Camping may not sound inviting if you’ve never had the chance to enjoy the right kind. Author Michael Rutter (Camping Made Easy, The Globe Pequot Press) challenges any aversion you may have to the thought of roughing it.
“Why leave the comforts of home and head off to wilder parts to live outdoors? Why eat with your fingers, smell campfires and sleep on the ground? For most campers the answer is easy: There’s nothing like being in the immediacy of nature at her finest. Camping brings you closer to the natural world, putting you in touch with things you may have lost or forgotten: things civilization leaches from human beings.”
I’d have to agree with Rutter. Camping is a refreshing experience that helps you see the stresses of life with different eyes. No matter what your needs may be, there’s a style for each family.
Sure, there are other economical ways to create a fun family vacation without leaving the comforts of home. But for those of us who’ve camped before, nothing compares to waking up to fresh mountain air, sounds of a bubbling creek or birds singing on a lake.
“What four-star hotel can parallel to waking up in Wyoming’s Grand Tetons with a layer of frost on your sleeping bag, the sun’s rays probing the tops of the jagged peaks, still dark and mysterious, and a couple of love-starved bull elk calling across the meadow?” Rutter asks.
Cooking in the wild makes food taste like nothing you’ve ever had. The smells backed against the fresh air, and the taste against the cold morning chill, make pancakes and eggs better than any restaurant-style breakfast.
“I can almost taste those scrumptious stacks of dollar-size pancakes my mom made on our Coleman stove,” Rutter recalls. “She’d smother them with wild berries and syrup and serve them with Canadian bacon, scrambled eggs and hot chocolate. While my cholesterol levels cringe at the thought now, I’ll never forget those tasty breakfasts. We still talk about them.”
Though campfire breakfasts may not lend to your health, the fresh air, hiking, swimming, setting up camp, boating and other recreational activities do your heart and mind good.
The best part is the uninterrupted time. No television to distract you from the beauty around you, no schedules or appointments to rush you –– just relaxation and your own timetable. Join the more than 50 million Americans who will be pitching their tents and parking their RVs this summer.
— Andrea Vinley Jewell
