Holiday Camping: Take Advantage and Get Outside

Holiday camping is always a good idea. And Sequoia National Park camping over Thanksgiving break, it turns out, is an amazing choice. Ty Beck and Camille Ives from Cramped Up take us through their recent trip report and make a pretty compelling argument for taking advantage of what precious time off you can get:

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s one of the select occasions that the “demigods” (our bosses) grace us with time off that isn’t deducted from anything, be it Paid-Time-Off allowance or our actual pay checks.

A ton of people go home, yet more, are already home. And then there are the “orphans,” the wash-ashores, the relegated transplants of Friends-Givings, Christmas Cabins, or whatever other ways we dream up to involve ourselves in these very family-centric holidays.

Don’t get us wrong, the time-honored traditions are all well and good, but let’s think about it for a second… Free. Time. Off. That means one thing around these parts: trail time at the cost of nothing but the gas to get there, the food to keep us going, and our own sweat to remind us we’re alive.

Pack in the turkey and get going on your Christmas Spam, because if you aren’t in the woods for the holidays then you’re missing out on some chances to put in the miles and cash in on the vistas in total or near solitude.

Trail Turkey – Thanks-given for Sequoia

25 miles total from Crescent Meadow to Buckeye Flat Trailhead via the High Sierra Trail
Thursday (Thanksgiving) – 5 mi – Crescent Meadow to Mehrten Creek
Friday – 6 mi – Mehrten Creek to Kaweah River Crossing
Saturday – 11 mi – Kawaeah River to Panther Creek via Redwood Meadow Grove
Sunday – 3 mi – Panther Creek out to Buckeye Flat Trailhead

We had a blast; the trail to ourselves, some of the best views we’ve had here in California, and of course, a Thanksgiving feast with the best of friends made on our trusty Whisperlite – rivaling anything any tailgater was tossing into the deep-fryer. Don’t sit around and wait for the holiday plans to find you; open up a map, get out, and get ready for the most wonderful time you’ll have this year.

You can find more of Ty and Camille’s outdoor adventures on their blog, Cramped Up.

Or, keep up with them on Instagram .