Of all the places and all the times....

[tigerlily]

We went on our first backpacking trip. After a day of slowing easing back into backpacking with kids, we make it into the primitive camp. Not a heck of a lot of backpacking interest in our area of the SE. We anticipate being by ourselves on the river. Drop our packs. Two canoes are just pulling into the area. Unload over 300 lbs of gear apiece. Includes *surprise* stereo and speakers! Nonstop music from 4 pm to 8 pm. I glower. Figure we'll be moving on tomorrow. Then, given our proximity, we hear lots of their chatter about pad thai and peanuts. "Let's shell the peanuts." "Just throw the shells!" "Let's offer some to the backpackers and their kids." Nooooo...

I anticipate food intruding at school, family holidays, church, but I really thought this would be one instance where the major items of the day would be non-allergy related. Focus on water, feet, and packs.

They did stay away. Now to find areas with more restricted access so I can hear the birds in the evening and morning, not rock music.

I admit  I did want to blast "What does the Fox say" endlessly. The kids would have belted out the lyrics and sounds. DH and I have built immunity. It would have driven them batty after ten minutes. 

[YouKnowWho]

OMG, I think I peed myself at your built in immunity.

It never fails to impress me anymore where allergens pop up.  I think I have become jaded.

[Macabre]

We found peanut shells the last time/ only time we went camping. And loud people with boom boxes.


Blech.

[CMdeux]

About the three mile mark is where we find that most such individuals-- even the fairly intrepid ones-- decide that it's not worth it to hump beer or stereo equipment in. 

Just sayin.

Of course, that comes with its OWN set of concerns... and you will yourself have no facilities at all, either.  {sigh}  We've opted for not doing camping, ourselves.  No way to do it safely enough, at least for us.

~veteran backcountry hike/canoe/snowshoe adventurer.

[tigerlily]

It was the river that offered them a short cut by boating in. That allowed four folks to lug in 300 lbs gear apiece. They were trashers and definitely left their mark on the site after a day. And apparently gear know-it-alls despite not having a tent for a 33 deg night--they didn't make it to their destination for the day so decided to use the primitive camp (which is six miles from the campground and park) as their pad. The leader of the group tried to tell me about all the scary things that can happen: lions and tigers and bears! oh my! There's snakes here in the SE! And your tent will just blow away!

The sharing of the allergens was their snarky comment to themselves. They said it loudly as a goodwill gesture to come and share as we sat their slowly resigned to having to share what should have been a quiet location. Not worth the effort to let them know their music was unappreciated. They knew. They were too busy getting inebriated. Having them come over with their allergens was the finishing touch.

[becca]

We found peanut shells the last time/ only time we went camping. And loud people with boom boxes.


Blech.

Peanuts seem integral to camping.  It was quite a delicate issue to get my BIL to stop bringing his HUGE bag of peanuts he would shell and snack on all day long. 

I also stopped going, altogether due to the close quarters to other campers.  It was not what I imagined, these family campgrounds with people crammed in on top of one another.  Kids love it, so dh takes them when the extended family goes once a year or so.  I enjoy a weekend to myself. 

[becca]

Tiger, sounds like times when I have been on a beach and a busy, noisy family or group plunks down right next to us when there is loads of open space!  WTH?

[krasota]

I frequently find peanut and pistachio shells at campsites (and playgrounds and the beach).

[catelyn]

I found some buried in my back yard planter boxes when I was planting my flowers.  Could only be from people feeding squirrels and them burying them for the winter. 

[CMdeux]

Someone in our neighborhood feeds the **(&^#$(^ jays cashews.  CASHEWS.

WTH??