S'mores & the Great Outdoors
Posted by Margaret Berns in Family on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 5:59 AM
In theory, it seems ridiculous. Why would we choose to sleep outside? In a tent, on the cold, hard ground? As humorist Dave Barry puts it, “Camping is nature’s way of promoting the motel industry.”
Obviously, I disagree.
My friends and I have been dragging our families into the woods for several years now. In certain circles, this is known as “group camping; in others, it’s called insanity. We bring babies, toddlers and unwilling husbands. (The former, I am happy to report, are almost always on board by the end of the weekend. This has to do, I believe, with quality “guy” time.)
Why, you wonder, do we go to the trouble? Why go this route of “roughing” it?
I’ll tell you why: because we’re cheap. But also because it’s lots of fun.
What it lacks in AC it makes up for in rustic simplicity.
Why Camp?
Unlike our houses, which are fairly static in location, we have tremendous flexibility in how and where we camp. We can camp by ourselves, or with a group of four to five other families from church. This is how we usually camp. Our group will either reserve a row of 5 campsites right next to each other in the main campground, or reserve one of the group campsites that many of our campgrounds have. These sites typically are entirely separate from other groups, and give us some privacy and flexibility in how and where we set up.
Quality Time with Family & Friends
Call me crazy, but I am always more than happy to trade my lengthy domestic to-do list for a weekend away. I love that aspect of going camping. Once you’ve set up the tent and unpacked your dishes, there’s really nothing you have to do.
Slather on sunscreen. Spray on bug dope. Hang out.
How I Do It (P.S. This stuff is really good.)
There’s no real agenda when we go camping, which I love.The chores are gone.The housework is on hold. The computer and email are left behind. Maybe we’ll spend the afternoon at the beach; maybe we’ll go for a two-hour bike ride; maybe we’ll do nothing at all. Sometimes, if you have hyper-competitive kids like mines, you’ll watch them challenge the dads in a game of all-or-nothing volleyball … and lose, because those hyper-competitive kids came from a hyper-competitive dad who taunts them to send a postcard when they finally catch up to that spike he just hit past them.
Seriously, though? The kids love the freedom they have when camping. They get to play with their friends, be loud, explore the woods, and play outside games All Day Long. They love eating outdoors, and (no surprises here) they love the stories and s’mores after dark at the campfire.
Living Life al Fresco
Meals and cleanup are super easy when we go camping. Why? Because we make a lot of the meals ahead of time, and we make the older kids do the dishes.
We try to keep the meals simple — sloppy joes, beefy beans, hamburgers on the grill. My favorite take-along dish is chili — make it ahead and toss a container of sour cream & some cheese into the cooler. Yum.
Romance by Propane
There is nothing so fine as eating al fresco — the occasional spider notwithstanding. We have even been so bold, my beloved and I, as to tell the children to go play while the two of us enjoy a quiet meal. They usually comply, but when necessary our friend Joel acts as bouncer. (Having several kids of his own, he’s got a knack for it.)
Mass on Saturday
I have to say that one of my favorite things about group camping is attending the vigil Mass at a local country church. We quadruple their numbers when we show up! Plus I’m just a sucker for these beautiful old churches — the ones with stained-glass windows etched in German and an average of three statues per parishioner.
My mother always told me that there are special graces to be had when you visit a new parish. I am quick to claim these graces, and pray that God excuses my poofy, high humidity hair & wrinkled apparel. (I turn into Roseanne Roseannadanna when I camp. I accept this as one of the trade-offs.)
Stars and Sunsets, S’mores and Stories
I read somewhere that even five minutes of fresh air can improve your outlook. Imagine the good that a whole weekend can do! Honestly, I do not go camping to get a perfect night’s sleep. You know that, right? I do go to see things that I can’t see at home —an entire skyful of stars, for example, and heart-stoppingly gorgeous sunsets on the lake.
Why I Do It
Nature is different when you’re not in the suburbs. It just is, and your children will love you for taking them to see it.
Our night in the woods always ends with a campfire. The kids roast s’mores and/or make pudgie pies. They tell scary stories and corny jokes, and then, as it gets late and the smaller, then larger, kids trundle off to bed, the adults enjoy the time to talk, laugh and/or play cards in a screen tent.
(You see? We’re all about options when we go camping.)
All in all it’s a great way for us to connect — connect with our families, connect with our friends, and connect with nature. We return home, a little tired, a little dirty, and also terribly, wonderfully refreshed.
—Margaret Berns lives (and tent camps) in St. Paul, MN, where she and her family embrace the dirt and occasional bug bite. She blogs at Minnesota Mom..
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