Summer Time is Here!

There’s nothing I like better in the summer than spending some time in the great outdoors. And, with spending time in the great outdoors, often comes the camping experience!

Now, I’m not a particularly girly girl. If anything, I’m a bit more of a tomboy. And so it’s not surprising to most people that I would enjoy the odd night or two in a tent every now and then.

My propensity for spending time in the outdoors is increased by the fact that, as a student, money is not exactly plentiful. Accommodation can be very expensive these days, even with the multitude of Airbnb and other short term rental accommodation being available. In general accommodation is also pretty pricey near beautiful places in nature, since they tend to attract lots of tourists which often have more disposable income than moi!

Anyway, that is all to say that the order of the day is camping! I haven’t yet decided where to camp this summer, but I’ve always had my eye on Yosemite. I’ve seen so many photos of Yosemite and have been absolutely blown away. I would absolutely love to head there for a long weekend, put up my tent in the shade, and spend some time with some friends around the campfire, taking in the majesty of mother nature.

When I tell people I enjoy camping, a lot of them assume that my version of camping is a pretty watered down version of camping. In other words, people think I am enjoying the benefits of a camper van or something like that. But, make no mistake, when I mean camping, I mean camping! In essence, I have a tent that fits four people that I bought from MSR a few years ago, along with a couple sleeping bags. Added to those are a few pots and pans that are fairly lightweight and suitable for cooking by the fire, and that’s pretty much it.

Some of my friends can’t believe that I actually camp and rough it this much. But the reality is that I enjoy the experience. There’s something lovely about falling asleep outside next to a stream or babbling brook. There’s something about breathing the fresh air too. It’s funny, but I think I’ve never slept so soundly in my bedroom as I have in a tent outside. Everything seems in complete harmony when I do that.

That isn’t to say that camping doesn’t have its awkward or scary moments. All of us have some story about waking up in a tent in the middle of the night and needing to go to the bathroom, and the hilarity that ensues! I also had a few scary experiences where I heard sounds of large animals outside my tent, checking the place out. I’ll never know exactly what was out there, but my mind was certainly imagining all sorts of big, ferocious beasts as I laid there in my tent, sweating it out!

Anyway, I’m in the course of planning my next camping trip and I couldn’t be more excited! I will write up another blog post cataloguing my adventure, which will perhaps inspire some of you to get this whole crazy camping thing a try!