OutdoorsVT: Get the family outside
Backyard campout, library passes provide access to great outdoors
Toolbox
By Darren Marcy - Published: June 26, 2009
Getting outdoors is easy these days and the ideas and opportunities are more abundant with each passing weekend it seems.
Parents, I hope you'll take advantage of the opportunities because for the next month I'm going to have to live vicariously through you.
My wife and daughters will spend July in Italy seeing the grandparents and I'm going to be one sad and lonely camper at Casa de Marcy.
No doubt there will be one or two quiet nights to be relished in the beginning. But it won't take long before I'll look at a fun family event on the calendar and wish I had my family with me.
Don't feel too sorry for me. I expect to do some fishing, camping and hiking of my own. I hope you'll pick up the slack for me in the outdoor family fun department.
E-mail me your adventures so I can share in the memory-making opportunities.
In case you need a couple of ideas or a push, here are two bits of news.
I touched on the Great American Backyard Campout a few weeks back, but not in too much detail.
The second is a Vermont State Parks program that has managed to escape mention so far but there's plenty of summer left to take advantage of the program.
June is about all used up. President Barack Obama declared June as National Outdoor Month and this is about the last chance to celebrate it by stepping outside.
Backyard Campout
The National Wildlife Federation's Great American Backyard Campout is Saturday.
There a few rules associated with the campout with some people planning to pitch a tent in the backyard while others will actually venture to a local campground for their night in the "wilds."
To get your campout launched, jump on the Internet and trek on over to www.backyardcampout.org.
There are more ideas there than mosquitoes in a tent when you leave the zipper open.
The Great American Backyard Campout is aimed at helping everyone step outside, leaving their busy lives indoors for a while to reconnect — not only with the great outdoors, but with each other as well.
It's a chance to break the routine and do things in which we don't always find ourselves involved.
Pitch a big tent in the backyard and take the whole family out there. Toss some sleeping bags in, or just a pile of blankets.
Build a fire in the backyard — if it's legal where you live — or fire up the grill and burn some hotdogs, roast marshmallows, make S'mores.
Take some books and take turns reading stories — scary stories are great if your kids are older, or fairy tales if they're not.
Trust me, a scary story will turn a fun night in a tent into an hour or two of promising them those are just birds chirping and that moth won't eat them if they fall asleep.
But the sleeping comes later.
Start with some star-gazing. You might get lucky and catching a couple of falling stars or older kids might be able to pick out a satellite making its slow progression across the night sky.
Sit around the campfire — or barbecue grill — telling stories and talking.
Listen to your kids. Stop and really listen to your kids. We get in too much of a hurry these days and "that's nice dear," as we're scurrying about the house too often qualifies as conversation.
Make up a story where each person takes a turn creating the next detail and see where it goes.
If you decide to hit a campground or someplace for your campout, you have more options for recreation.
If you need more ideas and suggestions for outdoor recreation, the National Wildlife Federation has introduced a new tool to help.
Log on to www.nwf.org/naturefind where you can enter your location and interests and the site will help you find a great spot.
If you can join the Great American Backyard Campout, log on to www.backyardcampout.org and register your information. You can find information about others holding campouts and find lists and other information to make your event a success.
Check Out the Parks
Did you catch the story about the family up north that wanted to earn free Vermont State Parks passes by participating in the Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge 2009?
By participating in a variety of activities in State Parks a person can earn points. Once 250 points have been accumulated, you earn a State Parks pass for the rest of this year and next year.
One family participated in enough activities in one crazy weekend to earn their 250 points and their free passes.
But how they did it is nearly as interesting.
They went to their local library and checked out a pass as part of the "Check Out the Parks" program and used that pass, which is good for a vehicle and everybody in it to gain access to the parks for their adventure.
The Check Out the Parks pass program is new this year.
Each of the states' 182 libraries were given a pass to make available to their patrons.
Each pass is good for admission for up to eight people traveling in one vehicle from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
The library determines how long the pass may be checked out for and some libraries have chosen to purchase additional passes.
This is an incredible opportunity for families on a limited budget who want to get out and enjoy Vermont State Parks.
Gov. James Douglas praised both libraries and the state parks and said they are a natural fit.
"Libraries unlock the greater world through books, magazines, newspapers, audio-visual resources, the Internet and now the great outdoors and the many adventures of our park system," Douglas said in a news release. "With this new partnership we're expanding our No Child Left Inside initiatives and more Vermonters will be able to explore all we have to offer inside and outside."
State Librarian Martha Reid said libraries have to keep up with the times and granting access to the outdoors is important.
"We've answered the call of the video and digital age — and now, more than ever, it's important for families to have access to learning opportunities and healthy activities in the outdoors," Reid said in the news release. "We've stayed meaningful to Vermonters by expanding our services and offerings. We want people to learn and explore, so 'Check Out the Parks' is exciting to our mission."
So call your local library and see if a pass is available, then plan a day in the outdoors.
Don't forget to take photos of your fun. You might just be earning your own free pass before the summer is over.
For more information, log on to www.vtstateparks.com.
Darren Marcy is a local outdoor enthusiast. His Web site is www.DarrenMarcy.com. E-mail him at darren@darrenmarcy.com.