I passed up my 30th high school reunion this weekend to go camping with my daughter and the rest of the American Heritage Girls. It wasn't really a tough decision to make----I don't relish the thought of a 12 hour drive to see people I haven't seen in 30 years. My in-laws live up there where I (and my husband) went to high school, and it would have been great to stop by the reunion if we were already planning to be in town, but to drop everything, spend hundreds of dollars on gas and food, just to celebrate some milestone, which at this point in my life is not very important to me, is not my cup of tea.
On the other hand, I had a great time with my daughter and our troop, celebrating God's glory in this gorgeous corner of Georgia. Some of us hiked the stairs down into the canyon to see the falls; some went on hayrides to see the incredible foliage; others, like my daughter, went fishing for several hours.
Discussions often crop up at these events about why we (some of us) like to camp when we have perfectly comfortable homes, and, most importantly, beds for our aging bones to rest in. For my part, I enjoy the simplicity---fewer things to play with, use, and then clean up---but a large part of it is simply the beauty of the earth.
The colors of the leaves, the rocks and lichens, the sounds of the wind whistling through the canyon and the waterfall splashing onto the rocks before continuing its babbling journey down the river. The earthy smell of decaying trees and other green matter. So much variety and texture. Everywhere you look there is something new to see! Even if you've seen the view from the top of a mountain before, it's never the same, and if you think it is, it's still pretty spectacular. All of these speak to me of the immeasurable magnificence of God and the wisdom of his creation.
And that is why I like camping. That, and the fact that I can now build a fire all by myself! ;-)
Consider your fire-building skill an asset if you are ever struck by a natural disaster that takes out your electricity and gas. I know I was probably better off learning how to do it as a Girl Scout because it meant that I could at least cook a meal if an earthquake hit and did serious damage to wherever I was living.
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