Camping!?

Everyone close to the mountains grows up attempting to camp. We all have crates of camping gear. We have garages dedicated to tons of rarely used
outdoor camping gear. As most of our gear was very dear when we bought it, we soon loathe parting with that pair of $250 climbing boots purchased back in 1988, although we are now in our late forties and technical rock climbing is of little interest. The boots still look cool though.
These days, I am highly amused with the amount of money invested in camping gear, as well as nonsensical camping gear they sell to tourists. An example - it is common for people coming to visit the Sawtooths to plan on hiking. And everyone has heard about the leader of the food chain, the Grizzly bear, and it's great affection for human flesh. Apparently, in the eyes of the tourist, small children are considered appetizers. So most of the tourists purchase large cans of Pepper Spray. And they also purchase, for an extra pittance, a snappy nylon holster to store their freshly minted pepper spray on their back pack shoulder strap - always readily available! Then it's off to the park, somewhere heavily frequented by humans and less so, by black and brown bears, and EVEN LESS SO by Grizzlies. At the end of their stay, they now have an expensive canister of mace, laced with pepper, that they simply cannot discard.
Their thought?... maybe it will handily repel muggers and smaller Grizzly bears in New York's Central Park? So they tuck it away in their luggage and attempt to smuggle it onto their departing plane. At this juncture, Homeland Security steps in, confiscates the pepper spray and they grudgingly depart Idaho... never to return. In early December, the fine forces at Homeland Security sell the confiscated crate of pepper spray to Second Hand Sports to recycle the canisters and finance their annual Christmas Party.
Camping - That means you have to sleep on something euphemistically called a pad, on uneven, sloping ground, peppered with rocks and roots. You master the art of the squat in order to relieve yourself or hang your rear over a log and hope a dog doesn't come by to check you out. There is no place to rest your coffee nor read the morning paper. And lugging your refrigerator is an ordeal which means you can only camp as far as your extension cord will allow. It never seems to fail that your camp stove, not fired up for over the four years since you last used it, will fail to fire up, leaving you to your Nescafe al fresco - a nice morning pick-me-up.
So over time, people in Idaho gravitate towards car camping. One of the most prized vehicles to own in Idaho is a VW Vanagon. Herein, a self contained motel room on wheels. Built-in stove, refrigerator & basin. The bed actually has a pad that works and there are drapes, if you chose not to slumber in front of all the other temporary residents in the campground. And, you can heat the thing, extending it's use into the early Spring and late Fall.
Welcome into the mix the evocative picture painted by the guys who fleece rich 'campers' offering the "camping" experience with personal waiters, professional cooks and everyone sleeps in a room with a wood floor, cushy bed and soft, canvas sided walls and roof. Chances are there is a wood burning stove, used when the temperature dips below 70. Changing the picture of camping we all remember from when we were kids.Personally, I do love the adventure of camping and the nostalgia of dragging the boxes out of storage to be reminded of finer times spent with my dad as a youngster. After 6 hours of prep work and 66 times hearing "are we there yet", not to be undone by pouring rain and air mattresses that won't hold air, I am reminded of finer times in my queen size bed, with my fabulous down quilt and a good movie. Three cheers for the travel trailer - it may not only be a way to camp authentically but could be the ticket to my retirement home. I better amp my attitude!