"Well, we just added a new page to our website.... Backpacks! As always, it starts with a story about what can be found in a backpack, and then goes on to explain a little about picking the right backpack for you. We always choose our backpacks based on the food we need to bring with us. Just kidding. Sort of. Food is important when camping or going anywhere, but comfort and packing space is also important. You should think about the kind of trip you will be taking, like how long it will be, and how much you need to pack. Then go to the store and try out some backpacks. If you're like us, you will first see something that attracts your attention, whether it's the design, the color, whether or not the Jonas Brothers are on it or Hannah Montana. Then you check the feel, the frame, and you try it on. Walk around a little to see how comfortable it is. Are the shoulder straps too tight? Can they be adjusted? Are the hip straps okay? Are you choking? Can you breathe alright? Do you feel constricted? Remember, you may be wearing this on your back for quite some time. My daughter likes compartments. LOTS of them. If you're like that too, make sure you can reach them okay. Can I get to the MP3 player? My iPod? My map? etc.... Always read the tag or the description of the backpack to find out what it is made of and what features it has. This will tell you how durable it is, whether or not it's waterproof, things like that. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask the salesperson. Backpacks will be where you put all your belongings when camping, so it is, in a way, an extension of your home. So, make sure you pick something you can live with."
"Trail signs. I used these a lot when I went camping and hiking. When I was in Girl Scouts, in my younger days..... we would walk through the paths in the woods and make trail signs for our fellow scouts to follow. Somehow, we would find the right size sticks, or rocks and make the trail signs. It was fun making them, and then we would switch teams and they would make the trail signs for us to follow. Even after scouts was over, my friends and I would go exploring through the woods in the neighborhood and pretend things we found on the ground were trail signs that someone left for us, leaving us a message. Sometimes, we would play Nancy Drew detectives and try and solve mysteries that weren't really there. I don't know how I got off that track, but making and following trail signs can be a lot of fun. We just put a trail signs page on our website that you should check out. There are pictures of different trail signs you can make yourself using rocks or sticks. I got these from my old Girl Scout book, but you can create your own, just so long as they can be figured out by your followers. You don't want to put out trail signs that will leave people standing in the middle of the path, shaking their heads, trying to figure out what the heck you meant. Or do you? Just don't leave them stranded too long."
