Codename: Beirut

Beirut Camp:

I'm not making any statement about the Lebanese Civil War and/or the Barracks Bombings in 1983 as any statement about the current issues. It's simply a shell of a building (in Minnesota) that resembles a war ruin.  So get a history lesson on the wiki links but don't go and read anything into a name.

Up a road, down a hill, up a hill, down a trail and into a Friday night with some buddies.

Oh! And there is a puppy dog with us. That's cheerful.

You can see way we code-named it 'Beirut'

Below is my favorite tarp shelter. It's just a tarp but it's a wicked good shelter. Packs flat, cheap and has multiple uses outside of being a tent. I also enjoy using knowledge and skills to reduce my dependency on gear. The better you are at camping the less you need to carry.

The 'tent' is open. There is a flap that can get staked down to close it up entirely. Had I had a fire in front, I could be in my bag and still tend to a small fire and when it's time to sleep close up the tent.

Into night and we hang out and roast meats over the fire and snack until midnight.

A long exposure created the lines from headlamps. It's dark; this exposure is 30 seconds.

It's simple and short and it's the way the camp went. It's just something to do on a Friday night to make a weekend feel a bit longer. It's not worth more than a few hours but it's a great way to test gear, hang out with buddies and spend a quiet night in the woods.