquitoes every time, I ruined a good pair of shoes(they never told us which days we would be heading to the wetlands), fell into a lake, and my friend nearly got attacked by a strange cat. The worst thing was other than me and my friends, everyone else enjoyed it. So they hated it when we complained. Now you see why I don't go camping.

That's quite the experience IlF! I'm not sure I'd like camping either if I'd had things like that happen.

Our group camped this past weekend, as I mentioned before. Friday was a top 10 weather day, and we enjoyed a nice evening fire and saw the International Space Station pass overhead after dark. But severe storms were in the forecast for the weekend.

The campground was already soggy from all the rain we've had this spring, and more rain began falling shortly after midnight. It continued into Saturday morning, making for lots of standing water in the campsites.

Weather radar indicated another big line of storms approaching, so we packed up and left around lunch time. By Saturday evening, we were treated to a spectacular lightning show and more torrential rain. Glad I wasn't in a tent then!

The rain continued into Sunday but by afternoon the clouds were breaking up.

We're talking about another trip later this summer or possibly in September. Maybe things will dry out by then.

Hopefully it does dry out, because I know I would hate being stuck in a tent in a storm. I hate being stuck out in the rain purely because I wear glasses and when they fog up I can't see a thing. Taking them off only helps slightly since I am more than just a little short sighted.

IlF. I hope that experiance won't deter you from venturing into the great out-of-doors for a little camping of your own. Would be a pity.
As I mention on the weather thread stargazer, too bad about having to cut out early because of weather. Been there.
The Mrs. and I are still planning a get away along the South Shore of Superior. I hope we can manage at least a few nights of camping. We have been "scouting' places with the help of this gadget I'm using right now. With luck we should have some fair weather.

Gearing up for the next two weekends.
Setting out with one of the younger siblings for some camping, and fishing at one of the state parks here in Minnesota. the lake is known for good sized fish, (and almost as big mosquitos).
I plan on bringing some store bought supplies should the fishing turn poor, and some spray should we start running low on plasma.
The following weekend is a historical rendezvous that is for Clearwater Heritage Days. The hope is we have plenty of interest this year, and good enough weather for the public to show up. Several of the regulars will be there, the blacksmith, (always popular with the kids), as well as someone showing blackpowder shooting. One couple will be making corn bread from scratch, from grinding to cooking. I will be demonstrating cordage, and rope making again. Maybe I can keep from tying my fingers in knots.

The past few decades I generally don't camp in high summer, due to the bugs, heat, and humidity, preferring to do so either before or after the heat comes.

But I still like to get out for day trips, for hiking, campfires, cookouts, and what stargazing I can get in (which itself is limited by the late sunsets of summer).

Last week I went to a nearby state park for such a trip. It was very pleasant except for needing a blood transfusion when I got home.

Our next camping trip is planned for Labor Day weekend at the beginning of September; hopefully the bugs and heat will calm down by then.

I hear you stargazer. I would say I feel your pain, but it's more of an itch right now
Many were the little flying tormentors this weekend, and after awhile they seemed only to mock me as I applied the "repellant".
But other than the almost manditory discomforts my younger sibling, and I trudged on, determined to make the most of the weekend.
We began with the study in Ichthyology, ( fishing ). After an uneventful attempt at a nearby river, with nary a nibble, we soothed our pride with a warm meal, and a quick session on tactics. ( We choose another spot ).
Upon entering the new setting we came upon much more attentive subjects. But as fate would have it, trouble soon brewed on the horizon, ( storms came rumbling in ). Being forced to shore, ( forgot to mention we were in a boat ) we docked, and beat a hasty retreat to the vehicle as moisture soon fell in great amounts. this was soon followed by penny, and some quarter sized hail.
We were the fortunate ones in that several boaters were caught too far from shore, and soon arrived after it moved on, still rumbling very noisily. Some of the poor folks displayed their battlescars with nature, but thankfully no serious injuries need be reported.
We did return to the field, or lake, for further study on our subject, and met with some success. One Pike proved a glutton, as it was hauled in with a belly already well distended from an earlier meal. Another much smaller, after fallowing the lure to the boat, actually leaped from the water after it. If only a camcorder were handy.
But one of the highlights of the trip was watching a meteor shower. More on that on adventures in stargazing.
Another was the climbing of a retired DNR firetower to see the surrounding counrtyside. There is just no better way make any negatives from a trip go away than to take in God's Creation.

