Articles
How I Ended the Drought
Chuck Fitzgerald C2005. All Rights Reserved.
You don't need to live in the southwestern part of the United
States very long to understand the importance of water. Much of
the area is desert and for the past 8 years or so, the rest has
been as dry as a desert. However, a year ago that changed.
Weather systems started to show up with regularity to drop
massive amounts of rain, hail and snow over California, Nevada,
Arizona and the rest of the southwest. But what brought about
this climate change? Was the change caused by those who rain
dance? Was it El Nino? La Nina? Tsunami? I don't think so. I
believe the drought of the past decade has ended because of one
reason-me.
Actually, the drought has ended due to my magical tent. That's
right I have a magical tent. The past 10 times I have been
camping with this special tent it has either rained, hailed or
snowed. Not just briefly or lightly, but heavily. It started in
February of 2004, then again in May, June, August, September and
November. In 2005 it picked right up again in January, February
and also in May. Over the past year and a half, I've had the
opportunity to hear many people say something like, "this is the
heaviest rain I've ever seen!" Or, I've heard them say, "it
never rains this time of year!"
Tent camping in wet weather is not for the faint-hearted, but for
those who are prepared, the experience can be very uplifting.
For instance, it's tough to have a cozy fire when everything is
soaked unless you've taken the time and energy to get ready for
it. We have a portable fire ring which runs on propane and we
use it under our nylon canopy. If we do want a campfire when
it's raining or snowing, a road flare is an excellent way to get
it going. Our camp is never placed in a wash or on the side of a
hill. Even though we've received nearly 6 inches of rain in camp
during a two day period, we've never been washed away. Here are
two great benefits of camping during inclement weather-you won't
have insect problems and it won't be very crowded. For many
campers, that's as good as it gets.
The next time you hear something about the drought in the
southwest or the next time you hear of flash floods in Arizona,
you can rest assured that we are camping in our magical tent and
someone is saying, "hey, I think it's starting to let up," right
when the bottom falls out. Use this information and you'll Get
It Right The First Time. Get Outdoors!
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Chuck Fitzgerald is the owner of Arizona based BackCountry Toys,
an online specialty store with the "Best Gear Out There" and
dedicated to helping outdoor enthusiasts to "Get It Right The
First Time" with timely educational information. Please visit
http://www.BackCountryToys.com to find great gear and to receive
the Fact & Tips e-newsletter, "FreshAir." (800) 316-9055.
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