Need a fast alternative to a rained out camping day in Massachusetts.

June 19, 2009 5:49 PM

Need a fast alternative to a rained out camping day in Massachusetts.

So two of my old friends and I wrangled our schedules and found a rare window of time on Sunday/Sunday night and Monday to go camping in upstate Massachusetts. The odds are increasing for a full-blown washout tomorrow though. This is outdoor camping with tents, so as much I like my buddies, the prospects of sitting around in the rain is not appealing.

So we don't want to squander this time. It likely will not come around again for a while. So what sort of things can we think of for replacement?

posted by jeremias to sports, hobbies, & recreation (5 comments total)

Can you get together at one of your houses and have an indoor campout? If your tents are small enough you can set them up in the living room or just use your sleeping bags if the tents are too big. Make s'mores, pop popcorn, turn off all the lights and tell ghost stories by candlelight, sing songs, etc., etc. Have fun!
posted by amyms at 6:14 PM on June 19

I must disagree! Camping in the rain can be fun - IF- it is treated like a fort. I/we had spent days in the White Mountains amid serious rain/thunderstorms. Clear plastic tarps are your friend.
posted by R. Mutt at 8:10 PM on June 19

The prospects of sitting around in the rain is not appealing.

You don't sound like the adventurous types if you're going to let a little rain dampen a get together. What were you going to do if it wasn't raining? If it was hiking or climbing, why can't you still do that? Don't exactly know where 'upstate Massachusetts' is but there's only a 60% chance of rain tomorrow in most places. Take a chance and hit the trail. If sitting around was the activity of the day why not put up a community lean-to shelter to protect yourselves. Don't have rain coats or lean-to? Take a trip down to Cabelas in East Hartford or get a tarp at Home Depot and string it between three trees.
posted by birdwatcher at 3:36 AM on June 20

do y'all like art? is "upstate" in western MA? if so, you could spend a good part of a day at Mass MoCA

also nearby, if it's not a complete rainstorm both days and you want to do something outdoors you could do check out some whitewater rafting
posted by jammy at 6:18 AM on June 20

errr..

you could do check out, that is
posted by jammy at 6:20 AM on June 20