Outdoor Camping Leaves Lasting Memories
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Our family hiking during an outdoor camping excursion to Red River Gorge, KY
Some of my fondest childhood memories revolve around outdoor camping. I can vividly recall sitting around the campfire and my dad’s friend telling stories about the mountain lions and bears they had seen in the area, and getting scared to death that they’d pop out of the dark to get me! But, being scared just added to the experience, and then the next morning we’d run through the fields, pick flowers, bathe in the creek, scour the area for unique rocks or hike to beautiful spots. All was right with the world during those outdoor camping trips.
Now that I’m the parent, I still enjoy outdoor camping — and I love that I’m getting to share the same experiences I had as a child with my own son!
When my husband and I started camping 20 years ago, our camping gear was sparse. We borrowed a tent and a Coleman outdoor camping stove and forgot (or couldn’t afford) many of the needed utensils and other useful camping equipment. After a few years we purchased a tent, then a 1972 hardside Apache pop up camper, and now have moved on to a 1998 Coleman Santa Fe popup.
We have had many memorable experiences in ‘The Great Outdoors’ and hopefully, through this site, I can share with you some of the things we have learned that will make your outdoor camping experience easier and more enjoyable. I will be including everything from ‘must have’ camping gear items to camping recipes to great outdoor camping trips you can take. Whether you are planning to primitive camp in the middle of nowhere, or RV camping with full electric and satellite TV, the suggestions on the pages to come will hopefully help you somehow in your adventures. I’m also asking that you share your outdoor camping stories and make us aware of things that have made your trips more pleasant so we can all benefit from them.
