Camping With Kids

Food should never be eaten or stored in tents, where it will attract wild visitors. It is important to stress this to kids who love to stash things away, munch, and produce enormous quantities of crumbs.

There's a fine line between laying down the law and scaring kids. One father told me about a well-meaning ranger who dropped by to warn about a hungry bear.

"It turned out that the bear hadn't been around in months," hesaid,"but it was one of those things that rangers tell people. We wouldn't have left food out anyway, but the kids were up all night looking for the bear."

When you're car camping, keep food in the trunk—along with anything else you don't want your kids into. In the backcountry, food must be suspended from trees. Teach your kids these safeguarding techniques; reassure them that all will be well. With young, easily frightened children, don't mention bears, just raccoons, squirrels, and mice.