Camping is waking up to the smell of the dewy forest and spending time appreciating the natural world. The sounds of countless creatures singing to you as you sleep on the forest floor with nothing but the bottom of a tent separating you from the dirt. However, camping is also forgetting important things like water and hiking half-dehydrated, or not bringing a flashlight and freaking out about noises from outside your tent. If you’re planning on going camping anytime soon, you won’t regret it, but to prevent having an unnecessarily rough time, prepare before you go. Don’t be like me. Make a list of things you’ll need ahead of time, and don’t throw things into a backpack the morning before you embark on your adventure.
First, make sure to bring water!
Keep in mind, there are no water fill-up places when you’re on a 7 mile hike, or at your backcountry campsite. You’re going to need a lot more than you think, and it will go fast. Go buy gallons of water before you leave instead of believing a 32 oz. water bottle will suffice.
Bring a blanket.
During the day, when the sun is beating down, it’s sweltering. You may think that since you’re camping in Georgia in the summer, you won’t need to bring a blanket to sleep with because the temperature will stay warm. Wrong. It gets cold, and when you’re trying to sleep it seems even colder.Â
Bring a flashlight. And bring batteries.
Obviously, there aren’t any lights in the forest, unless you count the moon and stars. Make sure to bring a flashlight so you can actually see something other than black when you leave your tent at night. That rustling noise you hear? If you had a flashlight you would know whether or not it was the wind or a curious animal. Oh, and another good idea: make sure the flashlight has batteries BEFORE you leave…
Bring a camera or make sure your phone is charged before you leave on a hike.
If you’re the type of person who likes to take pictures (and who wouldn’t with all these mountain views?) check if your camera is charged before you head out. You really don’t want to miss out on some beautiful photo oppurtunites. I mean, you could always do what I did and hike the full 7 miles, go all the way back to the car to charge your phone, and then trek all the way back out, but imagine how much easier it would have been if I would have taken the photos the first time around.
Pick a place to camp.
If you’re contemplating where to go, look no further. These are some of the best places to hike in Georgia.
- Tallulah Gorge State Park: If you like to swim, this is the place to do it. Make your way down to the gorge, clamber over slippery rocks, swim to the waterfall, and lay at the foot of the falls.
- Mount Yonah: An uphill hike takes you to the top of Mount Yonah, where if you climb to numerous rock ledges, you’ll be overwhelmed with a breathtaking view.
- Cloudland Canyon: This is a good place to camp (at the backcountry campsites) with a lot of hiking oppurtunities. Just make sure to check there isn’t a dry period and the waterfall actually has water.
- Providence Canyon: The title, “Georgia’s little grand canyon” speaks for itself.
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