Sounds like quite a trip, Puddleglum. Glad you got to see some spectacular sights in the sky.

I mentioned in the weather thread that my tent must be a rain magnet. We had torrential rains during our last trip in June (that group will give it another try in mid-September), and despite July and August being abnormally dry, rain is forecast for this upcoming Labor Day weekend, when we plan to camp about 2.5 hours northwest of here. But Saturday looks nice, at least for a while, and with luck we'll see some stars that night before the clouds move in.

Even with frost advisory for tonight I am still determined to prepare for the last Rendezvous of the year. I have a little over a week to get everything ready.
There should be some good from the cold in that there might be fewer hornets about. We had about a half dozen folks stung last year.
The encampment will be at the Nowthen Threshing show grounds east of Elk River. So if you have any young folks, or young at heart, all are welcome.
One rule though. All pets, and unruly youngsters must be on a leash.

Four more days before heading out for the last encampment of the year.
Have to figure out my list of everything to bring, and what not, since each time I need something different.
The Mrs. (What would I do without her?! ) has suggested that I put everything on a file on the computer. That way I can revise, and download for every event.
For this one we will be having a lot of school children coming through, so there will be plenty of educational opportunities, and since the attention span of the average child is roughly, lets see five minutes for each year , Not real long!
But it is still fun at times when they "get it". If they can make a string with their hands, and show their parents, it's worth it.
Just praying that the weather forecast is wrong again. They predict rain from Friday, through Saturday.
If only I could convince someone that there were space heaters back in the 1800's.

Stay warm and dry, Puddleglum! Maybe it won't rain this weekend after all, even though the models are predicting it.

I've enjoyed two camping trips in the past two weeks, and despite the short time between them, the difference in weather was more like 5 months' worth.

Labor Day weekend was warm and humid - almost hot hiking out in the sun. Plenty of mosquitoes. Saturday night the overcast broke and we enjoyed a spectacular view of the Milky Way overhead, a river of light almost from horizon to horizon. I woke up a few hours later to bright flashes outside, almost like a strobe light, to find lots of lightning flashing to the south and west. Despite this show, we didn't get rain from that storm. The weekend felt very summer-like.

This past weekend was a sort of make-up trip for the rainout we had in June. The high Friday was 52F/11C if we were lucky, and the next morning we woke to frost on the cars. It was a bit nippy, but the sky highlights there were Orion and Jupiter blazing in the predawn sky.

The rest of the weekend was partly cloudy and breezy and cool, with only a few mosquitoes. It definitely didn't feel like summer but more like late October - wonderful weather for a polar bear.

Still have a trip or two in the works, along with as many day trips to look at colors as I can get in before the white stuff arrives in earnest.

Frost is always a damper on any campout stargazer. I also hope for a couple day trips to see the fall colors. The red is already showing in the maple alongside the Wig-wam.
The rendezvous went fairly well this year, with only about an hour of wet, and windy on Saturday. Otherwise we had only to deal with some gusts that required tightening some ropes, and pounding some stakes down. It was followed by a rainbow that was near complete.
Friday was busy with over 7 hundred public walking through. Needless to say those of us demonstrating were kept hopping.
Take down on Sunday is always a chore. But it was compounded by the lack of wind. Not that I would complain usually, but the frustrations with said weather mentioned above are as nothing compared to the little flying leeches that it kept at bay. Once it died down to a slight breeze I lost more blood in two hours than lost throughout Thursday to Sunday morning.
But now it is done. Time to clean, and put away cloths, patch holes in canvas, start making more lucets for trade next year, and scratch itches from this one.
Enjoy you next outing everyone. May the Lord of all Creation find you a level place to pitch your tent, a clear view of the heavens, and a clean get away before the mosquitos know you were ever there.

Sounds like fun Puddleglum! I agree that the mosquitoes remain ferocious even after the frost.

Monday was such a glorious first day of autumn I packed up the tent and gear and went to a state park about an hour away. The fall colors are advancing rapidly and there was a lot to look at. The day was clear and crisp but the flying vampires were out enjoying the day too.

The night was clear and despite the glow from the Twin Cities I could still see the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy. I woke up in the wee hours to enjoy the view of Jupiter near the Beehive star cluster (M44).

Tuesday was variably cloudy but a nice day to hike along the St. Croix River to take in more colors. The trip ended with an evening campfire.

I hope to have at least one more trip this year - maybe more - along with some day trips for orchard visits.