The Beginner's Camping Trip

by Nick Coons
Sep 24, 2003

Just before the weather starts to get too cold in the mountains, I'm planning a camping trip for this weekend. A quick check of the forecast shows the area to be sunny and cool (high of 90, low of 60). But the big deal here is who I'm going with. You're never gonna guess. And if you frequent this column, you're never going to believe it when you find out.

My wife. Yes, my "city-slicker, shop-a-holic, squeals at the first sign of a bug" wife. She's actually been camping before, but with a lot of other experienced campers, so she felt a little out of place. This time, it's just the two of us and our dog. She agreed to go if I agreed to take her to a "commercial" camp site. You know, the ones with paved parking, ready-made fire pits, and outhouses. So it's only slightly different than staying at a motel, that is, it's not real camping. But it is a start, and I'll take it for now.

And, of course, it is just a start. She doesn't know it yet, but over the next few years, she's going to start liking the outdoors more and more. Eventually I'm going to take her backpacking. But she doesn't know that yet either. In fact, most of this information is new to her. The only thing she is aware of is this weekend, but one step at a time.