by Scott Freeman

Created on: July 22, 2009   Last Updated: July 23, 2009

It is a lovely summer day, sun shining, light breeze blowing, the sound of the leaves rustling with the breeze causes you to drift off into a light nap sitting in a chair in your campsite. A sudden gust of wind rocks you in your chair and wakes you. The skies are dark; the trees are thrashing about spitting leaves and twigs at you. As you jump up the tent is swaying with the wind and the canopy over the table is snapping up and down.

You did prepare for the wind when you set up camp didn't you?

Part of dealing with any situation is planning and preparations to either prevent the situation or minimize its affects. No one want to get cut but you do have a first aid kit in case it happens. The same goes for preparing for wind. Here are a few things to keep in mind when setting up camp.

Before setting up camp, look up and around. Is that large tree overhead carrying a lot of dead wood on it? Do you see shallow rooted downed tress in the area? Are you at the base of a steep hill or cliff where loose stone could be washed or blown down on you? Is the ground solid or muddy or sandy? Will it provide a solid grip for your tie down stakes? Will you need larger sand stakes to get the needed grip?

Deep-rooted trees without large deadwood, check. No downed trees around me, check. Edge of a field with a gentle slope behind it, check. Nice solid soil with good holding power, check. Lets set up camp!

When setting up your camp be sure to use all the tie downs that come with you equipment. Know how to set it up per the manufacturer's instructions. That large blue tarp hanging over the whole campsite on the 4 ropes tied to trees may keep the leaves off the tent but in a high wind it makes a great sail. While you may not need to set them up right away, you do have extra tie-downs in case they are needed right? Ensure an adequate water supply to put out your fire on short notice if needed.

Once set up, make sure you and all your party know where to find good solid shelter. I am talking of more then running in the tent when it rains. It in an improved campground it might be a solid structure like the camp office or store, concrete block washroom or other shelter. If in the deep woods it might be the lee of a large boulder.

So you have set up a solid camp, everyone knows where to go in an emergency and now you have woken to that emergency and need to deal with the wind.

First and most important, don't panic! Stay calm, take a quick look around and take action to protect yourself

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