Camping Is...

The sun began to rise as eight exhausted teenagers trudged back to their tents.  Reluctant to let the night die, we went our separate ways to get a couple hours of sleep before helping to make breakfast for the forty families that make up the Happy Wanderers, our camping group1

Three hours later, we are cleaning the cooking utensils from breakfast, and are as awake as ever.  The smells that waft around the campsites are of egg, fried dough, and bacon.  Finally, breakfast is ready, and as the coffee hits everyone's brains, the conversation level rises and we share stories with our families about the last night.  The parents were sitting by the fire until two in the morning, and the kids played Star Wars until midnight.  We, the teens, spent that night lying on a field, watching falling stars and discussing everything from crushes to existentialism to politics.  2

While most teenagers would experience this kind of weekend once, or maybe twice in their lives, my small group of friends have times like this all the time.  Most of us have been camping longer than we remember, and cannot imagine life without these weekends.  3

When I was little, camping was my escape from reality, where I went on weekends for a treat.  But as I grew up, I realized that camping is not an escape from the ordinary world, but rather an interactive classroom.  At the age of five, I learned things like to stay away from bees, and then, as I grew, I learned not to judge people based on age, race, or economic boundaries.  I would never have been friends with some of my even closest friends, had I never learned this.  Also, I have learned to listen to everybody, no matter the age, because everybody has meaningful knowledge to share.  Soon after her fiftieth anniversary, the 85 year old Nana shared her past experiences of the natural signs of the onset of winter, and that same day, a five year old 'taught' me that squirrels collect nuts in the winter.4

The most amazing part of camping, though, is the feeling of family.  Our group has celebrated births, weddings, anniversaries, and graduations.  None of us would trade anyone in the group for another person.5

Reflecting back on the last eighteen years of my life, I now realize I have learned many life and people skills in the numerous campgrounds that we have stayed in.  Everything from elementary skills to teaching skills, it seems, have been learned while on a small piece of land described as, "pull through site, water, electric, and sewer available."6