Camping is better than Pucca

We’ve gotten several of our friends into camping, but it wasn’t always an easy sell. Here are a few of their arguments that I have compiled over the years.

• It won’t be fun. Compared to what, twittering 140 characters at a time to a bunch of complete strangers, er “followers” all morning? Yes, there’s no way breathing fresh mountain air and watching a bald eagle soar over a lake can top that. Nature 2.0 is pretty cool, too!
• The kids will get bored. The same kids that stare at “Pucca” on the TV set for 30 minutes without moving a muscle or showing any signs of life, whatsoever?
• You need lots of expensive camping gear. So skip a restaurant meal or two, next week. $100 will probably get you everything you need at your local superstore. You just need a tent, an ice chest, some sleeping bags and some sleeping pads (trust me on the sleeping pads). Most other camping gear is really just expensive stuff that you already have, like pots, pans, food containers and utensils.
• We might get attacked by wild animals. Wild animals don’t want you, they want your food. Don’t sleep with your food.
• There is no place to camp around here. You’d be surprised! Check with your local county parks and recreation department on the Internet to see if they manage any campgrounds. See “Types of Camping Spots” for more information about individual campsites.

Camping is a healthy escape for you and your family. We all tend to settle into a comfortable routine that lulls us into a zombie-like existence of alternating work and sleep. Nothing reinvigorates the creative juices faster than a clean break from the routine, and a weekend of camping, with its associated isolation from all things wireless, is a great way to accomplish that goal.

See also…

• 10 Things to do on your next camping trip
• 10 Kids Camping Activities
• To all Happy Campers