Camping - What is so much fun about sleeping on the ground?
People get on my case about going camping, especially solo. They worry that the nylon tent is not secure or I will catch cold from sleeping on the ground?
I figure if they have to ask, they will never know. Camping for me is refreshing. Yes, one time I did. I was inside a gore-tex shell along a well populated bear path to water. That tent felt flimsy that night.
Ah, but you see, camping is more than the tent. Not just the tent or the ground, it is everything. The being outdoors breathing fresh air, hearing no machines or city traffic. It is the listening to the waterfalls and waiting by a bird’s nest to see the parent come to feed its young. It is birdwatching from inside the home of the bird.
No I do not think of camping as a miserable way to sleep. When I choose my campsite carefully it is as safe as a hotel and a lot cheaper. I am usually very comfortable because I go camping well prepared for all sorts of weather and inclement conditions.
If I do not lie on the ground and watch the stars at least 4 times a year (once for every season), I feel cheated. Yes, I like to lie outside ON the Ground in almost the same place in each season. Sometimes I am so busy enjoying the stars I do not fall asleep until almost morning. (at least the same field).)
When I learned how to call owls by mimicking their sounds my camping adventures took a new turn. Incredible. Now night bird listening is as exciting as watching birds during the day.
Yes, my friends and colleages think I am crazy. Maybe its true. But if this is crazy I am glad to be outdoors enjoying the gifts of nature and feeling the energy of the earth. Okay, maybe that sounds odd but it is true for me.
A weekend in the wilderness with my camping gear and birding binoculars can recharge my spirit like nothing else can. I am in touch with all creation.