A lot of people say they love camping, but has anyone ever really been?
The closest campground to my house, Winton Woods, is a good example of what camping has become in the modern era: a field with concrete slabs where people park their campers.
That’s not to say anything is wrong with it, but for those who really want to go out into the woods and camp, you don’t have many options.
In Cincinnati Parks, there is no dispersed camping, which is where you can camp anywhere in the woods. I found this out the hard way when I tried it and ran into some trouble with the rangers.
However, in that awkward scolding, he admitted he wouldn’t want to pay to sleep in a glorified driveway either.
That got me thinking, why is “camping” so far removed from the wilderness?
Modern camping, even when outside of a camper, is still quite glamorous. People bring in their packs with 16 oz. inflatable pillows, sleeping pads, lights and the best tent money can buy. In reality, you’re still trying to make the outdoors into a house.
The idea of “cowboy camping” isn’t really common anymore. Sleeping under the stars with nothing more than a rock to lie your head on and a fire by your side would be considered crazy now.
However, this is the purest form of camping, and it’s becoming a lost art.
It’s a shame that it’s so uncommon and inaccessible.
People’s norms for camping have shifted so far, and so has our idea of adventure.
The idea of going out and truly exploring is no longer a common dream; it’s reserved for movies, for people to say, “Oh, that looks cool.”
We’re so far disconnected from nature that enjoying it means a walk on a sidewalk through the woods, which is nowhere close to the “Great American Spirit” of adventure we once held.
The average person realistically has never been in true wilderness and could never survive it. Could you say you’ve ever been in nature without modern reminders to distract you?
Every part of our lives is so far disconnected from nature now, and that’s the greatest shame in the world. Humans evolved in the wild, and that’s where more people should find happiness—in our natural home, away from our modern, artificial distractions.