Campsite set up and feng shui

[Guest]

I do not really believe in all that mystical crap, but feng shui does mean Wind & Water, and being in harmony with your surroundings.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_shui

Some of that harmony may be the natural inclination to orient the tarp for rain drainage, the tent for sun or shade in morning or evening, depending on the season, or simply finding a place with sufficient bug breeze or wind shelter as the weather case may be.

I know nothing about the various feng shui schools of thought in cardinal direction orientation, and would not know my Flying Star from my Eight Mansions without a cheat sheet.

But some campsites have had a special harmony. Not that I believe in any of that mystical crap, but I could use a new compass:

https://www.ebay.com/p/chinese-feng...wooden-box/1233278378?iid=122653256770&chn=ps

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

F - Fairly level tent pad
E - Eagles soaring nearby
N - Not too far from good fishing
G - Good breeze

S - Somewhat remote
H - High and dry
U - Under a shade tree
I - In true wilderness

 

[southcove]

F - Fairly level tent pad
E - Eagles soaring nearby
N - Nor too far from good fishing
G - Good breeze

S - Somewhat remote
H - High and dry
U - Under a shade tree
I - In true wilderness

Very NICE!

 

[Odyssey]

Ha ha. It might as well all be left up to feng shui as any other pseudo-spiritual mind games when selecting a site. I am one of those types who needs to "get the right feel of a place".
But firstly when planning a trip itinerary I look at the site aspect, which way it faces determines whether we'll enjoy a sunset or sunrise provided we haven't drawn the wrath of any storm clouds. Exposed points gives us both rising and setting sun as well as breezy escapes from buggy adventures. That's the main reason I sometimes like islands, having the luxury of spending time at various compass points and locales, following the sun on days off from dawn to dusk, though we prefer a cheery sunrise breaking into camp to the splendour of a sombre sunset.
Secondly I'll look for about 50/50 tree canopy cover of the site itself. The cover is great for protecting the tent from searing sun and nasty winds while an open forest glade provides natural light for camp chores as well as helping to dispel any gloominess. We've stayed on sites that were so open and exposed it felt like a Walmart parking lot; others have been so shrouded in darkness by 100% forest cover we felt depressed having to use headlamps during the day. Half and half more or less is a nice balance of shade and glade. And that peek of open skies through the green forest cloak is vital for nighttime star gazing. Who doesn't need a midnight soak under the stars drinking deep a cool draught of the Milky Way? That's my favourite "nightcap", letting the fire burn down while the heavens open up, trying to slow down my skittish human world to match pace with an older more patient one.
Thirdly having a pleasant shoreline of gently sloping rocks for ease of canoe entry, water collection, and swimming/bathing is a boon to happy time spent in camp. A deep drop off from bouldery shores makes for fun plunges into the cool lake while a granite slab beach is ideal for more practical activities like scooping up water for the next pot of coffee while standing on billion year old bones of Mother Earth looking at her splendour. A beachfront site is an occasional trip bonus we enjoy whenever possible. Wading through the sandy shallows can be a treat under sunny skies, spending time eliminating that farmer's tan line (ha!), and going for the total immersion experience of being 50 feet from shore in only inches of water with a soft sandy wading pool bottom is both weird and wonderful.
Last but not least comes "the feel of the place", where we'll step out of the canoe and walk around our prospective home trying to pick up on any vibes of friendliness or hostility. Yes we're freaky and flakey, but that's just the way it is. There have been perfectly adequate campsites that quite frankly gave us the creeps. I have no explanation for it except our overactive imagination. Other less than ideal sites have turned out to be fun and very enjoyable, tho' lacking in firewood, sizeable tent pad space and kitchen room, they made up for all that with positive vibes. Or maybe we just brought that with us, I don't know. There have been sites I wanted to love, but minor mental irritations with a too rooty tent pad, a bizarre and abused firepit and an aimless path through skanky manky woods to a derelict thunderbox left us feeling unwelcome and harassed. We'd pull up stakes and move on. I'd rather bivouac in a portage clearing than hunker down in a Hansel and Gretel story.
If at all possible I'll consider choices a, b and c, just in case the first doesn't meet our hopeful expectations. I may or may not remember to jot down notes in the margin of our printed topo maps, which campsites are second and third choices for whatever reasons. There have been times we've pulled up to our 1st choice with high expectations only to feel let down. Opting to paddle on happens. Scanning sites as we approach our first choice also helps to keep our options open. We have doubled back to a more preferable site even if it meant adding a couple kilometres to the trip. There never is any serious time constraint. It is all about the trip and destination, day by day. One paddle stroke at a time, one campfire at a time. Canoe trips are not an achievement to me but an experience.

