When you "Boondock"

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Jraulpilot1983

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 19, 2021
Messages
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Location
Florida USA
When you do "Boondocking" you become a "resident", part of the Landscape, part of the Land, neighborg of the Wild life. To care for and cherish......so it is there when you come back next time around. Please care for it, it will pay you back accordingly. Your thoughts??
 
Absolutely. I find a good spot and keep going back to it. Rarely see another human. Leave no trace. I wander around and check on the neighborhood critters several times a day. Feels like home.
 
Absolutely, but you need to mix travel into your stays. It is way too easy for me to become sedimentary. And impacts on the area lessen with shorter stays in general. The 14 day stay limit on BLM land is there for a reason. I haven’t tried it yet but HOWA caravans look inviting.
 
I've stayed in places for months. There is no one around, and no one to complain...

A large caravan is is much higher impact than one person who is miles from anything.
 
Unfortunately there are less and less places that are “miles from anywhere” that are not over used by the huge increased number of people living on the road. About the only deterrent has been the lack of internet, vehicle capability and high fuel prices.
 
the only deterrent has been the lack of internet, vehicle capability and high fuel prices.
Yep... I'd say fuel prices aren't as big a deterrent as the other two. ~1.5 hrs of dirt and some technical spots enroute seems to do the trick. Doesn't cost a lot of fuel to do that trip weekly.
 
I hope boondocking doesn't change the environment, allowing many to enjoy it as well. I will be on the road in June and I fear that the rise in boondockers might be impacting those favored locations.
 
You really have to live simply and be fully self contained with the ability to stay more than a few days. Many are not and it helps deter them but more and more seem to try. I got a kick this winter listening to them complain about the roads saying they wouldn’t be back due to the damage it caused to their vehicles. Owner of the place we stayed said the road helps keep the “riffraff” out. Lol!!!
 
I hope boondocking doesn't change the environment, allowing many to enjoy it as well. I will be on the road in June and I fear that the rise in boondockers might be impacting those favored locations.
It is a fact that it is already affecting everyone that there are areas that are being closed by the authorities due to lots of damage to locations by "humans" during COVID. (I've encountered locations were "permanent fences and gates" have been installed. It is a sad situation.)
 
Owner of the place we stayed said the road helps keep the “riffraff” out. Lol!!!
It's the only thing that works these days... ya gotta be able to go where RVs fear to tread! Problem is, now those RVs in the desert like to tow little offroad buggy things... which will easily go places that I can't in my home.

It's getting tougher. My favorite winter area north of Yuma turned into wilderness areas (can't camp there) and OHV trails (!@?)... seriously, you put OHV trails in the most scenic and beautiful spot around? At least I can camp there... and it isn't used that much... and I found a new quiet spot that no one seems to know about.
 
There are groups that you can join to help keep our areas open. They clean up public lands.
 
Illicit dumping is and will always be a problem. Closures aren’t necessarily related to trash. Even with a 14 day stay limit, when someone pulls out, someone else then rolls in. No one wants to address the elephant in the room. The word on the net is that if it rolls you can live in it on public lands rent free. The number one violation being the stay limit. People living in vehicles, weekenders and locals are all jockeying for a place to park.
 
This forum and HOWA caravans will hopefully educate and show people how to “boondock” responsibly. Unfortunately many come to this site seeking not to change their lifestyle and live simply which is required to “boondock” responsibly but to avoid the impossible situations they find themselves in and continue attempt to live in a way that just doesn’t work without damage to themselves and everything around them. Many don’t have the means, some don’t have the skills and a few very highly visible ones don’t have the desire to change. Hopefully we can help those that do to learn how to live cheaply without damaging the environment or themselves.
 
It has always bothered me when I hear people living/staying/visiting a place and complaining about all the "other" people showing up after them. Going all the way back to when the 2nd person showed up anywhere, I'm SURE the 1st person there complained about it. I'm not saying there aren't many good reasons to complain when people don't practice good behavior, but to complain about them BEING there seems a little unfair. We should all have the same right to be there - wherever that is.

I think we need to be more concerned with finding solutions that might actually work. We could start by better tracking visitors and actually enforcing rules. Including fines for bad behavior. If there are too many people per acre, then add more acres.

Reducing the number of people getting outdoors is not a good answer. Making the outdoors MORE available just might cure some of the problems our society has. Just a thought...
 
When you factor people living out of vehicles, weekenders and locals there’s just too many people jockeying for a place to park up for the night.

I used to be able to roll into an area and the thought of someone else being there never crossed my mind. Sadly once my favorite boondocking spots hit the radar there’s no joy camping there anymore.
 
Sadly once my favorite boondocking spots hit the radar there’s no joy camping there anymore.
That's why you need to explore. Leave the popular spots to weekenders and people who like crowds. There's plenty of public land that is very nice and isn't popular at all.
 
It has always bothered me when I hear people living/staying/visiting a place and complaining about all the "other" people showing up after them. Going all the way back to when the 2nd person showed up anywhere, I'm SURE the 1st person there complained about it. I'm not saying there aren't many good reasons to complain when people don't practice good behavior, but to complain about them BEING there seems a little unfair. We should all have the same right to be there - wherever that is.

I think we need to be more concerned with finding solutions that might actually work. We could start by better tracking visitors and actually enforcing rules. Including fines for bad behavior. If there are too many people per acre, then add more acres.

Reducing the number of people getting outdoors is not a good answer. Making the outdoors MORE available just might cure some of the problems our society has. Just a thought...
Who is going to be enforcing these fines? Neither BLM or USFS have the personal to do all that they have to do. Understaffed, overworked and underpaid. Fines? How about forfeiture of EVERY vehicle of the campsite involved. Arrest 'em and call in the wreckers.
 
re: fines...
Yes, most gov't agencies are underfunded and that makes enforcement difficult. BLM land is certainly more difficult. But, there are places and times when it can be done better than we do. My solution is to pack out more than I packed in and stop worrying about everyone else doing their share.

What is the alternative? Complaining about "those" other people will not solve any problems. But maybe getting more people outside might change their outlook for the better and turn them into "good guys" like us. :)
 
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