I Believe in Camping

I believe in camping trips.
Since I can remember, the yearly camping trip my family took has always put me in a state of ease. Whether it be in Wisconsin, or the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, the outdoors have always been the best place for me to be.
You may be asking yourself, "If he wants to be outdoors so much, why the (expletive here) is he in the middle of a concrete jungle?".
The answer is simple my friends, this place has the tools for me to be myself out there.
Camping has a certain place in my life, fond times, hard times, and times in between.
In 2004, I embarked on a trip that took my outdoor experiences to new heights. Outward Bound placed me in the middle of the North Carolina mountain ranges and the French Broad river, more fondly known as the Stench Broad. Seven days of backpacking, three of mountaineering, and three of whitewater canoeing class 3-4 rapids.
Something grew up inside me during that trip, that's why i believe in the togetherness that comes with outdoor experiences. I believe that being alone in the wilderness for two days by yourself is a personal enlightenment. I believe in the damp North Carolina mornings, and sticky Appalachian nights. I believe in putting hot sauce on everything to make it taste like normal, civilized food. I believe in late-night campfires not only to dry our clothes, but to make talk about bigger and better things.

Camping is the one thing I can count on to find the best, and most certainly the worst, about people. Camping is the connection between people that can only be formed in between a rock...and another rock. In those footholds on the boulder is the sweat of every group of friends that has climbed that mountain. Bonds are made in the wild, not friendships. I will forever remember those two weeks as the weeks that shaped who I am today as a person. I believe that roughing it should be done at least once in your life, to validate yourself with yourself.

I believe in the great outdoors, in great bonds, in great obstacles.
and most of all
I believe in camping.