There I was, camping with beloved family in Medicine Bow, Wyoming. We were setup about ten minutes from the famous rock face of Sugarloaf Mountain, off the road and deep into the woods, minding our own business when a huge RV ventured near our campsite in the forest. Behind this pristine monstrous thing followed a jeep, some pricy and obnoxious SUV, and a monstrosity of a truck that was shiny and new and unused. The group pulled up atop a small hill, just out of sight. All went still for a moment, back to the peace we were enjoying.
Before that madness started, we watched the fire and enjoyed the sounds of the forest, the wind whipping the trees, the coyotes yipping and singing at night, the birds gifting us their harmonies with the first of the morning glow, and family of four moose who explored near our camp in the wee morning. Then, the chaos started…
A crowd of screaming voices began the onslaught. The group remained unseen for awhile, but the racket continued through the night, with drunken partying and games and screaming had by all but our family. We cursed them, steaming near the campfire. All night we heard a generator running, and in the morning a gas-powered chainsaw scared everything within a mile, or so it seemed. We were flabbergasted and beyond irritated, and what was worse was all the wildlife wanted no part of being anywhere near us.
Then the sound of a 4-wheeler started and some kid blew through our camp, cutting inches between our cars and then he was off into the unspoiled wilderness like a rocket. He was back a half hour later, blazing through our camp, narrowly hitting my fiancé. I had had enough and I ran to cut him off and he slowed. I yelled over the rumble of the engine, “Slow down! This is not the place to ride this. There’s a sign out by the road that says–”
A crowd of screaming voices began the onslaught. The group remained unseen for awhile, but the racket continued through the night, with drunken partying and games and screaming had by all but our family. We cursed them, steaming near the campfire. All night we heard a generator running, and in the morning a gas-powered chainsaw scared everything within a mile, or so it seemed. We were flabbergasted and beyond irritated, and what was worse was all the wildlife wanted no part of being anywhere near us.
Then the sound of a 4-wheeler started and some kid blew through our camp, cutting inches between our cars and then he was off into the unspoiled wilderness like a rocket. He was back a half hour later, blazing through our camp, narrowly hitting my fiancé. I had had enough and I ran to cut him off and he slowed. I yelled over the rumble of the engine, “Slow down! This is not the place to ride this. There’s a sign out by the road that says–”
The kid screwed up his plump jowls and squeaked a “Fuck you,” before speeding off.
I couldn’t believe that little brat had the gall to tell me off. I also couldn’t take that someone would have such low regard and disrespect of what’s left of the natural world. I followed him, feet stomping the ground, fire in my face and my future father-in-law grinning in tow. I went up the hill and confronting a middle aged bald man lowered his beer and looked at me as I reached their little ‘campsite.’
“That your boy on the 4-wheeler,” I said.
“Yup,” said the man. “What’s the problem here?”
I drew in a deep breath and sputtered a jumble of angry words. It may not have been the most eloquent of my rants, but he heard it all. I raged about the child’s disrespect, about his little brat cursing at me, about how rude he was running through our camp, destroying the forest floor, and scaring away all of the wildlife. I told him there are families out here who save up for an entire year just to get a chance to spend some time surrounded by beautiful secluded peacefulness in the natural world, and that I thought his group were awful, rude people who had to run their chainsaws because they were too lazy to chop a fallen tree, about how all night we could only hear their generator running, and I told him I don’t think too highly of that sort of person.
The man stood up and flashed a Colorado police badge. “I’m a police officer. You better return to your campsite before–”
I sputtered again, releasing a booming derisive laugh. “And you’ll do what? You’re not in jurisdiction here, and I’ll go ahead and call the forest ranger, because you’re destroying a national park. I’ll tell you right now… Clean up your shit and stop acting like you own the place.” I turned and stomped back down the hill and we packed up camp and left as their entire group stood still staring at us as we left.
I couldn’t believe that little brat had the gall to tell me off. I also couldn’t take that someone would have such low regard and disrespect of what’s left of the natural world. I followed him, feet stomping the ground, fire in my face and my future father-in-law grinning in tow. I went up the hill and confronting a middle aged bald man lowered his beer and looked at me as I reached their little ‘campsite.’
“That your boy on the 4-wheeler,” I said.
“Yup,” said the man. “What’s the problem here?”
I drew in a deep breath and sputtered a jumble of angry words. It may not have been the most eloquent of my rants, but he heard it all. I raged about the child’s disrespect, about his little brat cursing at me, about how rude he was running through our camp, destroying the forest floor, and scaring away all of the wildlife. I told him there are families out here who save up for an entire year just to get a chance to spend some time surrounded by beautiful secluded peacefulness in the natural world, and that I thought his group were awful, rude people who had to run their chainsaws because they were too lazy to chop a fallen tree, about how all night we could only hear their generator running, and I told him I don’t think too highly of that sort of person.
The man stood up and flashed a Colorado police badge. “I’m a police officer. You better return to your campsite before–”
I sputtered again, releasing a booming derisive laugh. “And you’ll do what? You’re not in jurisdiction here, and I’ll go ahead and call the forest ranger, because you’re destroying a national park. I’ll tell you right now… Clean up your shit and stop acting like you own the place.” I turned and stomped back down the hill and we packed up camp and left as their entire group stood still staring at us as we left.
