The Wonderful World of Camping
Vacation…is a common happening for many families, sometimes in the summer and sometimes in the winter. At ten years old, summer vacation was the most anticipated event in the year. In the early 1960’s, it was a challenge for common everyday working folks, like our family, to be able to finance a weeklong trip, and though we might be on a tight budget, my parents always tried to provide for the family at least one fun filled holiday a year. Our vacation in 1960 was one of the most eventful I can remember.
In an effort to save money, our family began to investigate the art of camping. Camping IS an art. Campers are the most obvious example of a class system that exists in modern times. The lowly camper is the camper, who gathers rocks to construct a safe campfire pit, and then scavenges the outlying area for firewood, because you can’t cut the trees or damage the environment. He then builds his fire, cooks and prepares his food, which he killed or captured himself, warms himself with the heat from the blazing inferno, and is able to see his surrounding via the glow from the fire itself. He sleeps on the ground, in the open, in sleeping a bag he purchased at the local five & dime, at a price of two for $5.99. He bathes in the nearby creek, lake, or campground bathhouse, where privacy is a premium. The lowly camper relieves himself at a close proximity large tree, where he can hide from view, and if he really must ‘relieve’ himself( take a dump, for those of you who don’t understand), he can hang it over a low tree limb, being careful to avoid poison oak, poison ivy, and the critters and wildlife, who may be interested to see what is taking place. You must also remember to bring your own paper (and I am not referring to reading material), and when finished the paper must be disposed of properly. One may also use the un-sanitary bath house facilities.
The next class of camper invests a little more money than the lowly camper. The sheltered camper, buys himself a tent for shelter, however meager that may be, it is a semblance of shelter. He is protected from the elements. (Well, at least he not out in the open.) The sheltered camper obtains his sleeping bag from a camping supply or sporting goods store. His sleeping bag provides protection to 20 degrees below zero. (The average low temperature in projected to be 68 degrees, but if a cold front should move in, he is prepared.) His tent comes with complete erection instructions, written on a sixth grade level, in four languages, and an 800 phone number if he needs help. If the sheltered camper wishes, he may purchase an inflatable mattress for a more comfortable sleep, a propane operated camp stove, a propane lantern, and a propane heater. Of course food can be purchased at the grocery store or at the camp store, (at highly inflated prices). Many sheltered campers will build a campfire (for looks) and maybe even string some cheap lights around the campsite. *Special note: Bathing and attention to personal needs still have to be taken care of via the methods described above in ‘lowly camper.’
The pop-up camper is a more popular class than either of the first two. Pop-up campers are a ‘semi’ self-contained method of camping. The ease of transporting the camper to the selected site is easier than hauling all of the sheltered camping equipment, which many times require a small trailer. Everything needed or required, with maybe the exception of food, can be stored in the pop-up itself. The pop-up does require a small amount of mechanical aptitude, to be able to set it up correctly. After performing setup once or twice, one can become an efficient at erecting the pop-up. Remember too, depending on the facilities of the pop-up itself, some bathing and personal needs may still be required to be performed as described above.
The self-contained camper, or as the elitist like to refer to it, the ‘travel trailer’, is indeed, and for the most part, self-contained. This type of camping requires two major prerequisites. It required a lot of mechanical ability and a lot of money, which, of course put it out of the range of our family.
Thank you for the wonderful article on "everything you'd ever want to know about camping." You'll be left out two things: the fun, and when in the woods without paper, please select the largest and softest leaves you can find to do the job. ;-)
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