The Great American Backyard Campout, sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation, is on June 27th, 2009. Have you heard of it? It’s described as an opportunity to sleep out under the stars. Now, when I hear these words I have visions of sleeping without a tent. I mean, otherwise you can’t see any stars, can you? If I want to be fussy of course it’s going to be hard to see stars in the city, and also hard to see stars when having my eyes closed, because I would like to get at least a little sleep!
I’m thinking about this. Is there a way for me to do this and actually see stars? I’d prefer not to be covered in dew, so some kind of shelter seems in order. I’m giving some thought to building a temporary shelter, because that kind of sounds like fun. It would also be good practice, I mean, there might be some day I’d need an emergency shelter and it would be best to know what to do ahead of time. I already found some websites with ideas. Backyard camping sounds good to me – no driving, little packing, and I can retreat inside if the weather turns bad, the insects keep me awake, or the ground is too hard!
Well, let me know what you think. Have you ever slept out without a tent? How did it go for you? Are you taking part in the Great American Backyard Campout? At their site you can register, look up recipes and get more camping tips. I’ve got the campout on my calendar now 
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Absolutely! It took me about 30 years to do it, but I became an instant fan…in the desert anyway! I've slept on campsite picnic tables, in the back of my truck (nope, no shell) and on the ground a couple times. The picnic tables are sometimes lopsided, so my truck was always my favorite! I mentioned the desert, because when I'm mountain camping, stuff falls on (me) throughout the night LOL (yes, even when you make sure to lie down in a tree-free niche).
Plus, the desert sky completely rocks for the star gazing (and satellite counting)…
Hope you enjoy your upcoming experience, there is something about it
Let us know!
P.S. If you have one…I've spent more than a few nights sleeping in my hammock in the backyard too–usually during meteor showers.
Hi Nature Coach. Thanks for sharing your tent-less camping experiences!
Hmmm, desert does sound like the place to do this. Right now the humidity in Kansas is very high and everything gets covered in heavy dew. Should I wimp out?
Now, I just remembered that I did once sleep outside without a tent. It wasn't by choice though – it's a tale for another day.
I love to sleep out under the stars. I LOVE it!
It's nice if you can do it with just the hubby (wink).
It's still nice to do it with kids!
Good luck!
Ruralmama, I'm sharing your comment with my hubby — sounds romantic to me