This is an excerpt from the new book I co-authored with Forest Woodward, The Camping Life: Inspiration and Ideas for Endless Adventure (available at Bookshop, Amazon, REI, and your local bookstore). The title of this piece in the book is “A Brief List of Feelings You Can Experience Camping That You [Nearly] Can’t Get Anywhere Else,” and it started as a list I was making to remind myself to get out and spend a few nights under the stars. All of these photos were taken by Forest, and either appear in the pages of the book or are from the outtakes.
1. The satisfaction of finding the perfect log or rock to sit on, even if it’s not as comfortable as a chair
2. Gratitude for the technology in a waterproof tent fly as raindrops tap (or downpour) on it
3. Being present enough to stare into a campfire for several minutes and not get bored doing it
4. Being dirty but not feeling dirty because a shower (and society) is several miles away
5. The solitude of knowing there are no other human beings within a half-day walk of where you are
6. The subconscious calm of having no cell phone service for a couple consecutive days
7. The joy of escaping the buzz of overheard cell phone calls, video streaming, or music booming from another person’s phone speakers
8. The liberation from needing to make choices on food, drink, or reading materials because you’re carrying your only options in your pack
9. The joy of letting yourself sit next to a lake and stare at it because you have time
10. The unexpected increase in joy of eating food after working up a hunger from being outside all day
11. The satisfaction of being able to carry everything you need in a pack or the trunk of a car
12. Getting lost in conversation with your friends without the distraction of cellphones
13. The smell of campfire on your clothes
14. Excusing yourself from your household to-do list because you’re miles away from laundry, paying bills, repairs, and errands
15. Going to bed early when you’re tired without any late-night screen time or e-mails to keep you up
16. The uninhibited sounds of wild animals
17. The rustle of wind moving through the trees
18. The view over the top of your morning cup of coffee
19. The feeling of not caring what time it is because you only have to worry about when it gets light outside and when it gets dark
20. Quenching your thirst with water that’s cold because it was snow a few minutes earlier
The Camping Life is available through Bookshop, Amazon, and independent bookstores everywhere.
