The sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night.” ― Haruki Murakami, Dance Dance Dance
Mid-August has arrived in all its glory. The tomatoes are ready for harvesting, the temperatures of the rivers, lakes and oceans are toasty warm, and the crickets are singing. Nature is inviting you to revel in its riches by spending a night or more in the outdoors, listening to the howl of the coyotes, a barn owl hooting or a lone bull frog making his predictable guttural sounds. Nature is inviting you to study the night sky away from the brilliance of artificial light. How can you pass up this invitation?
I presume when you hear the word “camping” multiple memories (some pleasant, some not so pleasant) come to mind depending on past experiences. Maybe for you, camping means stuffing your backpack with gear and freeze dried meals and hiking over a mountain to find a camping location; or maybe it means packing your vehicle with camping equipment, driving to a state or national park and setting everything up under a lean-to; or maybe it means pitching a tent in your backyard and telling tall tales while roasting marshmallows to a charred crisp; or perhaps it means scattering several sleeping bags around a room and strumming on your guitar. Regardless of what camping is for you, the time is nigh.
I am smitten with camping and have been since I was first sent to a Girl Scouts of America overnight camp at the young age of seven. Though I was clueless upon arrival, that one week sold me on camping. It was so special to learn about the outdoors, discover how to build and maintain a cooking fire and experience the magic which takes place when singing songs around the nightly campfire circle. Of course, there were the unpleasant memories; too many mosquitoes, the Bisquick on a stick that kept melting into the fire and the (hold your nose) outhouses.
From then on, camping became an annual foray for me – something unique and extremely rewarding. And though I hadn’t intended to, I now have a collection of tents including: a one person tent, a two person tent, a four person tent, an eight-person tent (which I have had since the early 1980s) and most recently, thanks to my eldest son’s thoughtfulness, a five-person canvas tent.
Yet in good weather I forgo all of those coverings and pull out my small Thermarest air mattress, sheets and a blanket and sleep under the stars. For me, there is nothing more precious and fulfilling than gazing up into the night sky, observing all the summer constellations and planets and a few hours later waking up to the sunrise and the steamy morning dew.
Yes, camping this summer is a bit different and perhaps a bit less convenient. There are new rules about social distancing, wearing face coverings and making reservations. If hiking in the backcountry, there are limits on how many individuals can camp in certain locations and some trails are totally shuttered. Locating camping equipment is more challenging as demand is greater than the supply.
At the same time, much about a camping experience remains unchanged. Multiple state and national park campgrounds are open and anxiously awaiting your visit. The nighttime scavengers still come looking for food scraps and the unforeseen rain showers will occasionally create havoc.
Yes, it is indeed the time to go camping. There are new memories to be made, new sights and sounds to uncover and a million new tiny meaningful occurrences to reflect upon. Go and get out in the wild. I am off to appreciate another night on my deck.
“The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us. Thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing. The trees wave and the flowers bloom in our bodies as well as our souls, and every bird song, wind song, and tremendous storm song of the rocks in the heart of the mountains is our song, our very own, and sings our love.”
― John Muir
See you on the PATH Ahead,
Shevonne, Gillian, Amy and Ashley, the VEHI PATH team