View Full Version : Stealth camping
windels11
10-22-2013, 20:16
Looking to do a two day hike on the Ice age Trail but the place im looking to do dose not have any camping areas. Im thinking of stealth camping since I use a hammock and shouldnt Disturb the land much. Can i get your guys opinions on stealth camping or any advice? Thanks!
Looking to do a two day hike on the Ice age Trail but the place im looking to do dose not have any camping areas. Im thinking of stealth camping since I use a hammock and shouldnt Disturb the land much. Can i get your guys opinions on stealth camping or any advice? Thanks!
No. TOS will not permit it.
windels11
10-22-2013, 20:32
Thinking it over, I think ill just go to the kettlemorane section, Anyone know of any nice areas that allow camping or have shelters?
Wise Old Owl
10-22-2013, 20:34
NO TOS will not permit this discussion please use search!
Just Bill
10-22-2013, 20:42
What is the TOS problem- we very recently had a stealth camping discussion> http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?97852-Campsite-question
It's not locked. Am I missing the joke or did I miss the reprimand?
Just Bill
10-22-2013, 20:44
Kettle moraine has shelters, It's been a few years for me though- so look it up. Or use your hammock wisely at your destination of choice.
My above post was serious. If there is a problem I am unaware.
Lone Wolf
10-22-2013, 20:44
NO TOS will not permit this discussion please use search!:rolleyes: uptight much?
windels11
10-22-2013, 20:45
What is the TOS problem- we very recently had a stealth camping discussion> http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?97852-Campsite-question
It's not locked. Am I missing the joke or did I miss the reprimand?
Very confused what is a TOS?
Just Bill
10-22-2013, 20:51
Very confused what is a TOS?
The Terms Of Service- are up top under odds and ends. They are the rules for the site and certain topics fall under or have the potential to violate the rules- thus earing you the mighty hammer of moderator, or a polite warning if your offense wasn't grievous. I suspect you are the victim of playful confussion.
windels11
10-22-2013, 20:55
The Terms Of Service- are up top under odds and ends. They are the rules for the site and certain topics fall under or have the potential to violate the rules- thus earing you the mighty hammer of moderator, or a polite warning if your offense wasn't grievous. I suspect you are the victim of playful confussion.
Oh man, I didnt mean to do anything wrong.. Still a newby on here! thanks for the info!
I suspect you are the victim of playful confussion.
Very confused, what is confussion?
I'm sectioning the IAT - heading up to do some miles this weekend in fact - and I have stayed at all the shelters in KMSP South and almost all the shelters at KMSP North. Which one are you going to? There are all campgrounds that you can stay at KMSP south that the IAT goes right through too. Where were you thinking of stealth camping? Have you contacted the trail alliance at all and gotten the hiker notes? They give suggestions for stealthing in most locations. I haven't had to yet, but there are plenty of people that do. Also, most of the trail passes through farm areas at some point and many people have had success just talking to people along the route and asking to setup in their back yard/field. But let me know where you are thinking of going and I can give you my opinion at least.
For both parks if you are hammocking by yourself I would probably just go to the shelters and see if anyone is there. They are not like AT shelters where multiple groups can stay in them. Once you reserve them they are yours. If there is someone there, just hammock behind them 100 yards or so. If no one is there setup wherever. You're probably not going to want to actually sleep in the shelters anyways. Again, they are not like AT shelters. They have a 3 ft wide bench around the edges and thats it. You would be much more comfortable in a hammock.
lush242000
10-22-2013, 21:00
Hmm. You could always use the Chewbacca defense.
Sent from somewhere.
Just Bill
10-22-2013, 21:00
Confussion- A headache or painful burning of the eyes or injury most often caused by someone causing confusion. Typically on White Blaze this condition is caused on purpose for the entertainment of one member.
Used in a sentence; "Lone Wolf was once again arguing both sides of an argument while personally attacking another poster who called him out on it, leaving everyone reading the thread with a severe confussion."
windels11
10-22-2013, 21:00
I'm sectioning the IAT - heading up to do some miles this weekend in fact - and I have stayed at all the shelters in KMSP South and almost all the shelters at KMSP North. Which one are you going to? There are all campgrounds that you can stay at KMSP south that the IAT goes right through too. Where were you thinking of stealth camping? Have you contacted the trail alliance at all and gotten the hiker notes? They give suggestions for stealthing in most locations. I haven't had to yet, but there are plenty of people that do. Also, most of the trail passes through farm areas at some point and many people have had success just talking to people along the route and asking to setup in their back yard/field. But let me know where you are thinking of going and I can give you my opinion at least.
