Pitching a Tent at Campgrounds on the Continent

It was twilight beside the Gudenaa River in Jutland, Denmark’s northernmost province that juts up toward Norway and Sweden.

We were sharing the campsite with a young Danish couple who were also paddling a canoe on the gentle Gudenaa through the flowering countryside that has not changed greatly since Hans Christian Andersen wandered its byways.

The young Danes had invited us to join them for dinner. They had already served us a glass of white wine with the fish appetizer, and now we had a glass of red with the beef broiled over the open fire.

That evening of nine summers ago continues to add a glow to our memories of paddling the Gudenaa, and to underscore again the fact that camping out anywhere in the world can be so much more than the concepts often associated with this kind of travel.

After dinner that evening beside the river, my wife Elfriede and I and our new Danish friends talked together around the campfire under a canopy of stars. What we couldn’t communicate in English we tried in French and German. It was a setting that pushed aside barriers for sharing many thoughts from our different cultures and perspectives.

Our Australian friend Paddy Pallin writes that for all who have camped out “under the nightly pageant of stars” there are precious memories born “round the magic circle of the fire” where “people can lower the mask of everyday life and be a little nearer to their true selves.”

These words come from the newly published 11th edition of his book on “Bushwalking and Camping” in Australia, and they express the quintessence of the camping experience everywhere in the traveler’s world.

Author Now World Famous

Since the first edition of his book was published more than 50 years ago, Paddy Pallin has become world-famous.

Elfriede and I have found his poetic words and practical advice to be a guide to the outdoor life whether we’re hiking in the foothills of the Himalayas, canoeing the rivers and canals of Europe or driving the back roads of America with a tent and sleeping bags in the trunk of our car.

Camping around the world can accommodate every age, life style and political persuasion. Shortly before the military takeover in Poland we were driving through the country with our inflatable canoe, tent and sleeping bags in the back of the car.

An off-duty police officer came up to us in a park outside Warsaw and managed to communicate what was on his mind: Because I was an American I must know how to play tennis, and so could we have a game? We did. Five sets.

In the summer of 1986, concerns about terrorism, crime and political instability obviously must be considered in planning a camping trip even more than any other kind of travel.

Remote From Urban Problems

Campers are more exposed and isolated than most other travelers. Conversely, they are also more likely to be remote from urban problem areas. Make plans with the same research and considerations that have to be part of all travel preparations in today’s world.

Indications are that hiking, biking, canoeing and camping travel in Europe this summer will be focused mainly on Central and Northern European countries, as will travel in general. Along the southern perimeter of that continent, active travelers also will be enjoying the French Riviera countryside and mountains, Yugoslavia and Hungary.

We started our European tenting in the Gatinais, Loiret and Nivernais between Paris and Nevers, where you have a feeling of being on the top of France. We carried with us then the lightweight French tent that we still prefer. It’s called Le Praire, and we soon learned to put it up in an average time of six minutes. We camped out about half the time, spending every other evening or so in a country inn. And even when we were tenting we would often walk into a nearby village to dine and sip the wine of the region.

As you may begin to suspect, we’ve always liked to pamper ourselves on a camping trip. In the little inflated dinghy behind our canoe we carry emergency rations of water, bread, chocolate, wine and cheese.

Electrified trains add graciousness and ease to hiking and camping around Switzerland, from Lugano and Lucarno in the south to the Rhine Falls in the north. Get a Holiday Card through your travel agent before leaving home and you can travel for 4, 8, 15 days or a month at greatly reduced fares. Between campsites you can dine in air-conditioned dining cars while the Alpine scenery flows past your window.

In Shakespeare Territory

In England we can recommend hiking and camping along the River Avon outside Shakespeare’s town of Stratford, along the Thames between Oxford and Windsor Castle, and on the trail of Sherlock Holmes across Dartmoor Heath, just as an introduction to footloose travel around the British Isles.

In Ireland we’ve slept in sleeping bags under the moonbeams around the fairyland hills and silvered lakes of Killarney in County Kerry. Next autumn we’ll hike in Scotland with Robert Burns around Loch Lomond.

Scandinavia has some of the most complete networks of hiking and camping trails in all of Europe. The tradition of Everyman’s Right allows you to hike, bicycle, boat or pitch a tent anywhere as long as you do not intrude on the privacy of residents or into a nature reserve protected by official posting.

Finland, for example, also has a gridwork of marked paths, ranging up to 10 kilometers long, and guided tours for inexperienced hikers and campers. Finnish Travel Assn. offices and many volunteer service organizations throughout the country promote camping and hiking and will help you map out trails to suit your fancy.

On the other side of the Arctic Circle, in Japan on the northern island of Hokkaido, we found a similar enthusiasm last summer for hiking, camping and the outdoor life. The slopes near Sapporo, where the 1972 Winter Olympics were staged, become trails for summer wandering, as do the shores of Lake Akan and Lake Toya.

We met a Japanese student on Hokkaido who had one of the early editions of Paddy Pallin’s book. You can get your own copy at any Paddy Pallin Shop in Australia for U.S.$3.50, or for $5 postpaid by writing to Paddy Pallin Pty. Ltd., P.O. Box 175, Redfern, N.S.W., Australia 2016.

An Island Adventure

Heading into the United States, Sea Trek on Oahu offers 4- to 16-day camping and hiking trips around the neighboring islands of Hawaii. Write ahead for information and itineraries to P.O. Box 1585, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744.

One of the great Hawaiian adventures is to experience the Haleakala Crater on Maui by hiking or horseback riding and camping at the three cabins within the crater. The National Park Service maintains 30 miles of marked trails across an awesome scene that’s been compared to craters of the moon. For information and reservations, write to Superintendent, Haleakala National Park, Box 537, Makawao, Maui, Hawaii 96768.

Throughout the continental United States, national and state parks are anticipating record crowds of family hikers and campers this summer because of reduced travel to troubled foreign destinations. The California Department of Parks and Recreation has just published the 1986 schedule listing hundreds of guided nature hikes, celebrations of historic periods and recreation programs in every state park. For a copy write to the department at 1416 9th St., Sacramento, Calif. 95814.

Reservations have poured in early for Yosemite National Park’s High Sierra camps, which try to open around July 1 or as soon as the winter snows have cleared from the trails. As of early March some reservations were still available, and there can always be cancellations. Phone (209) 252-3013.

These camps are old in the history of California mountaineering. The first opened in 1916, and now there are six. Guest tents have comfortable bunks, near showers and restroom facilities. Meals served in the canvas-topped dining areas are excellent, and you can backpack from camp to camp only with clothing, cameras and personal essentials. You can also choose to stay at one camp and make day trips from there. Rates for this summer for bed, breakfast and dinner are $53 per person.

When we climbed to Vogelsang Camp below 11,516-foot Vogelsang Peak a few summers ago with a group of friends, all of us carried our own backpacks in the spirit of John Muir. But also in the spirit of the life style he enjoyed, we had a mule train bring up a supply of vintage dinner wines for the week.