Camping: One Way to Recharge!

Friends and colleagues are often surprised to hear that as soon as the school year ends, my wife and I head out the door for a week or so of tent camping.  Incredulous, they ask: "You mean you don't have a camper van?  You sleep, like, in a tent on the ground?!" This is quickly followed by a series of questions around bathrooms, cooking, bugs & critters, and stormy weather. The conversation usually ends with: "Yeah. I'm not doing that."

We love it. To be clear: We have not camped in the remote desert, Rocky Mountains, or anywhere near grizzly bears; for the last 20 years a favorite and annual family and neighbors' camping trip has been to Nickerson State Park on the Cape.   It's camping (and bugs, cold showers, a lack of privacy, etc.) but it's not exactly the wilderness!  I mean, we can make coffee on the camp stove or jump in the car to the Chocolate Sparrow in Orleans for an iced beverage and pastry.  (It's often the latter.)

But we love the experience and the work, focus, and intention it takes to plan your trip, pitch a tent, build a fire, and figure out a meal.  You can't help but attend to the task at hand and put the work day and the problems back at school out of your mind while you coax your damp fire pit into a roaring blaze. For sure, camping involves lots of work and incoveniences, but the rewards of sitting by the fire with friends, walking on the beach at low tide, observing the stars at night, or taking an unhurried dip in Flax Pond early in the morning before you grill up some pancakes... well, it certainly clears the head after a long school year.  And we all need time like this - with family, friends, and nature - to rejuvenate, relax, take a breath, and gain perspective.

In her blog post, How Nature Changes the Mind, UCLA's Diana Winston offers that spending time in nature provides the mind and body a much needed way to stay connected to yourself and the world around you.  She writes: 

"Some of the scientific research being done about the effect of nature on our bodies may illuminate the reasons (nature is rejuvenating). Studies out of Japan show that leisurely forest walks decrease cortisol levels, decrease blood pressure and heart rate, and reduce anxiety. Some Finnish studies show that people receive long-term emotional boosts after spending just five hours a month in nature.

Some theorists believe that human beings have a deep-rooted affinity to nature due to thousands of years we spent living in the wild. They suggest we are genetically predisposed to prefer natural environments and in such environments our bodies function at optimal health and wellbeing."

After a week of camping we reluctantly pack up and head home with soggy gear, sunburn, a couple bug bites, and dirty clothes.  I'm not going to lie:
My back is also a little achy from nights spent on the cot.

But the simple beauty of tent camping, good friends sharing stories late into the night, and long runs on the beach provide a much needed respite from the hectic and often frenzied and perplexing world in which we live. 

Everything is just, well, better after camping. 

Give it a try!