For both parks if you are hammocking by yourself I would probably just go to the shelters and see if anyone is there. They are not like AT shelters where multiple groups can stay in them. Once you reserve them they are yours. If there is someone there, just hammock behind them 100 yards or so. If no one is there setup wherever. You're probably not going to want to actually sleep in the shelters anyways. Again, they are not like AT shelters. They have a 3 ft wide bench around the edges and thats it. You would be much more comfortable in a hammock.
I have no clue where I would be going in KMSP, I was planning to do like 24ish miles back to devils lake where my family would be camping, maybe i can go talk to some of the farmers around there!
Lone Wolf
10-22-2013, 21:02
Used in a sentence; "Lone Wolf was once again arguing both sides of an argument while personally attacking another poster who called him out on it, leaving everyone reading the thread with a severe confussion."
i'm a contrarian
i'm a contrarian
Can you use that in a sentence?
Just Bill
10-22-2013, 21:07
Can you use that in a sentence?
To relieve stress Lone Wolf spends most of his day playing Contra on his original Nintendo. He has gotten so good at the game that many respectfully call him a contrarian.
i'm a contrarian
The great thing about being a contrarian is eschewing obfuscation.
Lone Wolf
10-22-2013, 21:09
To relieve stress Lone Wolf spends most of his day playing Contra on his original Nintendo. He has gotten so good at the game that many respectfully call him a contrarian.
i've never played a video game
To relieve stress Lone Wolf spends most of his day playing Contra on his original Nintendo. He has gotten so good at the game that many respectfully call him a contrarian.
Oliver North got busted supplying the contrarians during the 1980's
I have no clue where I would be going in KMSP, I was planning to do like 24ish miles back to devils lake where my family would be camping, maybe i can go talk to some of the farmers around there!
Neither KMSP is any where near Devli's lake. Unfortunately Devil's lake is almost completely surrounded by road connecting routes. But it does have some good miles of trails in it. You could start at Mirror Lake which also has some nice trails and hike back to Devil's lake. Or the only other option would be to start south of Devil's lake and hike north to it. That would be less unofficial road miles and more actual trail miles.
Confussion- A headache or painful burning of the eyes or injury most often caused by someone causing confusion. Typically on White Blaze this condition is caused on purpose for the entertainment of one member.
Used in a sentence; "Lone Wolf was once again arguing both sides of an argument while personally attacking another poster who called him out on it, leaving everyone reading the thread with a severe confussion."
I like it; I can attest to suffering from that at one time or another.
Just Bill
10-22-2013, 21:15
i've never played a video game
Yes, but as a contrarian if I say you've never played a video game, you now have to admit to playing them all the time, correct?
Lone Wolf
10-22-2013, 21:18
no. i really have never played one. i'm an outdoorsman
Just Bill
10-22-2013, 21:21
no. i really have never played one. i'm an outdoorsman
Well done. You had an excellent quote featured in the banana thread by the way.
windels11
10-22-2013, 21:22
Neither KMSP is any where near Devli's lake. Unfortunately Devil's lake is almost completely surrounded by road connecting routes. But it does have some good miles of trails in it. You could start at Mirror Lake which also has some nice trails and hike back to Devil's lake. Or the only other option would be to start south of Devil's lake and hike north to it. That would be less unofficial road miles and more actual trail miles.
I Was planning to start about 2 ish miles up from the ferry, then go up, how many days of hiking would it be from mirror lake? Do you go up and hike the IAT a lot? Ive never really hiked it anywhere then the devils lake loop, is it comparable to the AT? I wanna backpack as much as I can but i have no clue of any weekend hikes around chicago.. Any places you know of?
