Valens July 6 - July 12 2024

I've been camping on and off for 30 years. Starting around 2009, my camping outings became regular - as I invested in a Coleman 10 person tent - and wanted to be able to get away and just enjoy the outdoors in a simplified manner.

One of the campsites that came to my attention, and is located not too far away from where I leave, is the Valens Conservation Area - located on Country Road 97 between Hwy 6 and Galt, ON. The conservation area has a reservoir that people can swim in, fish, and canoe. With cold enough temperatures, ice fishing is to be had. The area has about 10km worth of trails, with boardwalks going through the more marshy areas, located on the north side of the reservoir.

The campground section has pull-through sites (for trailers and motorhomes) as well as more wooded sites for cars and tents. There are sites with services (water and power) and unserviced sites. There are also group sites for larger groups of campers, open green areas for evens and kids to run through, a camp store for wood, ice, basic supplies, and there is a large day area for outdoor activities, bbqing, simply lounging around.

The Valens Conservation Area - without doubt, is the campsite I know best, and since two years ago, I have purchased the membership card which allows me access to the area 365 days in a year as well as gra.nt discounts when camping.

2024 was a year that had me camp and experiment with my amateur radio equipment. After doing the solar eclipse setup, and gaining insight into operating QRP with me previous experiments, I felt it was time to finally get outdoors and using the amateur radio mode, FT8. Now this particular post will concentrate on the camping setup, whereas, another post will talk about operating FT8 from campsite locations.

So in early July of 2024, like many previous outings - I decided to camp for a week stretch. When I do these week long camping stretches, the setup, was well as the compliment of gear that I take is considerable. This large complement of gear is justified through a combination of my SUV permits to take extra equipment, the stretch of time spent camping necessitates a more comprehensive setup, I re-familiarize, test, and repair various bushcraft tools and implements, and having backup equipment with me on such week long stretches adds to the equipment list.

In this first outing in 2024, I had switched away from my old Coleman 10 person tent (it was 15 years old and it was showing its age in wear and tear), and I purchased another Coleman that was darker blue in colour and did a great job in keeping things dark for sleep. I decided to bring along my Eureka Northern Breeze 12' tent. The setup used had me essentially tuck the entrance of the Coleman under one tent opening of the Eureka tent, and have the opposite entrance of the Eurake act as the main entrance to the entire assembly. Essentially, the Eureka acted as a large foyer to the Coleman tent. The Coleman had a tarp ground sheet, and both the Coleman and the Eureka were covered by a large blue tarp with overhang that insured the setup stayed dry under heavy rain conditions.

Two tents arranged. The blue Coleman entrance is under one of the Eureka entrances.

The same two tents now under a massive blue tarp.

The interior space was set up such that the Eureka held larger bulk items - the camp pull wagon, firewood, spare equipment such as a backup tent, spare tarps, heavier tools, and the carry sacs of deployed pieces. The Coleman was the area where I slept, kept most of my hand tools, small operating table for my computer and radio equipment, clothes, batteries, charging equipment.

The "living" tent, as I liked to call it was well furnished, complete with rugs (Mexican syle flat rugs), shelving for clothes, two tables, and LED lighting making use of my collection of Makita power tools.

When I do a setup like this, and I'm in a location like Valens - I don't even bother with getting food and using coolers. I use my coolers as storage. When I get to my site (like Valens) everything is setup, then I do a supply run into Galt (only 15 minutes) and I get my basic supplies as well as wood for the fire. I also do not purchase food for the whole week, but purchase breakfast items and snacks to start my day. Part of the ebb and flow of my camping is to enjoy the campsite, but not be stuck being on the campgrounds the entire week. I tend to use my campsite like a hotel as well - the campsite is a home base to also explore the area. I think I'll do a separate post explaining the philosophy that I settled on when camping at campsites where you can bring your vehicle to your site, and that supplies are readily available.

This week stretch represented both my first camping session for 2024, and the first extended period of relaxation. There was something else that this particular trip was a first for me. It was the first time that I FINALLY got FT8 working, and successfully making contacts. A separate post on that as well!

73,

Joe de VA3AZS/VA3POR