THEN: BIG SKY CAMPING
NOW: WIFI CAMPING
I used to love to go camping. In college I went with my best friend. We’d pitch a tent, get out that bottle of Boonesfarm Apple Wine, eat something out of can, and talk and talk and talk. We would watch the stars sprinkle the sky like drops of powdered sugar and make wishes for our future.
Later, after I was married, my husband and I took our kids camping, often to Bluegrass Festivals. We’d pitch our tents, set up our Coleman stoves and settle into our “home away from home” for the next few days. At night, we’d get out our bottle of vodka, play music and talk and talk and talk. We would point out the Big and Little Dipper to our kids and make wishes for our future.
The best part about camping was being away. Away from work. Away from the TV. Away from the phones. On one of my camping trips, I was actually laid off from work. No one had any way of contacting me, so I had a wonderful four days
Just last month, my sister went camping with her husband. Not only camping, they went hunting. So you would assume they were in the middle of nowhere. Or at least in some wilderness where the deer and the antelope roam. And when I last checked, wildlife (other than those that hang out in bars) does not communicate by cell phones.
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So imagine my surprise when my sister called from her mountaintop, letting me know that she had arrived safely. The next day, she sent me an email describing the vibrant sunset and how magnificent it was to get away. After writing me, they were going to have dinner and then settle into their tents to watch a DVD.
Where are you? I asked. You have cell service in the middle of nowhere? Yes, she said. Can you believe it?
No, I couldn’t. It seems that camping today has taken on a whole new twist. Why, if I had had a cell phone way back when, I might have been contacted about my job status while on vacation. That certainly would have changed my mindset. The hobo stew we were eating might not have seemed like a treat, but as something I might have to add to my weekly dinner menus.
This got me to thinking. What about the kids today? Will they ever go away somewhere without their laptops and iPhones? Where they may have to play cards at night for entertainment. Or just sit and watch the sky. Make up stories about the constellations.
There has to be someplace, somewhere that is still considered the middle of nowhere. Going into outer space won’t help, because out there we are even closer to the satellite dishes that keep Cyberspace alive.
I know that being disconnected from all things technological can be a real culture shock. And it can bring on withdrawal systems. Fingers moving uncontrollably over imaginary keyboards. Ringtones swirling around our heads. Sweating over what we’re missing, thinking it just can’t wait. But it can. And every now and then our bodies need that shock.
Just as our electrical devices need to be charged in order to operate properly – we need to get away and recharge. Re-energize our mind, our body, and our soul.
Think about it. When was the last time you recharged?
I have tried camping. A few times. Just not my thing. My joke is basically that my idea of camping is a nap on the couch. But I do understand the joy of getting away from it all…
OMG I remember the days when camping meant being incommunicado! It was wonderful! No TV. No phone. Just conversation and storytelling. I don’t know if I could do it now. The last time I was disconnected was on a week-long cruise, and even then, I found ways to stay on the cyber grid when I could. I am growing nostalgic for the good ‘ole days now, so maybe I could give it a try…. or NOT!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Roz Lee
I love camping, and we go at least twice a year. We take cell phones only for emergency purposes, and I only take my computer if I feel a driving need to write. But we regularly go unplugged. We tent camp and do a tent-trailer now too, as we approach late middle age. Getting away for a week has become even more of an imperative as we go along, and we’ve instilled the love of the outdoors in our kids as well. I fully expect them to raid our hiking backpacks and tents when they’re old enough to move out on their own.
Christine – We don’t go as much as we used too and I really miss it.
Roz – I was in Mexico for a week. At first it was hard to not check email everyday, but by the end of the trip, I was well adjusted to life before the Internet.
Tina – You are too funny!
THIS WAS WONDERFUL! I don’t EVER laugh at stuff that I read but this really was so true and when you think about it isn’t WiFi camping an oxymoron? Actually we’re the morons – going camping to “get away from it all” along with our iPhones and MacBooks!
You hit that one right on.
Loved it.
Mary Beth – Thanks! I’d love be looking up at the stars right now.
Patti- Thanks so much. You’re right about Wifi camping. It is an oxymoron!