I Was planning to start about 2 ish miles up from the ferry, then go up, how many days of hiking would it be from mirror lake? Do you go up and hike the IAT a lot? Ive never really hiked it anywhere then the devils lake loop, is it comparable to the AT? I wanna backpack as much as I can but i have no clue of any weekend hikes around chicago.. Any places you know of?
Mirror lake is pretty close to Devils Lake. I would think you could get about 25 miles in starting from there, but its only a days hike for sure. I'm about a third of the way done with the trail. With other trips to the AT and out west I try to go up to the IAT at least once a month. This week will be my third weekend in a row so sometimes I get up there more than others. There are parts of the IAT that are AT like but the biggest problem is the trail is only about 600 miles out of 1200 that are actual trail miles. I want to say the longest continuous portion of the trail without walking on a road is only like 50 miles. Walking on Wisconsin streets isn't the most rewarding experience all the time but it does prepare you to some extent mentally and physically for any long trial. It is also cool sometimes to walk through these small towns you would normally blow through at 80 mph and never really see. The KMSP's are defiantly some good backpacking and I did both parks as backpacking trips which was fun.
There is also the North Country trail which goes through the UP of Michigan and then into the lower portion of Michigan and Ohio and further. It's a longer drive from Chicago, but it is more of a backcountry experience than most of the IAT if thats what you are after. Other than that I would think the AT (which is about a 7 hour drive to parts of it) is probably the next closest to Chicago. There is nothing closer than that that I know of that offers any really good multi-day long trail type backpacking.
hikerboy57
10-22-2013, 22:43
i've never played a video game
pong is cool
Another Kevin
10-22-2013, 23:30
TOS and stealth camping? Hmmm... Stealth camping has multiple meanings.
It can mean camping in out-and-out illegal places, in which case the discussion does violate the TOS.
It can mean camping at an "unofficial" or "unsanctioned" site - which runs the full gamut from "forbidden" through various grades of "the authorities turn a Nelsonian eye" and "not forbidden because it hasn't occurred to the authorities that anyone is doing it, and they'll forbid it just as soon as they find out," to "forbidden in the rules, but permission has been sought and granted."
Or it can mean "low impact camping, at a properly chosen and lawful, but unofficial, site" (such as in the New York state forests - NOT state parks - at elevations below 3500 feet, half a mile from trailheads, at least 150 feet from trail or a water source). Those who camp in more restrictive places are often surprised to learn that this practice is perfectly legal in many places.
Unsanctioned camping typically is done with low-impact techniques, to avoid the gaze of the authorities, however benign the gaze might be. But legitimate low-impact camping uses the same techniques. So discussion of the techniques of stealth camping, is, in my opinion, inoffensive. (The moderators may disagree: I've been surprised before by what offends.) Discussion of where to do it could be anything from conspiracy to break the law to a simple discussion of "it's lawful HERE and not THERE."
It is wise to judge a potential post by a severe standard when deciding whether it will violate ToS, because the moderators here are known to enforce avoidance of even the appearance of impropriety.
ams212001
10-23-2013, 00:52
i'm a contrarian
I'm a capricorn
Just Bill
10-23-2013, 01:05
To my fellow Chicagoans above-
The I&M Canal trail is about 60 miles around Channahon area.
Joliet is also a hub for several trails.
Most of our sad sack city is paved or crushed limestone- but if you are willing to walk on that type of surface, you can string a few hundred miles together. The I&M is my favorite of these, although there are a few trails north of Chicagoland as well.
The Grand Illinois Trail- is roughly 500 miles and covers the northern half of the state.
The American Discovery Trail runs through the south suburbs. The plank road trail in Matteson runs to Joliet, then to the I&M, the west from there.
The ADT splits in the center of the country, so you can actually walk a loop that would go northern il, Indiana, ohio, Indiana, southern Il, Iowa, and back to northern IL. Not sure how long offhand.
After that, you're driving-
Never, ever forget southern Illinois. The Shawnee is some of the prettiest in the country. The River to River Trail is 150 or 160 miles depending on who you talk to. You can take the train down to Carbondale from Chicago. I paid a local limo guy $75 bucks to run me to the eastern end the last time I went. Carbondale is only about 30 miles or so away from the western terminus. So when you get to the end just turn around and walk back to Carbondale area. About 180 mile trip total.
