Campsite games and amusements

[DebW]

Let's pass along some ideas of interesting ways to amuse ourselves in camp at the end of the day, or ways to while away bad weather in a shelter with a bunch of other people. Here's my contribution:

This is a game called "Photon Ball" played on winter camping trips when dinner and chores are done by 6:30 (and it's been dark since 4:30) but you aren't really ready to crawl into your sleeping bag yet for that 13 hour night. Besides, it gets the blood flowing and warms you up before bedtime. To play, you need a 1 quart Nalgene bottle, approximately half full of water, inside an insulator (like an OR bottle parka or wool sock) to keep the water from freezing. You also need a keychain-type LED light (I use a Photon, hence the name of this game). Attach the light to the water bottle, turn it on, and start playing catch. This game is MUCH harder than it sounds. With the bottle twisting in the air, the light is only intermittently visible, and it's flying at your face in the pitch darkness. I should warn people that this game is potentially dangerous, as I found out in December when the bottle hit me in the face and the metal clip that held the photon light to the insulator cut a gash in my eyebrow.

[Jumpstart]

A hiker we were hiking with carried a tiny little deck of cards, so we used to play poker and use our GORP as the poker chips and I learned how to play Hearts on the trail as well. Without cards, we didn't play many games in the tent, but we played a great walking game...

Someone pickes a category, and then you start with the alphabet and work your way from A-Z, naming things in the category. Like, we did 80's bands as a category, and A was AC-DC, B was Bananrama, etc. Kept us busy for HOURS Made the miles fly by.

We also played Marco-Polo as we walked, when we knew other through-hikers were just a bit ahead or behind. For some reason we all found this intnsely amusing. Apparently it doesn't take much to thrill a thru-hiker

[Lone Wolf]

I always have a book and crossword puzzles.

[RagingHampster]

I read/memorize my maps & guidebooks.

I also bring a pocket foreign dictionary. Helps me add to my horribly botched spanish & french. Just a few sections at a time. I find that after a physically strenuous day in the woods, I retain things almost twice as good.

I also have carried mini-decks of cards before.

Heres a novel idea, put your headlamp on and explore the trail in the dark.

[chris]

I drink booze of some sort particularly in the winter time. You're never alone when you have a flask of brandy...

[TJ aka Teej]

"Photon Ball"?? Too funny! Sorry about your eyebrow..
Wiffle Ball carried a bat and ball the whole way, and guess what Soccerball carried Hacky sacks, Nerf footballs, and frisbees always seem to be around. Card games like Hearts, 45s and cribbage, and chess are good 'inside the shelter' games.
There's a two seater privy at Piazza Rock with a built in cribbage board - the sign outside says "Your Move!" :O)
When I backpack with my kids we play the Alaphabet game as we hike. It's not as easy on the trail as it is driving in the car!
"Acorn, Blaze, Chickadee.."

[brian]

U would be suprised at your own ingenuity on the trail by bringing a deck of cards. I have a collection of card games that my 2 friends and i made up one day when it was pouring rain and we were stuck on the side of little bigelow. Games such as "stop, drop, and roll" take on a new meaning when in the middle of nowhere..

[TJ aka Teej]

Santa game me one of these a few Christmases ago:
www.BlistersDiceGame.com