F. David Shelene

I squinted through barely open eyes to see if it was daylight yet. The smell of canvas was strong. I could see a little light coming through the tent so I decided to get up. There was a little fog in the air drifting through the trees. We always rolled a big log over on the fire before we went to bed so there would be hot coals in the morning to start a fire. I went to the fire pit, rolled the log off, and placed a large pile of wood chips on the coals. It started smoking right away and in a few minutes a blazing fire was burning. The birds were creating quite a musical background that morning and chipmunks scurried around in search of the perfect acorn, their comical looking little jaws stuffed full of food for the coming winter months. The burning wood smelled great, as did the now almost done scrambled eggs that we always cooked in the morning. We had even cooked them once in small pans formed out of aluminum foil because we had forgotten our frying pans. Nothing tastes quite as good as food cooked over a wood fire.

This is how I remember our mornings camping when I was a child. Camping is a joy many people will never experience. Many people must think we are crazy to sit and stare at a burning wood fire for hours at a time, talking quietly, or saying nothing, just enjoying the moment and place.

The woods are a fascinating place. You can go for a walk in the woods and see things you will never see at home. The smells and sounds are all different.

To really experience the woods or fields you need to be there around the clock, in the morning, during the day, in the evening, and at night; especially at night.

To hear a screech owl at night is to remember that sound forever. To see two eyes shining in your flashlight, looking a little spooky is to feel a chill and excitement that you can feel nowhere else.

When you hear leaves rustling and a stick break loudly in the darkness, just outside the ring of light provided by your fire, is enough to send a small child into the tent early, asking Dad what that sound was, and with memories that they will talk about the rest of their lives.

Lying on your back and looking skyward at more stars than you can imagine, you watch one of them moving slowly across the sky, a satellite, possibly looking right back at you.

Go camping! Many State Parks have ‘Rent A Camp’ programs for those who don’t have equipment. Call your State Tourism Department and ask them for information on Rent a Camps and locations.

Remember that A bad day camping is always better than a good day at work.