Ultralight Backpacking Games for the Campsite
Entertainment on the Trail
Arriving at the campsite after a day of strenuous hiking can be anticlimactic. There was lots to experience on the trail and now it is time to sit. Sure, at first the sights and sounds of nature are compelling. Keeping a constant lookout for critters can be trying in the brain and the eyes.
Every backpacker knows that when you stop looking for bears, moose, deer, badgers, elk, mountain lions, etc., then they are more likely to appear. So, instead of being obsessive about it, play a game.
Backpackers might carry a deck of cards, most carry a pad of paper and pencil, and a select few sacrifice food or comfort for a traveler’s Scrabble game. All good but there are games that can be played without adding anything to the already heavy backpack. That’s right, ultralight entertainment at the campsite.
Word Games That Rely on Memory
A favorite is Rhyming the Word. One person says, “lark”. The response might be, “spark”. Followed by, “Plutarch”. See the direction this game can go. Players can choose to only allow perfect rhyme or let it get silly.
Try a brain bending game of Air Crosswords. First player gives the clue for a word. “It is not a planet anymore.” Pluto is the answer. Second player must give a clue to a word and the letter it connects to in the previous word. “Parents give it for chores done.” Allowance. Next player.
Games That Need Pieces
Scratch out a Checker Board on a bare bit of ground. Use leaves and stones as pieces. Crown stones with leaves and vice-versa. Everyone knows the rules to this one.
Washers (the spin-off of Horseshoes) can easily be played in the wilderness. Collect four relatively flat stones about two inches across. Now find a hollow stump or a hollow piece of log that can be stood on end. Step back twenty paces and mark the spot. Each player takes turns tossing the stones toward the stump. Closest to the stump gets one point, a leaner gets two, and one that stays in the hole three. Play until the first person reaches twenty-one points. Call it Stones instead of Washers.
Games That Can Result in Nakedness
Play I Spy, the strip version. Play the game by the regular rules. If the correct object isn’t discovered in the allotted number of questions then an item of clothing must be removed. This is a game that relies on honesty.
There is also the strip version of Twenty Questions.
Leave No Trace
Always remember the backpacker and hiker creed of Leave No Trace. Move a log, put it back. Shift a large rock, move it back. Scatter the stones. Rub out the picture in the dirt. And, put clothes back on before the campsite is left behind.
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