A Case for Camping

(Alternate title: Why Every Mom Should Go Camping)

I had no intention of disappearing for two weeks, but a bad internet connection (week 1) and no internet (week 2) during our Mountains to the Seas Road Trip proved me wrong.

-------

"Go backpacking" is on my 30 before 30 list (more about that in July) so we took advantage of free grandparental babysitting and camped in upstate South Carolina. 

Here are 3 reasons why every Mom (with an emphasis on the stay at home mom) should go camping once a month year.

1. The Freedom

With any kid-less getaway, the freedom is fab. No food to cut up, no mouths to feed, no diapers to change, the list is endless goes on. I'd venture to say that with camping the free time is more apparent because you literally set up your tent, roll your ground pad/sleeping bag out on the dirt and lay there. And you lay there long enough to GET.BORED. No one calls your name, you can close your eyes and get up ONLY WHEN YOU WANT TO. Are you packing your bags yet?

2. The Quiet

If you sit your butt down far enough in the wilderness-no nearby highways, cars, fellow campers- there is a quiet and stillness that is so fundamentally basic and rare that it will almost make you break down and weep. After years of little loud needy humans following your every move, the quiet will be freakishly weird in a wonderful sort of way.

3. The Challenge 

In motherhood, there are challenges (and all the moms said amen)-- big whoppers like actually giving birth and daily challenges like keeping them alive but the challenges are outward focused toward the kids. Camping presents challenges like hiking up hills while still breathing, setting up a tent, making food over a camp stove or fire, squatting properly to tinkle while leaning against a tree (tmi?) and all the challenges are about you. It pushes you to your limits.

January 2015 when camping was the last thing on my mind and 

an unattainable goal, seeing as how I couldn't bend over

And yet here I am, almost 1.5 years later, in all my camping glory. It was worth the wait.

Here is my view when I looked up

So go forth and camp!

and invite me!