Now, if these people would have had a little respect for the environment, then we could have avoided this awkward confrontation. The story above is true as I remember it a few years later, and while it wasn’t my greatest moment, spluttering because I was so mad, the meaning came across and hopefully they will think about their effect their actions have next time. Because not only were these people driving us nuts to where we felt we had to pack up camp and setup again elsewhere (but to be honest, it was a blessing in disguise, because we found the most beautiful dispersed campsite nearby, where we were all alone), but they were poisoning the air and ground with their gas-powered toys and their 4-wheeler, and they were disturbing a natural habitat.
This all could have been avoided with modern tech. Sure, gas-powered stuff will be around for as long as we continue to exploit fossil fuels, but there are exciting new technologies coming out all of the time. What has me most excited is solar panel technology and lithium battery innovation. I recently reached out to Jackery to test and feature their Explorer 500 Portable Power Station and their SolarSaga 100W Solar Panel. When joined, these two make a formidable alternative to the gas-powered generators. They’re lightweight and small, so they’re easy to haul, and easier to use. Literally, you open the solar panel, plug it into the portable battery and away you go with renewable energy.
The Explorer 500 is very quiet, so there’s little chance of it scaring away wildlife or campers next door. The Jackery Explorer 500 is a 518Wh/144,400mAh lithium portable power station that’s ridiculously lightweight at 13.32 lbs and compact at 15.15”x11”x13.46”. This portable power station is super neat, because it charges 3-USB ports, a 12V car output, and has an AC outlet. That means you can charge just about anything, anywhere, any time, and when you pair it with the solar panel, you can continue using these devices for as long as you want. The SolarSaga is a 100W solar panel that’s foldable and very lightweight, weighing in at 5.5 lbs. To use it, you simply unfold it, point it toward the sun and plug it into the portable power station. It’s simple, yet beautiful.
This all could have been avoided with modern tech. Sure, gas-powered stuff will be around for as long as we continue to exploit fossil fuels, but there are exciting new technologies coming out all of the time. What has me most excited is solar panel technology and lithium battery innovation. I recently reached out to Jackery to test and feature their Explorer 500 Portable Power Station and their SolarSaga 100W Solar Panel. When joined, these two make a formidable alternative to the gas-powered generators. They’re lightweight and small, so they’re easy to haul, and easier to use. Literally, you open the solar panel, plug it into the portable battery and away you go with renewable energy.
The Explorer 500 is very quiet, so there’s little chance of it scaring away wildlife or campers next door. The Jackery Explorer 500 is a 518Wh/144,400mAh lithium portable power station that’s ridiculously lightweight at 13.32 lbs and compact at 15.15”x11”x13.46”. This portable power station is super neat, because it charges 3-USB ports, a 12V car output, and has an AC outlet. That means you can charge just about anything, anywhere, any time, and when you pair it with the solar panel, you can continue using these devices for as long as you want. The SolarSaga is a 100W solar panel that’s foldable and very lightweight, weighing in at 5.5 lbs. To use it, you simply unfold it, point it toward the sun and plug it into the portable power station. It’s simple, yet beautiful.
With these two paired together, you have an amazing portable power bundle that can keep you going always. I’m a tech traveler who loves peace in the great outdoors more than his electronic gear, but it’s super nice to be able to work on my computer whenever an idea comes. It’s also nice to be able to keep my phone and camera batteries charged and continually charging, which is a big feature that’s huge for my photography trips, where I’ll be shooting for hours, kill a battery then need to use another. I also prefer to travel light, so two batteries is my max, so now I can always have one charging while I use the other. It’s a beautiful setup.
After spending a good bit of time working with the Explorer 500 and SolarSaga 100, I am very confident that just about anyone reading this would love this setup. Not only is it powerful, but it’s quick and extremely portable, and is capable of charging high-powered devices without the need of gas-guzzling, environmentally toxic alternatives. Setup is ridiculously simple and the performance of both provide a seamless and reliable option that I feel is futuristic and a huge win for the environment. Sure, we still have to mine for lithium minerals, but it’s better than what we’ve been doing to this planet for the last 100 years. My review ends with a handshake and a lot of admiration, because Jackery knocked these products out of the park, and I couldn’t be more impressed.
If you would like to learn more about Jackery, click here.
After spending a good bit of time working with the Explorer 500 and SolarSaga 100, I am very confident that just about anyone reading this would love this setup. Not only is it powerful, but it’s quick and extremely portable, and is capable of charging high-powered devices without the need of gas-guzzling, environmentally toxic alternatives. Setup is ridiculously simple and the performance of both provide a seamless and reliable option that I feel is futuristic and a huge win for the environment. Sure, we still have to mine for lithium minerals, but it’s better than what we’ve been doing to this planet for the last 100 years. My review ends with a handshake and a lot of admiration, because Jackery knocked these products out of the park, and I couldn’t be more impressed.
If you would like to learn more about Jackery, click here.
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