Get into the woods for some fall camping

By Craig Shapiro

Ten years ago this month, Phyllis Neumann made one of her first outings with the Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club.

She and her friends went hiking in Dolly Sods, the wilderness area that covers some 17,000 acres of eastern West Virginia. The Alleghenies wore shades of red and gold. The mountain air was so crisp and clean, she could practically taste it.

Her frozen socks made an impression, too.

The temperature was around 80 when Neumann and her companions left Hampton Roads. They figured it would dip to the 40s, but the first night out, it fell into the 20s - maybe the teens. Whatever, it was cold.

"I knew to bring layers," she said. "I put on every piece of clothing I had. I hung up my socks in the tent - those heavy wool socks that keep your feet dry but take forever to dry out. I didn't sleep at all. The next morning, my socks were frozen solid. The frost got everything."

Neumann, a veterinarian from New Kent County, had cold, wet feet the rest of the trip, but her enthusiasm for fall camping wasn't dampened. Today, she's president of the trail club.

"One of my favorite times is after the leaves drop," she said. "You get the best views into the valleys. You see the mist and the fog in the forest rising. The crispness and cleanness are so renewing. There's something about fall going into wintertime - there's just kind of a raw edge. It's exhilarating."

Falling temperatures, turning colors and -this is big - no mosquitoes bring campers of all stripes to the area's beaches and state parks. Some go primitive - hiking in, pitching a tent, shunning electricity and running water. Others drive their RVs to established campsites where amenities await.

"How do you just jump in there and go?" asked Mike McDermott, assistant manager at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports in Virginia Beach. "You don't. Go with somebody who knows. The best thing you can take into the woods is knowledge."

McDermott recommended taking "baby steps", a day hike as a run-up to camping overnight, overnighting in familiar places and going when the weather is optimal - early in the fall or summer. He also has a short list of do's and don'ts.

-Camp off-trail, at least 100 yards from water sources. "If there's some yahoo camping on the trail, you lose that whole mystique of being out there alone."

-Leave no trace. "Whatever you pack in, pack it out. Don't bury it or burn it in the campfire."

-Car camping? "Follow the designated quiet hours and maintain your camping spot."

For Neumann, the ideal trip is a hike into the backcountry, some spot on the map near a reasonably maintained trail. "When I go hiking and stay over, I like to immerse myself in that wilderness experience and get away from everything I have to deal with every day." She might get suggestions from friends, cue up a website or thumb through an atlas. She credits her father, an avid hiker, for her love of the outdoors. Growing up in New York - "far enough from the city to do day trips" - she joined a local hiking club that went out weekends.

That kind of enthusiasm is missing today, she said.

"It's very sad. I read recently how we're losing a generation of outdoorspeople. Kids are being raised that entertainment is TV or a video game. When I was a kid, I went outside and played. I didn't do that other stuff. Our club kind of helps. If it's done right, camping can be a lot of fun."

10 PLACES TO GO

So this fall-camping thing sounds pretty good? Here are 10 starting points – from the shore to the mountains, each ideal for a weekend foray – suggested by Phyllis Neumann, president of the Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club, and Mike McDermott, assistant manager at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports in Virginia Beach.

1. False Cape State Park
Enter at Little Island City Park, Sandpiper Road, Virginia Beach
www.dcr.virginia.gov
A favorite with campers for its remote, unspoiled beauty, the park has 12 sites for primitive camping – tents only. Drinking water is available, as are pit toilets. Open fires are verboten; camp stoves may be used for cooking. And forget the car or SUV – you get in by hiking.

2. First Landing State Park
2500 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach
www.first-landing-state-park.org
The 2,888-acre park has more than 200 campsites varying in size and in proximity to one another, the beach and Shore Drive. It also has 20 cabins. Primitive sites do not have water or electricity. Bathhouse and bathroom facilities are scattered throughout.

3. Sandy Bottom Nature Park
Hampton Roads Center Parkway and Big Bethel Road, Hampton
www.hampton.gov/sandybottom
A 456-acre environmental education and wildlife management facility, it has individual sites (two four-person tents), group sites (10 four-person tents) and “yurts” – tent cabins on wooden platforms. No electricity, running water or adjacent parking, but there are pits and grills.

4. Newport News Park
13564 Jefferson Ave., Newport News
www.nnparks.com
At 8,000 acres, it’s one of the country’s largest municipal parks – and home to deer, foxes, otters and beavers. Its 188 campsites have electrical and water hookups, heated showers, flush toilets, paved roadways and parking pads, grills and laundry facilities.

5. Chippokes Plantation
Va. 634, Surry County
www.dcr.virginia.gov
Roughly 90 minutes from Hampton Roads, the 1,683-acre plantation is one of the oldest working farms in the country. Its two campgrounds accommodate RVs and pop-ups as well as tents. Electricity/water hookups are not available at some tent sites. There is a bathhouse with showers.

6. Merchants Millpond State Park
176 Millpond Road, Gatesville, N.C.
www.ncparks.gov
The park is a rare ecological hybrid – coastal pond and Southern swamp forest. Fifteen primitive campsites are accessible by canoe and on foot, and have pit toilets. Amenities at walk-in and drive-to sites include showers and restrooms. No electricity hookups.

7. Cape Hatteras National Seashore
U.S. 64 and N.C. 12, Nags Head, N.C.
www.nps.gov
Three campgrounds have closed for the year, but Ocracoke is open until Oct. 25. The soil is sandy, so if you have a tent, bring long stakes. There’s room for trailers and RVs. No utility connections, but there are restrooms, potable water, unheated showers and grills.

8. Assateague Island National Seashore
Va. 175, two miles from Chincoteague
www.nps.gov
The Oceanside and Bayside campgrounds have drive-in sites for all campers, while Oceanside has walk-in sites for tents only. No hookups. Facilities include chemical toilets, cold-water showers and drinking water. Out-of-state firewood is not allowed. Be prepared: It gets windy.

9. Shenandoah National Park
I-64 West to Exit 99, then follow the signs
www.nps.gov
Where to start? After all, the park is spread out over some 196,000 acres. Dial up the website. It has the skinny on its four campgrounds – all of them are still open – and tips for campers heading into the backcountry and wilderness on foot. You can RSVP and find out about hiking conditions, too.

10. George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
www.forestcamping.com
Two more behemoths – the G.W. even spreads into West Virginia. Again, the website is the starting point. You can find info about the campgrounds, gawk at pictures, peruse the bookstore and learn about the campground hosts who are on hand to assist visitors.

Craig Shapiro, shapiro1@cox.net