Camping – The Poor Man’s Vacation

So my wife’s side of the family wants to go camping this summer and my wife wants to take the kids and the dog. “It will be fun,” she says. Now I never understood the concept of camping. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that outdoor recreation can be fun and getting away from the city and spending some time in “God’s country” can be refreshing. But is it worth the risk? If you’re asking, “What risk?” I’m talking about the risk of bear attacks. If you’ve already read my tangent about sharks I basically follow the same logic. It’s not the low percentage of encountering a bear that frightens me but that there is ANY percentage to begin with. Who really wants to hit the “Bear Lotto?” Furthermore, the drive is going to take about six hours. SIX HOURS! That's a lot of trouble just to get eaten by a bear.

My ancestors HAD to camp. But with the advent of “The House” it seems silly to trade in protective walls, running water, and a sturdy roof for a tent that could be taken down by one swipe of a bear claw. Not to mention trading in a nice soft bed for a sleeping bag that amounts to being a human soft taco to bears. Now that’s major regression. We don’t seek to build cars that are slower and less fuel-efficient. So why seek to do that with our living situation? I guess you could argue it’s only temporary and a change of scenery every now and again is good for you.

My wife went and ordered a tent online because we didn’t have one of our own. My initial thought was, “We’re going to pay for a tent that we’re probably only going to use once every few years, which will also take up space in the garage.” Wonderful. But once the tent arrived and my wife set it up in the backyard just to see if it worked properly, the kids had an absolute blast playing in the tent. The excitement and the utter glee expressed on their little faces was a site to see. Becoming a parent is nuts. When your children experience new and exciting things, you experience the same excitement with them.

Okay. Maybe camping could be fun and build some wonderful memories with our family. But just like every Jurassic Park movie, it always starts out with excitement and awe but ends with running and screaming. Let’s hope this camping trip doesn’t follow the same script.