The Wild

Daily writing prompt

Have you ever been camping?

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Hi, my name is Cam, and I am a camper.

I grew up camping. It was a family tradition, and it taught us important and valuable skills necessary to survival on the Prairies. My appreciation for nature was fostered during my early years of exposure to the wild places. It helped to build character, and define our interests. It made us competent in a way that is being lost to the sprawl of humanity.

Not only do I camp, but over the years I have become a little bit of a camping nerd. Countless hours have been invested in perfecting my kit, and building useful skills. I have spent months in the woods, sometimes in a single stretch.

The highlights:

• First winter camping trip when I was 11 years old. My father wanted to teach me about survival. The first night it went to -40 degrees centigrade. I still have the tent we stayed in tucked away in the attic.
• Spring 2000 a group of university friends went to work as foragers. We lived in the woods for three months and made no money.
• Summer 2013 I hiked and camped in the Rockies for three months, covering some 500km of trails.
• Winter 2014 while in Panama I camped for the first time outside of Canada. It was a short but successful solo trip in the highland rain forests.
• Summer 2015 organized an expedition to northern BC to once more forage for wild produce. The trip lasted about two months.

It bothers me to think that the vast majority of people in the world would answer no to this question. In my opinion it is a collective error. I hope we can do better in the future.

Stay Wild!