Is CFT right for me?

#1

Hi people. I’m wondering what CFT is like, basically. I’m wondering if I would find the environment friendly, or scary.

Two pretty neutral questions to start out with:

(1) What fraction of attendees snore? I do, or at least I can’t promise that I won’t, so if I were the only one I would be horribly embarrassed. But if half the people snore and it’s just totally a non-issue, then that’s a big thumbs-up for me. (I don’t mind at all being around people who snore.)

(2) How well-hidden is the alcohol? If I don’t specifically seek it out, could I go the entire gathering without encountering it?

I may have other questions, but let’s start with those two. :slight_smile:

Thanks people.

#2

Hi there Tamino!

I’m Hawk, one of the hard working Kitchen Staff here for CFT, and I’ll do what I can to answer your questions.

We do have a fair bit of folks that do snore, but we aren’t so densely packed in it usually doesn’t matter to people other than those that may be sharing a tent with you. We do set up our general camp areas relative to sound level, Blue camp being our Quietest camp, and Red being our Loudest. If you’re the type to snore at a really high volume, you might be better placed closer to the Red camp end of things, but we haven’t had any noise complaints from our camper snoring too loud to warrant that :stuck_out_tongue:

As for Alcohol, Its often seen gravitating about the various camps. Our indoor policy restricts it camp areas, the kitchen, and similar type area from what I recall. So yes, you will probably see some about the camp. We do have a wristband policy however, so if you’re a non drinking type like me, you can simply tell registration when you’re signing in at camp and they will not give you a wristband.

I hope that helps answer this batch of questions! And if you have more, hit the reply button and we will do our best to help you out!

#3

I sleep with a big snorer during camp and I’m sure there’s plenty more in attendance so no worries there.

Hawk’s on the money about the alcohol. We don’t provide any as staff, but campers of legal age are allowed to bring their own.

#4

Hawkfeather, OkiWolf – thanks, both of you. :slight_smile: I just registered. Am I apprehensive? Yup. But I’m going to give it a shot.

A few more questions:

Is it worth bringing your own firewood? Or is that just “taken care of”?

I see the Happenings category on the forum, but how do you actually find these things? If someone says “it’ll be at my camp on Saturday” how do you find their camp?

Heck, how do you even find where you’re supposed to set up? Do you just pick a spot and hope it doesn’t step on anyone’s toes too much? Or is there some process for being assigned a spot and then being shown where that is?

#5

I’m glad you decided to take the plunge! We’re always happy to see new faces at camp, so even though camp isn’t till August let me be the first to say Welcome! :smiley:

As for Firewood, we have a fair bit stowed away from last year we plan to provide for campers again this year, and we haven’t decided if we are going to be purchasing more for camp on top of that yet. What we do provide however, is fair game assuming you don’t turn our firewood stash into an impromptu bonfire that’ll upset the rangers and forestry department :stuck_out_tongue:

Happenings, apart from the major camp-hosted events are for the most part spread by word of mouth or the Happenings forum beforehand. The things CFT does host, like the costume contest and such we tend to announce during our meals so campers get an idea of the when and where.

And if you’re ever uncertain of a happening, just ask! Consider it a good opportunity to get to know your fellow campers on top of getting an idea about whats going about camp. We do also provide some handy little maps in our conbooks that give you an idea of where things when somebody says Red Camp or Green camp. This poorly focused, grainy pictures is the one we had last year:

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Which is also useful for finding a camping spot! Like I said before, we have camp areas sorted by noise levels. Red being near the dance area and bulk of the parties tends to be where most of the late night happenings go down, and is for the noisier types. Green is the middle ground, mostly for the hangout and socialization area for a more mellow setting compared to Red. Blue is quiet camp, for those that want to chill around the fire, do board games, and sleep at night.

Once you know what camp you want to set up at, you just show up and find a spot to plop down your tent. Everything is first come first served, provided you’re not on top of a fire pit or in a camp facilities area like the Kitchen, Showers, Registration, or Dining Area. And naturally, if you’re unsure of where you like to camp, feel free to ask any of us here on staff or your fellow attendees, and we’ll try to get you settled in. We’re all a little weird, but we’re nice folks. :slight_smile:

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#6

Heya tamino!

You’re likely to see a LOT of people there who’ve been there two, three, four, or more years running. If we look like we know what we’re doing, feel free to ask us any questions you may have. :3

I’ve never met anyone at CFT who isn’t at LEAST friendly. Some more than others, but there’s no one there who’s totally un-awesome.

-Malachai

#7

I agree with malachai… I’ve never met an awful person at CFT, and I’ve been going since… 2011 I think? I can’t remember if it was '11 or '10.

I should mention, because sometimes people don’t know… don’t bring firewood from home, buy it nearby, to avoid bringing wood-destroying insects from other areas.

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#8

When I first posted I was figuring fires were probably a communal thing, and that there’d probably be “a fire person” who just decides it’s about that time in the evening, and sets it up and keeps it going. But if fires are an individual thing, I guess that probably means bring your own fire pit, as well as your own wood, huh?

