As most people already know, I am a big fan of camping. I’m not really sure why to be honest, but there’s something about being in the wilderness with nothing but a bit of nylon between you and the outdoors that I’ve always found appealing. Maybe it started years ago when my dad and I used to crash out in his camper when I was a kid. Maybe it was all those trips I did with Brennen and Jeff in the old days. Needless to say, it’s one of the things about summer I always look forward to.
Last summer was unique — it was the only summer in ages where I looked back and actually felt like I did enough camping. I did a road trip by myself through the North Cascade mountains in Washington, hit Cultus Lake with the usual suspects, and even did a weekend trip up to Birkinhead Lake with my friend Rob. In other years though, I spent most of the summer wishing I could find the time to go camping, but never actually found the time to pull it off that often.
One of the reasons I moved back home was to have the opportunity to go camping whenever I wanted. Given that I’m only about a five minute drive from Cultus Lake, I’m hoping that I’ll be able to scoot up there from time to time this summer and snag some prime camping real-estate for me and some friends.
In addition, I’m hoping to do a road trip sometime this summer, most likely in July or August. Most of the KOAs in the US have Wi-Fi these days, so as long as I’m working for Canadian clients, there’s no reason I can’t simply hop in the car and spend a couple of weeks leisurely bouncing between campgrounds down south. My friend Jason also introduced me to a little CDMA device down south that basically lets you be online whenever you want, so maybe I can get my hands on one of those as well.
Part of the fun for me is just playing it all by ear. Years ago I woke up one morning and had the urge to do a road trip. I wound up in San Francisco a few days later, having driven down the coast for something to do. So I imagine one day this summer it may be the same. I’ll just wake up one morning, load my camping gear into the car, and start heading south.
Provincial parks typically open for the May long weekend, so I’m trying to keep my schedule open with the expectation that I’ll hit a campground that weekend. After that, I’ll probably do the odd weekend camping trip, maybe even hitting Goldstream again on Vancouver Island. And hopefully at some point this summer, will be blogging from a picnic table somewhere down south, maybe in the Rockies somewhere.
I feel the same way! I think it’s because our solid brick and mortar walls create a sense of seclusion, in a world where seclusion is hard to find. Alas, the sense is false. When I am camping, the seclusion is more natural, space and trees separate me from my neighbours, rather than wood and bricks and cement, and I think it helps to remind me of how small I truly am, as are my problems. Seeking persepctive tends to be my main goal when camping.
I find I sleep way better when I’m camping. Unless of course people are tossing rocks at your feet while you sleep.
I’m hoping to go camping this summer, its been about 3 years since I last went.
The campsites I like are the ones were you have to 4×4 to get into and or when there are a over 500 other scouts around who haven’t slept in days.
Camping is one thing that I will never grow tired of. I agree with Kimm – the best sites are the ones that need 4×4 or when you just pick a spot and setup rather than the busy campgrounds that are not a lot different than being in town.
We went camping last weekend spur of the moment, which was great. We drove up past Powell River to a small forestry campground we’d found on another trip and it was fantastic – just us, right on the ocean. Perfect.
The best part was being gone just one night and getting back feeling like we’d been gone for days.
Can’t wait to do more this summer!
Yah I dunno. There are lots of different ways to camp. On one side is “car camping”, where you can easily transport beer to the campground. On the opposite side is “backpack camping”, which I’ve done too. I think most car camping is way different than being in town, even without a 4×4. Cultus Lake is pretty secluded, even though it’s a popular provincial park. I’ve done more secluded camping down Chilliwack Lake Road, but once you hit the legal drinking age, there’s not much point (other than the amazing view of the stars, which come to think of it, is a pretty good reason).
But yah, I <3 camping.
I like camping because it lets me eat BBQ and drink beer for three meals a day without feeling guilty!
Dude, you gotta come camping with us this summer. It’s a blast!