 

[Guest]

Exposed points gives us both rising and setting sun as well as breezy escapes from buggy adventures.

Secondly I'll look for about 50/50 tree canopy cover of the site itself. The cover is great for protecting the tent from searing sun and nasty winds while an open forest glade provides natural light for camp chores as well as helping to dispel any gloominess. We've stayed on sites that were so open and exposed it felt like a Walmart parking lot; others have been so shrouded in darkness by 100% forest cover we felt depressed having to use headlamps during the day. Half and half more or less is a nice balance of shade and glade.

Thirdly having a pleasant shoreline of gently sloping rocks for ease of canoe entry, water collection, and swimming/bathing is a boon to happy time spent in camp. A deep drop off from bouldery shores makes for fun plunges into the cool lake while a granite slab beach is ideal for more practical activities like scooping up water for the next pot of coffee

One of our family tripping activities is rating campsites, not just the ones on which we end up camping but every campsite found unoccupied along the way. On base camp lake trips we will spend the day (or days) paddling around to investigate every vacant site.

We have a family scoring mechanism based on 7 criteria, each criteria worth 1, 2 or 3 points:

Max Tent Capacity: 1 point for 1 tent, 2 for 2, 3 for 3 or more (we need at least a 3 on family trips)
Landing Ease: 1 point for poor/difficult landing, 2 for OK landing, 3 for easy landing zone. With the added caveat that we need room to pull up four canoes.
Camp Views/Water Proximity: 1 for a long way off/poor views, 2 for OK, 3 for great views/proximity
Bugginess: 1 for bug city, two for tolerable, 3 for more or less bug free
Swimming Potential: 1 for poor swimming, 2 for OK, 3 for great swimmability
Site Wanderability: 1 for no wandering opportunity, 2 for OK, 3 for lots of trails or open forest.
Sun & Shade: Only a 1 or 2 point choice; 1 for all sun or all shade, 2 for a mix. The Missus has to have sun, I have to have shade

With some easy math the maximum possible score adds up to 100; 6 x 3 + 2 = 20, times a point value of 5. On individual lakes we have found sites ranging from a 35% to a 95%. Still looking for the elusive 100%er

Part of the fun is comparing and discussing our site ratings at each site we investigate, and we are almost always within 5% of each others scores. That 5% variance does at times engender some spirited discussion before the final numbers are tallied.

Yeah, I save those ratings on a spreadsheet (with macros to do the math in the total score column, and a column for Notes & Comments) for each locale, and revise for changes if we revisit years later.

On solo trips I can extrapolate the score when I have only one tent, or off season visits when I will not be swimming and bugs are less of an issue. A single tent site that lost summer points for bugs and poor swimming may be a winner on a solo fall trip.

Last but not least comes "the feel of the place", where we'll step out of the canoe and walk around our prospective home trying to pick up on any vibes
There have been sites I wanted to love, but minor mental irritations with a too rooty tent pad, a bizarre and abused firepit and an aimless path through skanky manky woods to a derelict thunderbox left us feeling unwelcome and harassed.

Same here, although it is rare for a site in the 90 percentile range to feel unwelcoming. We will pick up trash and clean up abused fire pits, but other things are beyond our control. Loud neighbors around the point, or worse, across the voice-carries lake, will kill my vibe after just a few minutes.

Worst site ever was on Allegheny Reservoir one summer when the boys were little. Not a bad site, but just across the way was a large group of local teenagers with boom box and bottle rockets, celebrating the end of the school year.

We got out for 30 seconds and just moved along, rather further than we had intended for that days paddle, and the next site we found as a solid 90 percenter, with no one else around. Good things come to those who paddle on another 5 miles.

I have since enjoyed a few off-season trips to that very site we fled, and it is actually a very pleasant place. Except for one fall trip, when we returned to camp after a day paddle on the lake to find a pontoon boat full of visiting Russians picnicking on my site, and cooking on the table next to my tent.

But that is another story.