Camping
I’ve been camping since I was a young boy, so I really enjoy it as it brings back fond and comfortable memories of mosquitoes, snakes, yellow jackets, rain, snow and sun. I don’t really remember the bad part as much, to be honest. As a boy I didn’t really let those things bother me even when bitten, stung or sunburned, chilled or soaked. In fact, those memories are the things of legend when the family gathers and reminisces. They are the tales that bring the most laughter and fun as we recall them and enhance the injuries to exaggeration.

Camping as a Boy
Of course, camping has changed a great deal since then. As well as I can remember (and it’s sketchy at this point) we started when I was probably around 8 or 9 years of age. We went to a place in Tennessee on top of a mountain that had a lake full of cold water, a hike to a water fall and a building near the lake that included a small store and showers (very cold showers from mountain springs). We camped in a tent that opened up like an umbrella and I don’t believe we had air mattresses at that time. How my mother enjoyed it I’ll never know. We cooked on a 2 burner Coleman stove, always had a fire going and had to tote water from some distance away. Of course, there was no electricity at camp sites back then so we had a lantern that illuminated the camp at night. I don’t remember where we went to the bathroom but I’m assuming there was an outhouse. It was a fun place to go and we went there every year for a number of years. In fact, I can remember a trip there when I was nearing high school with a couple of other families that we had invited.

Camping is treasured
Camping is the hidden jewel of the middle class. It is treasured by those who can’t afford more and considered more excellent than staying in motels or hotels by a number of standards.

• The Bond: One of the main differences is the company you keep and the brotherhood that develops among campers. With few exceptions you can walk into almost anyone’s camp, start up a conversation and be invited to sit a spell and talk. In fact, you’ll probably be offered a cup of coffee, something sweet to eat (everyone has sweets on camping trips) or whatever is available at the time.
  
• The Smells: Everyone will agree that motels and hotels have a certain odor that smells of Lysol, dirty carpet and very used bed spreads. You just feel dirty in one of those rooms no matter how clean they’re advertised. Not so when you go camping. You sleep in your own sleeping bag that’s used about twice a year and stored in a humid basement; eat on a concrete picnic table; cook on a blackened grill; and shower in public showers, and even at that you just feel better about fighting off those outdoor germs. The smells are of burnt and smoldering wood, charred meat, fresh air, musty tents, lake water, fish, marshmallows and smores and the occasional skunk. Now, just tell the truth and say that’s not better than a motel.
  
• The Memories: There are no better tales at family get-togethers than reminiscing about the torrential rain storms (and waking up floating in water); the swarm of yellow jackets; the poorly planned hikes over unbelievable mountain ranges; the snakes, bears, skunks, raccoons, squirrels and other wild life that were viewed, chased off or ran from; stepping on hot coals in bare feet; extreme sunburns and poison ivy rashes; and magnificent views that most people with never see. I know it sounds crazy to those who’ve never experienced it, but it’s true that we’d never trade all those memories for those who visit 5 star resorts and eat in fancy restaurants every meal (although we’d probably like to try it out just to be sure).
  

Camping requires some planning and a little work. It requires at least some investment in outdoor equipment and a certain amount of fortitude to brave the elements in order to enjoy the benefits. But even a small investment in a small tent, sleeping bag, camp stove and lantern will get you started. Then you can graduate to a homemade trailer to store your stuff and/or a tarp to throw over the gear that’s tied on the roof. After that, the pocket book is the limit when you can literally drive a house on wheels to the mountains and set up a couple of folding chairs just so you can say you made it outside. Of course, if you have teenagers you might want to pack the car to make it look like you’re a bunch of gypsy’s just so you can embarrass them.

I’m not sure if the draw has to do with some kind of pioneering fantasy or the fascination with the cowboy life style, or just the economics of it all, but I’m a fan of it. To be sure we do it because it’s one of the only vacations we can afford, but we also do it because it’s fun. We love meeting and talking with people and we love the outdoors. We will do everything we can to avoid the harsher aspects of it but will brave whatever nature throws our way and try to remember it all so we can brag about it later.

Happy camping!!!