I grew up tent camping in the high mountain regions of New Mexico. Even in the summer, one could expect temperatures to remain below 80 degrees during the day, and would drop down to 50 degrees at night. It was relatively dry with some dew in the morning, and there was a distinct lack of insects.
Then I moved to the east coast, and now live in Northern Virginia. I just returned from a camping trip in the Shenandoah mountains and the experience was not entirely what I hoped. Even at this time of year, insects dominated the forest. Spiders were everywhere and even after just two nights, the underside of my rainfly was practically it's own ecosystem.
Is there anywhere within a reasonable trip (by reasonable, I mean someplace I can get to by car in one day) that I can camp once again among pine trees and not find myself among so many bugs I'm reminded of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom? Is the east coast as a whole just too humid for the kind of camping I'm used to?
Am I out of luck?
Then I moved to the east coast, and now live in Northern Virginia. I just returned from a camping trip in the Shenandoah mountains and the experience was not entirely what I hoped. Even at this time of year, insects dominated the forest. Spiders were everywhere and even after just two nights, the underside of my rainfly was practically it's own ecosystem.
Is there anywhere within a reasonable trip (by reasonable, I mean someplace I can get to by car in one day) that I can camp once again among pine trees and not find myself among so many bugs I'm reminded of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom? Is the east coast as a whole just too humid for the kind of camping I'm used to?
Am I out of luck?
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