Getting you started on outdoor adventures

1. No matter how short you trim them, you’ll still get dirt under your fingernails.
2. When you’ve kayaked 5 miles, celebrate with some photos.
   

   The Outdoor Princess & ESP Boss at Blue Ridge Reservoir

3. Check the weather report before you go. If snow level will be 9,000 feet, that’s something you’ll want to know a head of time.
4. When going on a long kayak trip, bring more water bottles than you think you’ll need. Nothing is worse than a dehydration headache.
5. Get excited about baby ducks.
   

   Wild baby ducks at Blue Ridge Reservoir

6. No matter where you sit, the smoke from the campfire WILL follow you.
7. ‘Dog rugs’ might keep Lily clean(er) but they don’t work for Chuck.
   

   Chuck puts the dirt ON TOP of the rug.

8. Remember to take lots of pictures!
9. 5 minute showers (at $3.00 each!) are never enough to get all the camping crud off of you. But you still feel more human afterwards!
10. Take enough quarters for two showers, just in case. Since it never fails that your hair is still soapy when the water shuts off!
11. Bring enough money for one “nice” dinner out. You might have hat-hair and smell like wood smoke, but at least somebody else will do the dishes.
12. Never underestimate the power of freshly brushed teeth, a clean face, and scrubbed hands to make you feel better.
13. Eat at least one s’more per trip.
14. Take photos of wildlife.
15. When you run into an old college roommate in the campground bathroom, realize that the world is smaller than you thought. And be glad you both love camping!
16. If your geocache disappears over the winter, blame it on a bear.
17. Pick up your house before you go. That way, when Lily and Chuck don’t get along and the pet sitter has to come over to take care of your dog, you know you didn’t leave a mess on your kitchen table.
18. Duct tape can fix just about anything.
19. Fishing is more about relaxing than about catching fish.
20. Compliment the cook.
21. Offer to do the dishes.
22. When your s’more didn’t get hot all the way through, make a “boat” out of tin foil and put it on the grate over the campfire. It’ll heat into sticky goodness in no time.
23. Bring an extra pair of pants even if your parents tell you that you’ll be fine with shorts.
24. Keep hair clips with your geocaching swag. When you go out for lunch, it helps make your hat hair look less like hat hair.
25. Worry if the waitress doesn’t smile.
26. Enjoy the wildflowers. But don’t touch them if you’re not sure what they are.
27. Take a gallon of hot water to the pay-per-minute shower so you can get wet, get sudsy and THEN put in your quarters.
28. Bring extra pairs of socks.
29. Hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen are cool. Melanoma is not.
30. When flirting with the cute clerk in the sporting goods store, remember to get a phone number!
31. If you’re planning on going for a geocache that requires swimming, check the weather report (COLD!) before bragging that you’ll get it on that trip.

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