Jack’s Cabinet of Curiosities –Camping!
Jack’s Cabinet of Curiosities – Camping! As the month of August approached, dreams of a camping trip entered my families’ plans. After completing my summer jobs, an open time with family was greatly appreciated.
Camping to me means an experience outdoors with a tent for cover and cooking over an open fire. The closer to nature the better. This experience was achieved as a member of a Boy Scout troop. Most campouts started with a weekend experience several times a year, culminating with a week-long summer experience.
Positive experiences in scouting were passed onto my family. My wife and I became Boy Scout leaders, she with the Cubs and mine with Scouts and Explorers. This led to “High Adventure” trips to BWCA and a National Jamboree in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. The BWCA involved 13 in our crew to 28,000 scouts at the Jamboree.
Family camping provides an inexpensive way to travel with a family. Adaptability is the name of the game. Weather can complicate the plans you have made. The types of food available today make the challenge of cooking outdoors easier.
Mother and wife may find caring for the family is not as convenient on these trips. The home luxuries are left behind. However, families come closer as they experience a sense of cooperation in carrying out the camping chores.
We were able to camp and travel in a number of states and Canada. A favorite trip I recall often is a 10-day trip around Lake Superior. It was unhurried, with campfires near the lake, just our family, and the sounds of lapping water. What a relaxing atmosphere.
I found an enhancing way to continue the romance of the outdoors was to read Sig Olson and Calvin Rutstrom, writings of their outdoor experiences. Olson wrote with a more philosophical touch and Rurstrom a practical approach. Both provided enjoyable reading, but I respected Rutstrom as a self-taught wilderness person. His wilderness stories, I found, were a calming read at bedtime.
These men were environmentalists, believing that nature needed to be preserved in order to be enjoyed by future generations. Hopefully, we can continue to preserve our precious BCWA, Wild Life Preserves, and State Parks.
The desire for people to enjoy the outdoors is evident on Friday afternoons as many “Hit the Road” to the lake. As our country’s cities grew, leaders in many large cities realized many people could not afford to venture out of the city. Thus, a system of parks was created.
The design of many parks across the U.S. gave people a sense of serenity they needed as a relaxer from their work life. The trees, flowers, and green grass provide the calmness of life.