There’s something surreal about blogging by the campfire watching the sun rise. I’m out with my boys on a guys day out. Ok, I didn’t post this from the campfire but I could have since I had cell signal and can tether my phone… But I resisted the urge. What you’ve got here is what I happened to jot down while my boys were sleeping.
It’s been a while since I really went camping. I did it once last year but before that it had been at least 10 years. I grew up camping every summer. It’s been a goal of mine to get back to camping more often. This week, I promised my boys that we’d get out and do a guys night out. We packed up the tent and hit the grocery store to pick up hot dogs, marshmallows and all the essential camping supplies.
We learned two lessons that I thought I’d share. I’m sure that at some point, these stories and lessons will make it into a talk but for now, they will have to stand on their own.
Smores
One of the fantastic lessons that we learned on this trip is that even a bad smore is really good. I mean it really doesn’t matter if it’s neat or messy, if it has too much chocolate (as if there is such a state), the marshmallow is burnt or just lukewarm or anything other variation. There are really only two ways to screw up a smore. You can burn yourself and you can obsess about creating the perfect smore but if you relax and just let things flow, you really can’t screw it up.
This was especially evident as my 10 year old was war dancing around the fire singing – “I like mine crunchy crunchy… I like mine crunchy crunchy…” carrying his mighty marshmallow torch burning his black as the night while my 12 year old was searching for that perfect golden brown. The really good news was that when my 12 year old accidentally set his on fire – he wasn’t upset because it meant that he got to eat his smore quicker…
The lesson here is to stop trying for perfection. There are many different things in life where the only real way to screw it up is to obsess over it.
Second Fire
The second thing that we learned is that the second fire is a lot easier to start than the first. I remember as a kid around the age of 12 that I would get up before my parents and get the morning fire started. I thought I was so brilliant because it wouldn’t take long for me to get a nice little fire going. I would contrast that to the night before where my father had spent the better part of an hour getting the fire going, building up from newspaper to leaves to small twigs to medium sized sticks to real logs at some point, carefully coaxing the embers all along and creating a great bed for the fire.
I’ve created a number of fires since then and have come to understand the rituals that my father taught me when I was young. I was reminded, once again, last night that it’s not as easy as I thought as a kid to get that first fire going. The tough part is building up the strong base of solid and consistent heat from the bed of embers. Once that’s going, the fire will provide a wonderful glowing heat late into the night. As my father did, I buried the bed of embers in ashes.
When I got up this morning, well before the sunrise with a wonderful dew covering the ground, I went about the task of starting a fire to cook breakfast on. As when I was a kid, I scraped back the ashes and laid down a piece of the newspaper on the coals and before I could get the matches, it caught fire. I found myself scrambling to get twigs before it went out. Those caught fire instantly which set fire to the larger sticks and the logs. In a matter of 5 minutes or so, I was ready to cook breakfast. That was fantastic!
The lesson here is that if something is really easy, it’s often because the path has already been paved. Don’t compare your success with those that did it the first time.
Just Some Observations
Man I’ve gotten soft. Muscles that I had forgotten about are sore and I slept on an air mattress. How was my father not this sore? He took all of us camping and slept on the rocks in a sleeping bag. Honestly, as I get older and am trying to raise my children, I’m getting more and more impressed with my father.
Camping has gotten modern. There’s electricity, modern plumbing and costs $24 a night. For those playing the home game, that’s $168 a week or $672 a month. I could rent an apartment around here for that. I need to find some place more “rustic” and cheaper if we’re going to do this a lot more often.
I guess we can all expect expert fire making at Agile Summer Camp, then, eh?
This has inspired me to consider a camp out with my boys. Haven’t done one yet and it’s about time. Would be good to disconnect from the cloud as well. After all, what’s really important? Haven’t had a smore in years. Kids will love it, but I’m afraid the sugar rush will put me into an insulin induced coma.
Josh, Thanks for bringing back some fond childhood memories. All guys camp out … gonna have to make it happen.
I know what you mean. I can’t say that I was a great camper, parents never did that. What has changed is our demands. When I was young we had a cottage, where we had electricity, and that was about it. Now people go to their cottages demanding cell phone connections, high speed Internet and the likes. I can’t say that I would be any better. In fact I am worse with my hand held GPS device, and other pieces of technology.
Though you know thinking back, I kind of like these technologies in a way. When we lived at the cottage I was an avid fisherman and I remember more times than not early mornings getting lost on our small by Canadian standards lake (8 miles long, 4 miles wide). Of course thinking about this I still have some friends who can go rugged camping in the Canadian winter. These guys are "men"
, me I am just a mouse…
Now about getting sore… Getting older what I have noticed is that it affects some people and other people not at all. My brother who is 30 has a heck of time sleeping on anything except his bed these days. Me I could sleep on the floor without too much problems.
And finally you are completely right, when the tables are turned things are a lot harder than you remember them to be.
Did my own bit of camping last two weeks as well. Man is that stuff fun! I think it’s great family fun away from the TV and computer. I have a 1 year old and we tent camped up in the upper peninsula the same time you were camping.
And, yeah, I sold my bike.
Oops, sorry for the extra comment.
I didn’t finish my thought: … I have a 1 year old, a 5 year old and a 6 year old (order by age asc). They all loved it! Dirt, fire, swimming, rain, tents, ropes, bungies, hiking, biking, etc… Good for you and good for me. We are good dads. 
You want rustic? Come on down to my place in South Carolina. I have 220 acres of pristine land, no toilets, no showers, fully stocked pond, a fire circle, a river, tons of forest, and an observation tower. Come whenever you want, just don’t come during deer season. You’ll get shot. We camp there at least once a month (when its not freaking hot)
I had to comment, Josh, as I’ve just returned from a week in the "wilderness" with my family as well.
I appreciate your question: "How was my father not this sore?" The first night of our trip, my girls and I slept on the ground under the stars next to our campfire. Well, this 37-year-old back was singing "Proud Mary" when I got up the next morning, but I never mentioned it and still canoed with them 20 miles down the Rock River in northern Illinois.
I think out fathers felt it, but they just toughed it out for our sakes. I too get more impressed with my dad the older I get.
Denny
Camping is the best. If you’re looking for rustic (don’t know about cheaper) the Upper Pennisula is the way to go. If you’re up for the drive, there are some beautiful, pristine lakeshores in the Porcupine Mountains on the West side of the UP. A little closer in the UP, Pictured Rocks is spectacular.
Thanks for the nice post. Should help keep us all warm as the Fall comes.