Oh To Be Camping
For many years, of my favorite outdoor activities has involved camping. This never ceases to surprise my friends who tend to think of me as a high-maintenance, electronic-dependent, pampered diva. Last year, as a matter of fact, I threw quite a few of my readers on Electric Venom for a loop when I announced my family was going on a three week camping trip. I do believe they began placing bets on just how long before I raced back home to my creature comforts.
Truth is, some of my fondest childhood memories involve camping and hiking trips, although my parents were the type who believed “roughing it” meant sleeping 6 in a 4-person RV. Now that I’m the parent, I’m made of much sterner stuff… much to my family’s annoyance.
Until I became a parent I considered a tent to be purely optional camping equipment. I was the kind who believed that camping did not involve pulling up to a nice, paved parking space in the midst of a national park and unloading the trunk. The way parks are so crowded these days, you might as well sleep in your front yard and call that camping. Bathrooms? Why, they were behind every tree… just be careful which leaves you used, if you know what I mean.
Ironically, my husband and son (who seem to prefer living in squalor indoors) consider my notion of camping to be a bit too primitive. They expect a tent, and preferably an expansive one. They don’t want to schlep supplies more than a couple of yards from the car, and bathrooms? Well, my husband makes sure our site is just a hop down a paved road from one.
Wimp.
I’ve finally convinced my husband that we need to take a real camping trip. One that involves hiking and an actual experience of nature beyond the great gray expanse of asphalt that most National Park camping sites have become.
I, personally, would love to do a Rocky Mountain backpacking trip, perhaps near Colorado’s majestic Fourteener’s. I waited a bit too long to suggest it for this year, but we’re giving serious thought to a trip next Spring, right as the temperatures start warming up again. Talk about a perfect way to spend a Spring Break: not only would we get away from it all, but I’d get plenty of exercise, too!
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9 Comments »
Comment by Mad William Flint
November 8, 2007 @ 12:55 am #
God that sounds awesome. Last time I did anything like that was with a buddy of mine about 8-9 years ago. We spent four hours hiking up an otherwise unremarkable hill and camped out (yes, sans tent) at the top. I just had some decent wool clothes and a tree to lean against. He went the whole “sleeping bag” route. pssh.
Comment by Elizabeth
November 8, 2007 @ 1:46 am #
You’ve inspired me. My husband and I have been thinking about ideas for family time on weekends. Camping never even entered our minds! What a fabulous idea. Thanks! This sounds really awesome.
Comment by Chubby Mommy
November 8, 2007 @ 11:07 am #
Camping’s an awesome way to spend a weekend with the family, Elizabeth. Just be sure to plan ahead for all sorts of weather. On that 3-week trip we took, it stormed our first night out. We spent day 2 in a laundromat drying everything.
Comment by sarahk
November 8, 2007 @ 1:59 pm #
I love camping! But for some reason, I do prefer a tent. For our backcountry hiking, we have these little Junior tents that you buy at Wal-Mart for under $20, and they roll up into their little carrying cases, fitting very smoothly under the top flap of our 2-day packs. Very light and easy to put together.
Comment by Chubby Mommy
November 8, 2007 @ 2:30 pm #
Those little tents are wonderful! Ours is a behemoth, one of those “two-room family style” things that sleeps 8 very thin, short people or 6 normal folks. It’s impossible to go backpacking with, but I do have to admit it’s nice having room to pull all of our stuff in with us when it rains.
Comment by wg
November 14, 2007 @ 3:51 pm #
Come on up here to the Willamette Valley. The area around Opal Creek is IMO one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and there’s a trail up into the Bull of the Woods Wilderness area that will take you out of earshot of the rest of humanity in less than half an hour. I’ve been up about eight miles to a pair of lakes that are so beautiful, it’ll make your heart skip.
Be pleased to show you guys around.
Sure it’s a bit of a drive, but it’s WORTH IT. Besides, how long’s it been since you’ve seen the Pacific Ocean?
Comment by wg
November 14, 2007 @ 3:53 pm #
Incidentally, the blue water photo I sent you a while back is from that area. I’ll post a few more as soon as I get my desktop computer back up & running (power supply died).
Comment by Chubby Mommy
November 15, 2007 @ 9:10 am #
Unfortunately the drive is SO long we’d use all of VH’s vacation time just getting there. One day, though, we both agree we want to move to the PNW when the Big-Eyed Boy is grown.
Comment by wg
November 21, 2007 @ 1:02 am #
A lot of it depends on how much time you’re willing to spend behind the wheel at a stretch, I’d think. I drove from the middle of Montana back home here in the Willamette Valley in one stretch about six years ago.
Google Maps puts the distance to somewhere around 1900 miles, so that’s a good two stretches of 15-16 hour shots, if you trade drivers. Two days here, two days back, and a good 7 day backpacking trip, with three days for recovery out of a two week vacation.
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