Backcountry Camping

[Jeff]

Kind of hot out for a fire?

[COTrained26]

wow what an epic. Maybe next time think twice before heading out into an area you are totally unfamiliar with a half hour before dark, especially if you can't read a map. If you can't even manage to camp in the red river gorge with out it turning into a major epic I would think twice before heading out in real mountains out west. COTrained?

As i stated before, the beginning part of the trail was misrepresented on the map. Was going out a half hour before dark stupid? Yes, it was. But based on the map a level area should have presented itself within half a mile of starting out. Thanks for the advice , but i have been to the real mountains. I lived in Colorado for quite a few years and have successfully navigated backcountry areas via a TOPO map without trails numerous times.

[COTrained26]

Kind of hot out for a fire?

Yeah, but i wasn't eating raw hotdogs and we were famished!

[milspecmark]

Sounds like an exhausting day. That is one thing to know about the red, you can't just camp anywhere. Glad you eventually found a spot to camp.

[Jeff]

Yeah, but i wasn't eating raw hotdogs and we were famished!

HOT DOGS!!!!

Just kidding ya. Good thing you didn't cross paths with any copperheads.

[Redpoint]

Here is the ultimate PDF map for camping and trails, my brother found it somewhere on the internet: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0ZS73J3E

NOTE: no camping within 100' of base of cliffs or back of rock shelters. Also no camping within 300' of system trails or roads. That is why finding camping spots can be hard if you are on an official trail. You can camp right next to unofficial trails though and they are full of camping spots. The book Hinterlands lists all of the best unofficial trails in the Red. Here is some more info on camping at the Red: http://rrgtoday.com/archivesA16.html

My brother also has some great topo maps that he bought at a local store that shows camping spots (and trails of course). My favorite set of his are green and come with three or four maps that are printed on the front and back. They even have the climbing areas listed.

I just camped near Auxier Ridge on a cliff top recently and I got covered in chiggers and everyone else got it too, but not as bad as me since they actually put bug spray on. I talked to a guy at the gym who also got some chiggers on him while back country camping at the Red, and I asked him if they camped above the cliffs and he said yes. I have never had a problem with chiggers before, but we usually camp below the cliffs and not on top of them. I have camped on top of cloud splitter without any problems, but it was fall(less bugs), and I suspect not many animals go up there and so there wouldn't be too many chiggers there.

[Rollo]

The ridge at the top of Eagles Nest is nice and there is some good climbing out there. You'll also be real close to Wall of Denial.

No one has ever been close to Wall of Denial... it's a myth.