Five Great Camping Stories by Patrick F. McManus

Here it is the dead-heat of the summer and all I want to do is head up to higher altitudes for a relaxing camping weekend. We know how those “relaxing camping weekends” can turn out to be not so relaxing, but that’s another post.

While you’re packing up everything don’t forget to take these Patrick McManus stories with you.

1. Get Ready

Found in the book How I Got This Way.
note: Read this one before you go.

Preparing for your trip can be so tedious, you might just want to do it the way Patrick does.

2. The Big Trip

Found in the book A Fine and Pleasant Misery.

Patrick finally gets to experience the big trip of his childhood imaginings, full of more misery and hardship than he could possibly hope for.

3. The Family Camper’s Dictionary

Found in the book Never Sniff a Gift Fish.

For those new to the sport of camping, Patrick has compiled a helpful dictionary of terms and phrases.

4. The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw

Found in the book The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw.

When the Muldoons invite Patrick to go camping, his Mom makes him take along an old fur coat to ward off the chill of the cold mountain night. This leads to a problem of mistaken identity.

5. But Where’s the Park Papa?

Found in the book A Fine and Pleasant Misery.

Taking the family with you? Patrick and his family spend their vacation at a national park, with the rest of humanity, it seems.

Now you’re all set, get out there and relax!

10 thoughts on “Five Great Camping Stories by Patrick F. McManus”

  1. I am looking for a copy of one of Patrick’s stories that was in Outdoor life entitled “shooting the chicken out narrows”. It would have been published around 1975… I remember the approximate date because I almost fell out of my recliner laughing!!! I have five of his books, but these are quite a bit newer than this story. If this story is included in one of Patrick’s books, please let me know so I can get a copy.

  2. Looking for “No good deed undoes”. Haven’t been able to find it any place. It is about Rancid showing the boys how to do the toboggan run they had set up.

  3. Hi. I’m looking for Patrick’s description of camp cooking. There is a passage I remember: “campfires fall into two main categories: the inferno, or the smudge.” Also included was an incredibly accurate description of how baked potatoes are cooked in a campfire.

  4. I’m looking for the book with the story of Patrick and his friend get to finally go camping with just the two of them. The lye their sleeping bags on a rock. The lighten comes so close they jumped out running in their underwear.

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