My tent site is tucked in the woods about 30 yards from where I park my truck. In April of 2012, when I first moved in and began setting up, I followed a game trail from the parking area down to the tent site. Soon the game trail became a well-worn path. In May, I put down some
mulch and pine needles, and over the summer I would occasionally pull weeds and sprinkle more pine needles here and there to cover muddy spots as they appeared. By October, the path was in need of some serious maintenance.
I live among pine trees, so pine needles are easy to come by. Especially in the fall when the trees start shedding.
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| Pine needles cover my "back yard" |
I have around 50 yards of paths that run from my parking area, to my tent, and then down to
my living area. The path from the tent to the living area needs less maintenance. It's not used as much as the main path, and it's on a good grade that drains well so there's not much puddling when it rains. But the main path from the parking area to the tent was in sorry shape after summer rains and general neglect.
Gathering pine needles is a bit of a chore. Even though they're plentiful, you still have to rake them up and separate out the sticks and pine cones. I just rake up a pile, then comb through it with my hands and separate out the big stuff.
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| Raking up sticks, pine cones, and pine needles |
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| Separating the needles |
It took a while but the results are worth it. I now have a nice, soft walkway. No more puddles when it rains!
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| Before |
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| After |
I'm glad to know, that your efforts paid off, David. :) To make gathering easier, harvest pine needles before they begin to break down, or before they grow too short or soft. I noticed that you know the path to your tent like the back of your hand. I guess, you never lost your way around there, huh? :)
ReplyDeleteSue Mattson
Hi Sue!
DeleteThanks for the tip! October is a good month for gathering needles. The pines trees really shed about then.
Yeah, I can pretty much find my way down the path in the dark these days. The path itself feels different then the surrounding area now, so I can sort of feel my way along.
I'm being kicked out of my tent today. The city of villa park ca. doesn't allow people to live in tents. I have been sleeping in my tent for 4 months and love it-no rent. A friend lets me hang on his property which is a half acre. Well,the city found out about it from a neighbor ,I guess.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm looking for another option. I really don't want to go back to my truck-to hot in summer.
I suppose cities and tents don't mix well. I'm in a rural area, and Virginia is a pretty "tent-friendly" state (so far!) Sorry to hear that Villa Park is that way. I hope you find a good solution.
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