Escapees November-December 2022

out of their reach. I have a heavy plastic storage bin dedicated to trash storage, and it will hold a week’s worth of trash or more. Don’t expect to fi nd any trash cans or dumpsters out in the boonies. You’ll need to pack all your trash out when you leave, so make plans now on how you will store it. Keep in mind that raccoons love pet food, so make sure it’s stored in secure containers as well, and pick up any leftovers if you feed your pets outside. Predators make plans now on how you will store it.” aware that they are hunters and keep your small pets under a watchful eye. This advice also applies to eagles, hawks and owls. Many remote areas are home to larger predators such as bears, big cats and wolves. These animals can pose a threat to humans and pets. While attacks are rare, it’s always a good idea to heed posted signs warning about predator sightings. In bear or big-cat country, never leave food or trash out, and practice hiking safety when you enter their domain. Camping in the great outdoors will put you in contact with critters. Simple steps, like securing foodstuff and trash, carrying insect control products and keeping an eye on pets will help you co-exist with the critters that live where you camp. Next time, we’ll talk about personal safety. See you then! “Don’t expect to fi nd any trash cans or dumpsters out in the boonies. You’ll need to pack all your trash out when you leave, so Coyotes are like mice in that they are everywhere. They generally don’t bother humans and are very shy, so you rarely see them. Just be

Thoughts on Tree Pruning We are proud to be Escapees full-time RVers who enjoy read ing the magazine cover-to-cov er. We even “ fi ght” over who gets to read it fi rst! This time though, we are disappointed that you missed an opportunity to educate and correct a ter rible behavior that we’ve seen happening more and more. In your July/August 2022 article, at the top of page 38, in the section “Be Sure To Look Up!,” You warn boondockers about parking too close to a tree or bush and then strongly recommend they correct that problem. We’ve seen it time and again where people take pruning shears, loppers and even chain saws and removed limbs sometimes at a time of the year where it is detrimental to the tree. This behavior needs to stop. Especially as boondockers we feel we have no right to “change” things to meet our needs. What happened to “leave only footprints”? Perhaps even using the next page (page 40 RVers Boondocking Policy) to remind folks that tree/bush/ shrub cutting to fi t their rig is not a right or privilege would be in order as well?

Jenny and Robyn Skipton #146711

DID I MISS SOMETHING? If you have boondocking tips or comments to share, send them to me at TECHQUESTIONS@ESCAPEES.COM and I will publish them in a future column.

MARK #45776 travels in a small class-C and has made numerous modi fi cations to his RV to enable him to boondock more easily. He’s not saying he’s an expert, or the primary source for boondocking information, but he’s done it for a number of years and is happy to share some things that he’s learned

the hard way.

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November/December 2022 ESCAPEES Magazine