The best part about camping is....

The best part?

Playing with fire.

I've never done any other camping other than tent camping. Can't imagine it. Don't want to imagine it.

Tent camping is where it's at.

I'm always amazed at the land yachts that I see at the campgrounds now.

Mo was a bit too hard to wrangle in a tent. The DM is the next best thing.

We usually go to the beach since it's so close. The weather for the next few days is supposed to be crystal clear. Usually you can see the Milky Way out there on clear nights. I can't wait!

I used to do lots of mountain backpacking. Getting there is not half the fun. Being totally isolated in some really nice scenery is much more that half of it.

My neighbors are leaving on a two week hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. I'm practically dying of envy.

The mountains are hard but soooo worth the effort.

I haven't been camping in more years than I care to remember. I love camping, but finding someone to go camping with me is not easy.

Now I'll be bugging all my friends to go, lol!

My favorite part is sitting around the fire at night having a few beers. Ahhhh!!!! the good old days :-D

Have a great time, Boomer :-D I envy you!

My best friend and her hubby took their two kids on the Pacific Coast trail in British Columbia when the kids were just under 2 and just over 5. Those two sprouts are rugged little campers. They're almost scary in their experience roughing it and hiking back of beyond.

I feel like a fluff camper around them. I probably am.

I'd go camping with you in a minute (especially if I could leave the boys at home)!

Thanks. I anticipate a complete decompression.

2 and 5!?

No way for me. I'm a complete sissy compared to those people.

Boomer
If we left the boys at home, the sky is the limit!

Hey, we girls need to let our hair down once in a while ;-)

I have a smile from ear to ear just thinking about it :-D

Man -- a girl's camp out sounds like fun.

One thing I can say in favor of the luxury liners is that we have met people from all over the world who are using them. You can rent them here for a pretty good price so instead of staying in hotels people travel around in them without sacrificing much.

When my in-laws came to town they rented one and we all had a blast.

A lot of people live in them too. I suppose that if it was my house I'd want a luxury liner too.

Oh yeah, those things are awesome. Tent camping is fun and all, but being much older since my last camping trip, I might find it hard on my back.
I also like being spoiled a bit with a kitchen and bathroom :-)

Okay, the worst part about camping is getting everybody and everything ready to go.

And yeah to that bathroom and kitchen thing. That's why we bought the DM -- with a kid it was hard to anticipate all we would need to have.

I think we four must make up the most exclusive group on A2K! I will roast a mashmallow in each of your honor tonight.

Re: The best part about camping is....


I used to camp quite a bit with my family. We first tent-camped, then graduated to a pop-up camper. I used to love getting ready, then finding a good spot, or a good campsite, making a fire, exploring the woods....

Now, my children are too little to go camping, but the minute they're old enough - we'll go again.

My back and knees don't like camping anymore, but for a while I was really into it. Back-packing, tent-camping in the mountains of Virginia (which has a lot more wilderness area than many folks realize),
There was a group of us, all guys at first, who would go camping over the New Year's holiday. It was winter; so always cold and sometimes with snow.
The tradition lasted almost ten years. We added some girl friends and some of the girl friends became wives and towards the very end we had the next generation of campers join us.
But then everyone or most everyone moved away for one reason or another. We missed a year, did it the next, and then missed a couple and then three years, and then the habit was gone.

I agree with Beth and Boomer - PJs AND fire!

I just visited with someone who was staying at a camp grounds. Brought back memories, though the tent camping I've done has been outside camp grounds.

Just spent 11 days in a 1959 VW bus camping. Yosemite, Big sur, Monterey. Bus broke down in Big sur. Rented U-Haul truck & trailer to haul it back to San Bernadino (450 miles,$ 1000 extra).

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I get much solitude from wilderness camping. As an offshoot to my simple living work, I now use the practice of "voluntary solitude" to give me a more peaceful life. The same way I pick and choose which complexities of living I allow in my life, I now do the same with noise and commotion. I first learned of this concept when reading a book by the granddaddy of backpacking Colin Fletcher. He described the benefits of pure solitude by walking alone. It occurred to me I was addicted to noise and commotion. I felt like my mind was going to explode some days. Music and noise kept repeating in my brain all night and my sleep was fitful. I had the TV blasting all day with the stock channel or the news or whatever. It didn't matter if I watched it or not, I just liked the noise. I had the radio or CD going whenever I was driving. Even on the trail when hiking or biking, I had on earphones and at the pool a radio blaring. My mind was full of noise and I could never seem to get any escape with noise even in my sleep.

Once I started with voluntary solitude and shut off the noise, I went though a period of noise withdrawal for a few days, but gradually could see things were getting better. Sometimes our peace is disturbed by other means than noise. I've seen persons going out to be alone in nature and they bring their computer or paperwork with them. Maybe they have removed some of the fuel for their stressed life but cannot let go of it all and must still feed their addiction even while in nature. Be aware of peace disrupters in your life, irrespective of whether they make sounds or not. I now am very choosy when it comes to noise pollution and other disruptions entering me that can be cured by using solitude, deep quiet and renunciation. When we are quiet within we are in an easier position to find peace. I've known some people that have a completely quiet day once per week seeking quiet for their mouth and speak to no one in addition to seeking quiet for their ears. Other persons I have talked with just make an effort to lower the volume of the noise they intake as well as lowering the volume of the noise they output...lowering their voice. No matter which road you choose, now is a wonderful time to seek the solitude of nature and practice voluntary solitude in whatever degree you choose, as the crowds have gone as well as the distraction of annoying bugs and the leaves will be blazing with their rainbow of colors shortly.



Take Care,

The best part about camping is.......Food, laghing, trees, clean air.

LOVE CAMPING!!

The best part is: everything!

I like the aspect of exploring and being able to let it all hang out without the worry about lots of rules and neighbours. I like the simplicity of it; the chance to look at things that aren't all man-made.

Camping gives me an excuse to walk around in clothes that are 'questionable'. No make-up, no products, no worries.
I always get in great shape when I go camping: hiking, fetching water, I actually cook! , swimming...aaahh, it's the life. And it never feels like work: it's always fun and I feel calm.

I love fires sitting around and having nice talks, maybe getting a bit rowdy and having quasi-philosophical discussions about the stars etc. haha.

It's amazing what you find out about people when you go camping with them! I have strengthened ties; and I have found out nasty habits/inclinations about folks out campin'.

I'm jealous...i wanna go camping now