Thanks for the warning about not bringing wood from home, tyco! If you hadn’t said something, that’s exactly what I would have done. :stuck_out_tongue:

I asked an ex-Scout friend of mine about the three-basin dishwashing thing and he explained the etiquette, so hopefully I don’t screw up that part of it. In general what scares me most isn’t that there will be non-nice people, but that I will put my foot in my mouth in some bizarre way. Camping by myself I can deal with. I muddle through and it generally works out fine. But this is the big leagues. This is the adult dose. :slight_smile:

#9

I haven’t been to CFT before, but I have been involved in some big-group camping. From my experience with that, there is always someone you can learn from, and there’s always someone you can help out. You’ll be fine. :smiley:

#10

Welcome - if you like camping, this is the con for you!

A note on the noise level/camp selection: I wouldn’t worry so much about you making too much noise as much as how much the noise bothers you. The noisier camps can be pretty loud late in the night. If that appeals to you, set up in red. If you’d rather be in a quieter place to sleep, head towards blue. It’s pretty easy to find a place where you aren’t right next to another tent so you won’t bother others.

If you’d like to see some pix of an event last year, they’re here:

http://otter-critter.org/pix/CFT-Rockets.html

Glad you’re going to be there!

-Critter

#11

As was mentioned, you must buy firewood local to the campsite and we do have a leftover stash that will be free for attendees to use (TBA if we’ll repeat that this year). Campfires can be communal depending on the camp tending to them. Many small camps within the different colored coded areas center themselves around a fire ring, which there are many of already built around the camp site. In my experience, I’ve never been turned away from a campfire I’ve walked up to. We tend to have a lot of friendly folk attend CFT.

#12

Critter, those photos are giving me some major nostalgia :smirk:

#13

Hi Tamino! I’m Crowley, Founder and Chairman of CFT. As a fellow shy person, welcome! You sound like just the kind of person to fit in. I’m a pretty clumsy, pretty awkward individual when it comes to new experiences. One of my aims with CFT is to offer “disconnection” with a pair of kid gloves. Don’t know how to build a fire? Someone here can help you and teach you. Take a spill? We can patch you up. Outdoor cooking make you nervous? We got you covered. Our aim is to assist you in the basics, so what’s left is you and your individual experience.

After dinner, we send volunteers around camp to disperse firewood to camps. Several people set up fires of their own volition and maintain them, so if you don’t want to build a fire every night, this is one good way to meet new people. One thing that isn’t entirely inherent to newcomers is the night life. In the afternoons, things can get exhaustively hot, so people find themselves leaving camp to go swimming, or taking a nap moreso than scheduling or atttending Happenings. Nights are cold, but with a jacket or fluffy bathrobe, one can stumble into all sorts of impromptu Happenings that occur outside of the conbook and announcements.

If what you want is a quiet spot to read, we have them in breathtaking abundance. If hiking is your thing, there are excellent hiking and mountain biking trails all throughout the area. If you like to tinker and craft, attendees frequently come here to organize building workshops and open art jams. Do you like to play board and card games? Gaming tents are a regular feature here, and you wont find a friendlier crowd. In 2012, our theme was “Keep Furry Weird”, and we had an awkward dance party, hosted by a DJ that intentionally changed the tempo and cuts in songs to prevent people from dancing well, creating a mutually friendly environment for people to engage with eachother. This last year, someone erected a wooden temple for people to affix their written thoughts, fears and wishes, and was burned in a moment of public silence.

Think of us as a sandbox for personal expression for all adults (within the realms of the law). Your level of engagement here is entirely your privilege, and you’ll find respect for all personal boundaries. Look for someone in a pub cap and pink shemaugh, and feel free to say hello! We’re all in this together, so let’s be awkward together.

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#14

All the more reason to look forward to making new memories this summer, Beau!

One more thing, Tamino - even though it’s in a dry location there is a lovely stream that runs through the camp and a falls nearby. Otter heaven!

#15

I’m reading through Crowley’s announcement email (thanks for all the useful information, Crowley!)

Some questions about MOOP.

When I camp by myself I tend to assume graywater is okay to just go on the ground near my campsite. Stuff like dishwashing water, or brushing-teeth-and-spitting.

Is that MOOP, though? Does it depend on how “chunky” the dishwashing water is – like maybe washing out a mixing bowl that had pancake batter in it is okay since there’s no chunks, but if you had spaghetti then you should wipe it out with a paper towel first and throw away the paper towel? What about when you’ve made coffee in a french press and you’ve gotten most of the coffee grounds into a trash bag but then you need to wash out the french press and there’s still some grounds left sticking to it?

If I do bring my own firepit and do the campfire thing, what is the approved procedure for cleaning that up? It’s more reassuring to pour water in to make sure everything is really extinguished, but then there’s a slurry and what do you do with the slurry that doesn’t turn it into MOOP? Or do you run your hands through it to make sure it’s cold, and then dump it into a trash bag?

#16

Crowley or Devin can of course speak better to this than I, but being experienced with the campground they use, I can provide some suggestions until they reply:

Dishwashing water - CFT has a dishwashing station set up all weekend long. Three wash tubs are provided: a wash, a rinse, and a sanitize. Just like a commercial foodservice setup, but set up on folding tables. Just scrape off what you can before using the wash tub, and it should be fine. Usually they dig a hole nearby to dispose of the wash water and bury the washed-off food scraps when the campout is over.

As for a fire pit, if you’re talking about an above-ground pit like you’d use in your backyard, I’d suggest just flooding your fire, and then dump your slurry into any one of the existing fire rings around the camp. There are several fire rings in varied places that already exist and are already established.

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