Camping

Last weekend the wife and I packed the car up and took our right of passage, as all good Americans should, and went camping. The day of and the trip out was filled with anticipation and excitement, as this being our first outing of the season. About an hour into the trip we sat in a parking lot of traffic for two hours only moving five miles.

Needless to say the level of excitement was geared down a few notches.

As we sat in traffic, one of the worst fears associated with a weekend camper was coming true-it began to rain.

Now I must say, growing up in Colorado, there is and was only one kind of camping-tent.

I understand the RV culture with the satellite dishes, air conditioning and unlimited showers to prep for a day filled with golfing, bike riding and driving to see the various photo opportunities.

But to the camping purist, tent camping is the only way to experience the solitude and silence of being lost in a wilderness of nature.

There is something intrinsically holy about being in solitude and silence, away from the moving and “what’s next” pace daily life holds. Listening to the rain, waking up to birds laughing, the occasional raccoon or bear wandering around the campsite opens up the senses to a reality rarely experienced.

While camping, it has always been a general rule of mine to camp in close proximity to wonderful hiking. This trip was no different!

Fall Creek Falls is a beautiful place located on the Cumberland Plateau in middle Tennessee. With multiple falls and miles of hiking trails [not terrible difficult] we spent a day wondering through the thick forest, paying attention to the sounds of life in solitude.

The day of hiking awoke something deep within me that has long been dormant. My passion and joy of experiencing the great outdoors! I love hiking, camping, having a great cigar around the campfire, cooking wonderful food, ‘smoreos’, the great conversations along the trail and the spectacular views of summiting a peak!

If I could bottle up the feeling of joy all this holds for me…I would drink nothing else!

My wildly probable hope this year is to spend more time outdoors – camping, hiking, not showering, and paying attention to the solitude and silence nature offers.