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Pitching a tent is a fairly straightforward process most of the time. However, there will be occasions when you notice the grass starts to get a bit thin, the soil becomes patchy, and suddenly the ground gives way to rock.
Pitching a tent on rocky terrain can range from being mildly problematic to fiendishly hard. The difficulties revolve around three points:
There is no doubt that when it comes to pitching in any rocky, mountainous or bedrock locations (as in the pictures illustrated), a geodesic tent is vastly easier to use. The main advantage is that it has a free-standing structure which almost negates any need for anchors (unless the weather is very bad or windy). Furthermore, a geodesic tent can be easily moved around so exactly the best spot can be found.
However, it doesn't mean you cannot use a tunnel tent; you can, but it helps to be more prepared and to have a little more ingenuity. The picture below shows a t1 trek pitched on solid bedrock, and this article tells how you can do it.
We have identified three generic types of problematic pitching situations;
If you have ever encountered the vast glacial moraines of mountain regions such as the Karakorum in Pakistan, finding a place to camp is a daunting task, and one's decision to stop is, more often than not, determined by the availability of water. This kind of camping is best dealt with by anticipation, knowing that;
In these situations you are highly likely going to be forced to manufacture your own "flat" spot (albeit lumpy underneath). Carol took the picture below at the base of Bhagarathi III in the Indian Himalaya – you wouldn’t want to have to move too many of these boulders and Carol’s prototype single skin tent with a footprint of 110cm x 210cm was just about perfect.
In the next picture, taken near Gaurishankar in Nepal, the tent was pitched on a “sandy” ridge at the top of a lateral moraine wall. Again a level area had to be manufactured. The positive aspect about such locations is that there is a huge choice of rocks as anchors!
In both these situations, the challenge is finding an area that will permit you to pitch a tent. Anchoring is easily achieved, and rock walls can also be built as windbreaks to shelter the tent in more violent weather conditions.
Good scouting around is usually necessary in the mountains. In the section above, we failed to find anything suitable, but the next picture (taken just below the Envers hut above the Mer de Glace) is an example of what you can expect – a (reasonably) level area that is basically a rock slab.
On rock slabs, the major difficulty is achieving solid anchors. In calmer conditions, rocks are adequate as anchor points, but if a serious storm was to hit the tent in the picture above, the quantity and size of rocks may not be sufficient. It is important however to know how you can secure your anchor points.
There are a number of ways to use rocks, depending on their size and shape. If they are small, say brick size, then use a cord loop or sling to thread the rock through (below left) and then wedge a much heavier one to act as the anchor (below right).
Sometimes there are cracks in the rock slabs. In the intro picture, we actually hammered the pegs into some thin cracks and they wedged into position (our pegs are pretty tough and will take this kind of abuse). If you’re a climber and have camming devices etc, then obviously these can be used in a similar way.
There is a further technique to anchor a tent on rock slabs that can be particularly effective in strong winds. The next picture shows a tent pitched on limestone karst (in the south of France near the Cathar Way). There was quite a strong breeze and to secure the tent, heavy rocks (approx 10kg each) were placed on the inside of the tent – one in each corner. Although these rocks took up room, and care had to be taken not to damage the groundsheet, the tent was very secure in the wind. For a tunnel tent, anchors still need to be used externally to keep tension across the top of the tent (otherwise the rear hoop will fall forwards, and the front one backwards) on both the inner tent and flysheet, but you won’t have to worry about using guylines.
Most people will encounter a night where their planned campsite is hard, stony ground. Generally, the problems will involve trying to find a way to anchor the tent, particularly if it is a tunnel tent. Our standard Lightning pegs will take a lot of abuse and can be hammered into the ground (with a rock or similar crude implement). As noted above in the section about camping on slabs, rocks and boulders etc can be used for securing the anchor points and guylines.
Before finalising your spot for the night, always check for:
The final word is always to be prepared – anticipate the kind of terrain you will be travelling in.
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