Wisconsin, Michigan, UP, and even some fine (but shorter)stuff in Indiana
Just Bill
10-23-2013, 01:15
And yes, lest I forget- The Chicago to DC Amtrak train leaves around 9pm from Union, and arrives at Harpers Ferry at 11AM (local time). Get on, go to bed, be on the trail for lunch.
Harpers south to Waynesboro, cab to Stauton WV to come home. 150 ish miles.
Harpers north to several towns in southern PA.
Really though- you can go as far north (relatively easily) as the Appalachian Trail Train Stop in Pawling, NY. (change over in NYC)
windels11
10-23-2013, 07:53
To my fellow Chicagoans above- The I&M Canal trail is about 60 miles around Channahon area. Joliet is also a hub for several trails. Most of our sad sack city is paved or crushed limestone- but if you are willing to walk on that type of surface, you can string a few hundred miles together. The I&M is my favorite of these, although there are a few trails north of Chicagoland as well. The Grand Illinois Trail- is roughly 500 miles and covers the northern half of the state. The American Discovery Trail runs through the south suburbs. The plank road trail in Matteson runs to Joliet, then to the I&M, the west from there. The ADT splits in the center of the country, so you can actually walk a loop that would go northern il, Indiana, ohio, Indiana, southern Il, Iowa, and back to northern IL. Not sure how long offhand. After that, you're driving- Never, ever forget southern Illinois. The Shawnee is some of the prettiest in the country. The River to River Trail is 150 or 160 miles depending on who you talk to. You can take the train down to Carbondale from Chicago. I paid a local limo guy $75 bucks to run me to the eastern end the last time I went. Carbondale is only about 30 miles or so away from the western terminus. So when you get to the end just turn around and walk back to Carbondale area. About 180 mile trip total. Wisconsin, Michigan, UP, and even some fine (but shorter)stuff in Indiana
Are you able to camp on all of the trail above ?
fredmugs
10-23-2013, 08:28
Your title is vague but your question is related to a specific trail. There is a separate forum for the Ice Age trail. Perhaps you should try posting / looking there.
windels11
10-23-2013, 10:13
Your title is vague but your question is related to a specific trail. There is a separate forum for the Ice Age trail. Perhaps you should try posting / looking there.
True, I will but I also wanted to hear people opinions on it.
lush242000
10-23-2013, 12:13
i've never played a video game
Not even pacman?
Sent from somewhere.
Leave no trace in or out, leave no trace at the spot, and usually no issue.
Lone Wolf
10-23-2013, 19:09
Not even pacman?
Sent from somewhere.
i actually tried it once in the 80s in gatlinburg on one of my hikes but that was the first and last vid game for me. skee-ball and pinball for me
It's not stealth camping if people know you are doing it.
windels11
10-23-2013, 19:58
It's not stealth camping if people know you are doing it.
Great point haha!!
No. TOS will not permit it.
NO TOS will not permit this discussion please use search!
What is the TOS problem- we very recently had a stealth camping discussion> http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?97852-Campsite-question
It's not locked. Am I missing the joke or did I miss the reprimand?
It's not stealth camping if people know you are doing it.
Once again, many here are using improper definitions. It may not be permitted to discuss illegal camping but off trail, dispersed camping (stealth) certainly is permitted.
lush242000
10-23-2013, 20:44
The first rule of stealth club is you don't talk about stealth club.
Sent from somewhere.
Once again, many here are using improper definitions. It may not be permitted to discuss illegal camping but off trail, dispersed camping (stealth) certainly is permitted.
Any camping, stealth or otherwise should be LNT. Legal stealth camping should be ultra LNT. Illegal stealth camping should be practiced privately without discussion and without getting caught.
Wise Old Owl
10-23-2013, 23:08
:rolleyes: uptight much? How about anal? :rolleyes:
Wise Old Owl
10-23-2013, 23:10
Once again, many here are using improper definitions. It may not be permitted to discuss illegal camping but off trail, dispersed camping (stealth) certainly is permitted.
Wait most of us got spanked the last time this thread came up... Just saying..
shshshshshshshshshsh... see you in the morning
Wise Old Owl
11-17-2013, 16:14
Surprised you dragged this up from the bottom.... The thread belongs down there with the shelter mice.