12 True Camping Stories That Prove Laughter, Family, and Fresh Air Are All You Actually Need

• Went camping in the woods with my boyfriend. Along the way, we picked mushrooms, and I made a soup with them. We’re sitting by the campfire, birds chirping, pure romance.
  But my boyfriend keeps disappearing from time to time, coming up with ridiculous excuses. I decided to follow him. I peek out from behind the bushes and what do I see?
  He’s standing there scarfing down a sandwich. I approached him and asked what was going on. He confessed that when outdoors, he’s always hungry, and the soup wasn’t enough for him. And he ate it in secret so I wouldn’t think he didn’t like my soup.
  I burst out laughing. We agreed that next time he would bring meat and cook something more substantial than soup.

It turned out amazing.

• We went on a trip to nature with friends and stopped at a store in some village. A cat and a dog, looking rather scruffy, were sitting near the store. The shop assistant said that their owner had passed away a couple of months ago. The house was boarded up, and no one had taken the animals.
  I felt so sorry for them that I decided to take them with us. We camped in tents on the riverbank, and the dog and cat slept with me and my boyfriend. They turned out to be calm, even timid, but friendly. They ate everything and sat near people, always together, cuddling up to each other.
  We returned to the city and took the animals to the vet. They live with us now, a sweet couple, always sleeping together.

• A friend was once invited on a camping trip. She was told there would be many single men, and she really wanted to find a husband. They decided it wouldn’t be far, just a light trip. So she got ready: put on micro-shorts, a tank top, let her hair down, and put on a good amount of makeup.
  She got eaten by mosquitoes in the first 30 minutes, had to dig out pajama pants and a sweatshirt, tie her hair up, and carry a massive backpack, packed with all sorts of things, including a hair curler, for about 3 miles across rough terrain.

• As a child, I dreamed of having my own tent. Such were the modest dreams of a boy from the early 70s. I also wanted a bicycle. To ride to the sea and sit by the campfire in the evening, gaze at the sky, and think about all sorts of important things.
  Now I have 3 tents for different occasions. Naturally, I also have a set of fishing rods, sleeping bags, and camping gear. And I spend the best days of the year as I had dreamed half a century ago. It’s wonderful when dreams come true, even when you’re in your seventies.

• My friend and I headed to our favorite spot with a tent. We arrived and found a big group already settled in. So, we found a clearing further away and started a fire.
  I looked up and saw 2 guys from that group running toward us. They were carrying something. As I looked closer, I burst out laughing, because they were carrying a hastily made unlit torch. They couldn’t start their own fire, but saw ours, so they ran over to us to ask for a light.

• I absolutely love hummingbirds. I was on my first big hike into camping in alpine. I was sitting on a big rock slab with my partner at the time. This hummingbird was zooming around.
  It stopped at me, only me, at my face level, an arm’s length away and checked me out for a good few seconds. I’ve never seen such a big and light blue hummingbird ever again. It was very rewarding for me.
  Another great one was sitting at a lake watching a huge amount of dragonflies hunt at dusk over the lake. I also love dragonflies.

Woke up to this view 3 weeks ago.

• As kids, my friend and I used to frequently go camping with our moms, sometimes just taking a walk in the woods. Later, my friend and I would only manage to get out once a year, just the two of us.
  And in 2022, I even went hiking with her when I was 3 months along. I asked for an easy route. Didn’t really feel like going over mountains, so we just strolled around, picking berries. I hadn’t told her that I was expecting.
  In the end, we were lying under a tree, eating and resting. We started talking about kids and how, when we have them, we’ll teach them to love hiking like our moms did. So I told her, “Well, I’ve already started!” That’s how she found out I was expecting.

• I’ve vacationed in many countries. Everywhere is great, everywhere is interesting! But a vacation with a tent, a sleeping bag, a campfire, a pot of boiling water, and baked potatoes is the best.
  We took our 9-year-old son on a hike, and he didn’t like it: mosquitoes, no buffet or bathroom, and it takes a long time to start a fire! Are hikes a thing of the past? Are we dinosaurs?

August, campfire

• I live in the land of lakes. It’s warm here for only 3 months, and it’s so wonderful! I’ve been to the seas many times, but nothing compares to our lakes and nature. The water is warmer than the sea, and the tan lasts a very long time. Of course, this type of recreation is an acquired taste, but I love living in a tent!
  We go on a lakes tour for weeks, live in a tent, and feast on barbecue and vegetables. That kind of getaway lasts until next summer.

• This weekend we went on another expedition to the wild places near the lake. Part of our team settled down there during the day, where they were caught in a downpour. We joined them around 6 p.m.
  Starting a fire with damp grass, branches, and paper was problematic. It wouldn’t catch. Trying to find something dry at hand, I remembered about chips. I had seen in a survival video once that chips burn excellently.
  And, to everyone’s surprise, it turned out to be true. We used up 2 chips, and the fire started to grow. Then we chopped some kindling and everything else went as usual.

• I was camping in a primitive site in a tent. I can hear what sounds like a person walking around and making faint noises just outside the tent at around 3 a.m. This is before cell phones. I can’t sleep, afraid that I’m about to be attacked or something.
  Finally the sun begins to break at around 5 and there’s just enough light to see. I slowly unzip my tent and peer out. Still hearing things, but not seeing anything. I poke my head out.
  Probably 30 or so raccoons are going through the cooler and assorted containers. They stop nearly in unison, turn, and make eye contact. Their little eyes glowing in the scant light.
  I slowly pull my head back in as they get back to raiding.

• Last year, our apartment turned into a money pit. First, the apartment was flooded, the laminate flooring and all the cabinets were damaged, my husband’s computer survived by a miracle, but the vacuum cleaner and my tablet stopped working. Shortly after, both the microwave and the refrigerator broke down.
  The first thing we did was to order drying services for the apartment and pay for the repairs in our neighbors’ units. We then bought the cheapest used refrigerator and vacuum cleaner we could find, and soon it was time for our vacation.
  Our plane tickets were non-refundable. Not going would mean losing both the vacation and the money spent on tickets. We took a tent and a cooking pot and flew away.
  We lived in the woods near the beach, swam and sunbathed to our heart’s content, cooked over a campfire, and spent our last bit of money on books from a flea market. It was my first vacation without hassle, excursions, cafes, or clubs.
  In 10 days, we relaxed more than we had ever managed in a month before.