Renter's Guide to Winter at Camp  
Renter's Guide to Winter at Camp
New website! Starting July 1, 2024, please see our new website https://rapidancabins.com/. Jeremy Connell has led building the new website using new technology replacing this website Tom Jones created in 1995.
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On this special version of the page for winter campers, special winter information looks like this. You can also see the warm-weather version of this page, applicable from April to October.

We recommend bringing the following items

  1. Sleeping bags or bedding. Beds at camp have mattresses, but no bedding.
  2. Flashlights
  3. Maps, if you'd like to hike. We recommend the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Map #10, available at the PATC Maps Website.
  4. Antifreeze, to put into the toilets when you leave camp or if it gets extremely cold at night.
  5. Your camera!
  6. A first-aid kit
  7. Food. Make sure to bring extra food if there's any chance of a snowstorm. If a sudden snowfall hits, you may be stranded at camp.
  8. Any special utensils or appliances. The cabins have refrigerators and electric stoves, but you may want to bring special appliances like a waffle maker, ice cream maker, or extra-sharp steak knives.
  9. Light bulbs, toilet paper, soap, shampoo, dishwashing soap, 33-gallon garbage bags, and other cleaning supplies and toiletries.
  10. You may wish to bring wood saws and other implements if you intend to gather wood to burn for warmth. The spreading Emerald Ash Borer beetle has prompted Virginia, Maryland, and other states to ban transportation of hardwood firewood from infested areas. The pest has killed tens of millions of trees. Firewood from the area around camp—including all of Madison and Culpeper Counties—is safe, but do not bring firewood to camp from quarantine areas including much of northern Virginia and southern Maryland. For more information, please see www.EmeraldAshBorer.info.

When you arrive at camp

  1. With your rental, you will receive the combination to your cabin(s).

Tips at camp

  1. Keep your car windows rolled up to keep out animals.
  2. Keep all dry food in the refrigerator, or specially labeled mouse-proof cabinets or drawers. Otherwise, you may wake up in the morning to find mice have been nibbling your food.
  3. If you are staying in Cabin 5, make sure to close its screen doors to keep bugs and other small animals out of the cabin.

When you leave camp

  1. Pack all your garbage and take it with you when you leave. Leave an empty trash bag in each trash can, with the lid closed.
  2. Bring everything you came with--please do not leave extra food or other items.
  3. Sweep the floors if there's dirt or dust.
  4. Close all windows.
  5. Ensure all electrical appliances—especially the kitchen stove and coffee maker—are switched off.
  6. Leave switched on one interior and one exterior light.
  7. Leave circuit breakers on.
  8. Padlock all doors, and reset the combination to 0000.
  9. Pour some anti-freeze into the toilet bowls to keep them from freezing.
 
For questions about Rapidan Camps, please contact the President and Registrar via email.