What is so special about going camping?

Question

I've never been, but some people say its good- it sounds nasty to me, cold, uncomfortable, and dirty!

Answer 1

It's not for everyone, you either love it or you hate it. I'm a real outdoors sort of person so I love it! Especially on hot summer evenings, sat under the stars, no traffic noise, a glass of (insert alcohol of choice) in your hand and a BBQ on the go. It can't be beaten! :o)

Answer 2

LOL! You sound like my sister. Every time we went camping as kids with my Dad she would sleep in the car.

It's about getting out of your comfort zone and getting back to nature. It's also about leaving the cell phones, TVs, computers at home and having some fun with the people you're going with. Pitching a tent, which is usually hysterical because no one can do it correctly, trying to make a fire, roasting hot dogs. Lots of good memories. Even if you wind up cold and dirty, it's the people you're with that count. Good memories.

Plus, you usually wind up drinking a few around the fire. Well, before kids that was.

Loosen up and have fun with it!

Answer 3

things that I have eaten on the trail:
-hamburgers
-funnel cake
-peachcobbler
-beef stoghannoff
-bass
-watermelon
-blueberry pancakes with fresh picked wild blueberries
-Indian cucmber
-fresh cooked pizza
-eggs and bacon
-sausage
-Bagelladi Bagels
-lots of other baked and fried and roasted and grilled and toasted foods as well as fresh foods.

things people I have known have eaten:
-Steak cooked slowly over a hardwood fire
-northern pike
-marble cake from scrath, not from a box
-lots of other cool stuff, especially desserts and main courses but also some side dishes and appetizers.

things that keep me comfortable:
-a tent with a rainfly
-a rainjacket
-a fleece
-a softshell
-a hammock
-a warm sleeping bag
-a comfortable sleeping mat
-wool hat and socks
-nice boots
-sandals
-a 5+ gallon solar shower( a black bag with a hose and a shower head, fill it, leave it in the sun, bathe, be happy
-anything a lot of other stuff that keeps me dry and warm and comfortable

Things that I know of other people bringing:
-an authentic Argentinan cotton hammock
-a mattress( it was a camp matress so it was mostly bigger, not more comfortable, but the point is that a guy brought it because he wanted to and nothing stopped him)
-sunglasses(mostly on canoe trips)
-sock liners
-a folding chair
-other stuff

By on the trail I generally mean moving everything you have using your own body for locomotion at least five miles. This could be by hiking or paddling in a boat or even pedaling on a bike. There are a few exceptions. The steak and mattress were only hiked in 2.5 miles to Blue Ledges, one of the top swimming holes in the world. On the other hand, the Argentinan hammock was carried 90 some odd miles and the folding chair probably a similar amount. My hammock has probably gone 150-200 miles with me, though not all on one trip. You can bake anything you want in a dutch oven or a reflector baker as long as you are allowed a fire, if you have to use camp stoves your dessert and patry menu is severely limited.
There is one time that I can think of when I was truly miserable hiking. I had a horrible cold, had a fever, my throst felt like somebody had gone over it with 40 grit sandpaper, and my sinuses felt like they were leaking acid. Just so you know, I didn't get sick from hiking, I got sick from other people back in "civilization." I have gotten many colds from clean civilization, none from "dirty" camping. something to think about when you are looking at the milky way and the Pleidades and watching a shooting star shoot across the night with the nearest light pollution 100 miles away.

Answer 4

I just started camping about 3 years ago. I was looking for an inexpensive way to take my kids on a vacation. It ended up being the best thing I could have done. No tvs, no video games. We caught butterflies and checked out plants, played outside games, we roasted marshmellows and made smores. We did day trips to Clarks Trading Post, Santa's Village and so on. We went on hikes, and waded in streams. The kids loved it so much and we enjoyed it too. After they went to bed we would sit around the campfire, chill, have some drinks and enjoy the fresh air and the quietness. It is very relaxing. We go every year now and we love it. I think you should try it out!!

Answer 5

"Roughing it" is the appeal. Getting back to nature, living like our forefathers, struggling with nature while learning to survive and thrive despite it. Many cultures where people are poor and struggling with meeting day to day needs don't see the appeal of venturing into the wilderness, but in first world, developed countries, many people spend their lives in offices and schools, never knowing hot, cold, or dirt, and a trip camping is a wonderful vacation from their regular world. Filing papers vs. chopping some wood and cooking over an open fire.

Answer 6

I agree with most peoples answers on this forum.
Camping is a great escape from the hassles of daily life. If you go to a camp-site these are fully equipped with showers etc and some have pubs. I would recommend ruffing it in the wilds when you have a little more experience of camping.
But try the experience before you knock it without trying it:)

Answer 7

It's fun! And there are different levels of camping so it doesn't have to be cold, wet and miserable. For full on adventure get yourself up a mountain and as long as your are prepared with ALL the proper equipement you still wont be cold or miserable. It's kind of like getting back to basics.
For the less adventurous you can go to camp sites and they have shower rooms with hot water and everything! Even hair dryers!!!

Answer 8

camping isn't for everybody. i look forward to it every year. my husband and me go with some friends. we take our dogs and set up out in the woods. start a fire. cook over it and talk. we just hang out. there's no worrying about what time it is and where we have to be and having to go here and there and everywhere. we hike if we want to. swim if we want to. it's very fun. but, like i said, it's not for everybody. it's not really that dirty. where we stay, you can drive a couple of miles and take a hot shower so that's what we do. you should try it once, see if you like it. i'd suggest going just after summer is over because there are less people there and all the kids are back in school.

Answer 9

Camping is GREAT....this is a time you get to spend with God's creatures and enjoy nature.You pick a time to go camping in the spring or summer time,b/c to me that`s the best time to go.The uncomfortable part,you get an air matress and take it with you instaed of sleeping on the ground,and put a blanket under the matress so the sticks or rocks don't enjure your matress.
If you ever go you will have a great time.it just depends on who you go with and who you have with you to go camping.You could have a awesome time and alot of fun.Check the forcast and go when it's NOT suppose to rain and it won't shouldn't be cold nor wet......and have someone to snuggle with,you will have a great time.

Answer 10

It sure beats paying for a motel room, and if you're trying to hide you don't need to go to a commercial campground.

You may end up having to take cold showers. People jump in and out and still feel dirty because they didn't stay in long enough to rinse all the soap off. Stay in a little longer and the water begins to feel warmer, just like when you jump into a swimming pool. In that extra half minute you can get rinsed off properly and feel just as clean as if you'd taken a hot shower.

Answer 11

Camping can be fun if well prepared. For starters it's fairly cheap and you can see stay in some fantastic areas such as the Lake District.

I would go in warm weather for starters! That gets rid of the cold element. As for uncomfortable you could always take a blowup bed.

Lastly I would recommend making sure there is pub nearby!