The Outdoor Scene

I’ve been hearing how camping is experiencing an upswing again, which got me wondering how it all started. Thanks to Google and a research paper on the American Camp Association’s web site, I learned organized camping got its start in the late 1800s because people were worried about the effect technology was having on their kids and the environment. When the 1920s roared in, people fretted over spectatoritis. That disease, maybe the pre-curser to nature deficit disorder, was thought to be the result of people so oriented towards being spectators; they ceased being active participants in their own lives. Camping was again a suggested cure as it was in the 1970s when anxiety about the environment and children’s sedentary lifestyles sparked a resurgence.

Here we are today, in the part of the cycle where we’re again worried about our nation’s children, the economy and the environment. As a result, we’re going camping in droves. While there’s nothing new about the need to camp, there are a lot more options now for when, how and where you’ll do it. Mary Burnham, co-author of “Car Camping for Everyone,” breaks it down so your future trips are exactly what you want them to be.

Mary, who has co-authored six books and hundreds of magazine articles on hiking, paddling and camping with her husband Bill, reminds us there are millions of camping options on public and private land. You just have to know what you want. Following is her check list to help you plan your first or next trip.

Where and when to go camping
- Think about what destination you’d like to camp at: lakes, beaches, forests or mountains.
- Consider how far you’re willing to travel. Do you want to treat your peepers to a completely new vista? Or are you searching for rest and relaxation within an hour’s drive of home?
- Who is going on the trip? What interests do they have? Some parks offer planned activities for families while at others you’re on your own to entertain yourself.
- Decide what amenities you need to have. Do you want a secluded site with a picnic table and fire ring? Or do you need a hot shower, cooking grill and water and electrical hookups?
- How much do you want to spend? While camping is a low cost vacation, fees vary depending on whether you’re at a public land campground with few amenities or a private campground with a marina, self-service laundry and recreation room.
-Factor in who you’re going with. Is this a family trip or a large group camp out? That will determine what site or sites you may need.
- Once you’ve selected what scenery you’d like to enjoy over your morning cup of coffee, you can narrow down your final destination to public parks, public lands or private campgrounds.
- National and state parks offer great campgrounds, often with many amenities.
- Public lands such as national forests, wildlife refuges and Bureau of Land Management property offer campgrounds that may have fewer amenities but may be cheaper and less crowded.
- Search for public land campgrounds at:
www.nps.gov
www.fs.fed.us
www.blm.gov
www.fws.gov/refuges
- Check out your state park agency Web site as well.
- Check out private campgrounds at www.gocampingAmerica.com or www.koa.com
- Read online reviews of prospective campgrounds to see what others thought of their experiences.
- If you want to avoid crowds, pay attention to dates and locations so you don’t end up camping near an event such Bike Week or a NASCAR race. Also, consider going mid-week, when everyone else is at work.
- Finally, wherever and whenever you decide to go, make sure you reserve your site and avoid the disappointment of pulling into a campground that has its no vacancy sign out.
*You can reserve national lands sites up to six months in advance at: <http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/reservations/nrrs.shtml>  
*You can reserve many state park campgrounds up to 11 months in advance at <http://www.reserveamerica.com> 

If you want more great camping advice, I recommend checking out Mary’s book. What I love about it is the layout makes it easy to find and absorb the information. It packs a lot of tips in lists and short bullet points under pertinent photos. The chapters are logically organized and specific so you don’t have to read the whole book. Just find the information you want and dig in.

The Burnhams specialize in hiking in Virginia. To find a great hike, go to http://www.burnhamvirginia.com/hike.html

You can follow my updates on Facebook at facebook.com/tammy.sapp2 and Twitter @TammyDianeSapp.

So baby let’s sell your diamond ring
Buy some boots and faded jeans and go away
This coat and tie is choking me
In your high society you cry all day
We’ve been so busy keepin’ up with the Jones
Four-car garage and we’re still building on
Maybe it’s time we got back to the basics of love

-Luckenbach Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) Waylon Jennings, 1977

Waylon’s powerful baritone in this anthem to the simple life is as unforgettable as the hard economic times the country faced in the late ‘70s. For those of us old enough to remember, getting back to the basics was more of a necessity than a choice for many Americans.

And now, more than 30 years later, here we go again. This country’s economic woes hang over us like the cloud that floated over Pigpen’s head in Charlie Brown. Skillful, dedicated workers are laid off, houses are lost and lives, if not ruined, are horribly disrupted.

Unless you’re a believer in the apocalypse, you can trace the history of the world as a series of bad times followed by good times. The Dark Ages and the Renaissance. The American Civil War and the Reconstruction Era. Through it all, humans have thrived when they could and endured when they had to.

Some say we wouldn’t know or appreciate prosperity without hardship. In fact, if there’s a bright spot, coping with adversity can bring out people’s better qualities. Entrepreneurship takes off. Thriftiness becomes admirable. And there’s a new yearning and appreciation for the simpler things in life. The love of our friends and family. The feeling of being connected to nature. Traits that will help us regain our foothold in our quest for success.

We’re already seeing signs that this idea of getting back to the basics is catching on. There’s an Allstate Commercial where Dennis Haysbert reminds us America has endured 12 recessions since the Great Depression.  Haysbert’s voiceover “After the fear subsides …people start enjoying the small things in life” is underscored by photos of families enjoying a home cooked meal and young boys shooting hoops in the driveway. I don’t usually rave on commercials, but this one is spectacularly done because it recognizes the pendulum effect of our economy and reminds us of our resilience.

A 2009 TripAdvisor travel survey verifies that this return to the basics is not just something you’ll see in a commercial. One of the primary trends identified is people are planning to enjoy the outdoors. A whopping 73 percent of respondents said they plan to visit a national park while 53 percent plan to go hiking.

Camping is also on America’s agenda this year as attendance and sales were up at recent RV shows in Michigan, Maryland, Utah and Florida. It’s a buyer’s market now and even with the cost of an RV, camping is still 27 to 61 percent less expensive than other types of vacations.

News such as this begs the question, will more people also hunt?  A reference to a study in the book “The Future of Hunting and Shooting Sports” suggests there’s a correlation between new housing starts and license sales. The study looked at 43 variables including economic data and found that as new housing starts increased, the sale of hunting licenses decreased. This could be the result of a couple of different factors: urbanization takes away hunting land or access to it and/or increased construction activity leaves less time for hunting (another part of the study found many hunters are in the construction business).

Doesn’t it stand to reason that if housing starts decrease then hunting and fishing license sales will increase? While researchers may not have the answer to that one yet, it sounds logical. And hopefully it would have a snowball effect as men (who make up the majority of hunters and anglers), would introduce their wives, girlfriends, sons and daughters to the woods and waters.

Hunting and fishing are great back-to-the-basics activities because not only will you enjoy the time spent outdoors, you can fill your freezer with healthy, nutritious meat that any locavore would love.

That reminds me of another classic country song by Hank Williams, Jr. Released in 1981, “Country Boy Can Survive” is an ode to survival and self sufficiency that rose to the top of the charts when times were tough in America. For many, the message still resonates today.

And we can skin a buck; we can run a trot-line
And a country boy can survive

Come to think of it, so can a country girl.

This is a difficult period for many Americans. But have faith. Plant a garden this spring. Go turkey hunting. Enjoy a picnic at a nearby state park. Watch the birds at your feeder. Catch a fish. And live like you mean it.