What makes completely sane, intelligent, regular humans, who live in comfortable houses with big, bouncy beds, fridges, heaters and indoor plumbing – what makes these people decide that they want – no, NEED – to spend several days and nights where none of these things exist?
Camping. Camping makes them do it.
“But you don’t have to camp, you crazy camping people,” say the other non-camping people.
“We know we don’t have to,” say the campers. “We don’t camp because we have to. We camp because we can, and because camping is a beautiful thing.”
We asked an experienced and dedicated camper about her love of tents, sleeping bags and outdoor fires.
“The best camping starts when you’re a small person, “ she says. “The smaller the better. Five years old is ideal. Then you’re hooked.”
Our camping addict explains some of the delights:
“Few memories are nicer than the ones I have of waking up to the fragrant hiss of a small gas stove, knowing mom was firing it up for breakfast. The smell of hot coffee. Then the hot crackling and spattering of eggs and bacon just a few feet from our heads – that was what got us out of our sleeping bags.”
It’s good to sleep in a place where you can smell the earth, the soil, the pine needles, the smoke from a dying fire.
We agree. It’s good to sleep in a place where you can smell the earth, the soil, the pine needles, the smoke from a dying fire. It’s good to wake up to the sound of a rushing river or lapping water. It’s good to remove, just for a few days, the bricks and mortar that separate your bare feet from dew on the grass you slept on.
If you’ve never sat around a camp fire to warm up before zipping up the tent to keep out the bugs, we think you should do some catching up.
You don’t need fancy equipment, although some basic comforts are good. (The ground can get very hard and very damp.) Here’s a checklist from the AA.
Take a look at some of South Africa’s best camping sites here.
