Make Camping More Memorable

Summer is almost here, which means it's camping season. I've done some camping in my day, and, while I'm no camping expert, I can tell you one of the best parts about camping is the memories you make. 

So, today, I have for you three surefire ways to make your next camping trip more memorable.

1. Prepare poorly. 

Leave something essential behind. Don’t check the weather. Or DO check the weather and plan your packing list based on feeling instead of fact.

For example: I recall a weekend trip with my youngest sister. The goal was get there in the evening, get a good night’s rest, and get up early to complete a 9-mile hike with a suspension bridge over a waterfall in the middle — a hike I'd dreamed of doing for years.

The long-awaited waterfall, circa several years after the original plan.

We arrived and set up camp just before the rain started. And it never. Stopped. And we had no bug repellent. No raincoats. No water-resistant footwear.

After spending an hour pouring lighter fluid on damp firewood, we ate cold hot dogs and went to bed in hammocks tied under a tarp (our only raingear). We did not, however go to sleep, thanks to the South Carolina Thunderstorm Symphony of thunder, rain tack-tack-tacking on our tarp, and the endless whine of mosquitos.

At first light, we cut our losses and cut our trip short and dragged everything back to the car, dripping, in our pajamas, shamefully passing well-equipped hikers in raingear and boots on our way.

For creating memories, this is a really solid strategy. I’ve tested it several times. Having everything you need doesn’t create indelible memories. Being miserable until you have to decide to go home early does.

2. Pick a fight

I think this one is pretty self explanatory, but I’ll set the scene for you:

Picture it — you’re having a perfectly peaceful (and forgettable) day with your partner. The two of you decide to go for a swim. He swims too far away too fast and then can't even hear you shouting, “Brian! Slow down! I can’t catch up!”

So, you get out, get a towel, and get nice and angry. And you wait. And when he finally shows up on dry land, you absolutely fall apart and cry and ruin the whole day for both of you!

This is what a perfect summer lake day looks like.

This option is not only highly effective for creating memories but it comes with a bonus: Now, you have a great story for your next therapy session. (You might even uncover something important like abandonment issues!) 

And my last (and favorite) tip for making a camping trip memorable: 

3. Injure yourself

My most vivid camping memory of all time is the time I busted my nose all alone in the wood. I set up a 4-person tent by myself. I set up the hammock. I set up the fire, and thought I'd just gather a little more firewood before relaxing.

Yes, this is the fated site on the fated day. Look how beautifully prepared.

I found an excellent piece of driftwood, and threw it at a rock in an ill-thought-out attempt to break it. At which point it ricocheted back into my face.

I imagine at this point you have some questions:

• Did my nose need stitches?

• Have I ever had a good camping trip?

First: Who knows? I bandaged it and rolled with it. It seems fine. 

Second: Yes. In fact, the point I actually want to make is this:

The trip with the busted nose was not only one of the most memorable, but also one of the most fun camping trips I ever had. We salvaged someone’s slightly broken pop up canopy on that trip. The water was high and we found a picnic table submerged in the lake, so we dragged it out a little further and drank beers sitting at a picnic table waist deep in the lake. It was amazing.

The show must go on! With bandages.

But would I have remembered it so well if my nose hadn’t been throbbing and oozing all weekend? Probably not.

In conclusion

What I’ve learned in my time camping, and in life in general, is this:

A little discomfort for contrast tends to make the nice moments even nicer. None of my picture-perfect camping trips stand out in my memory.

What I really want to communicate is this: You should never not do something because it might not be perfect. Don’t avoid doing something just because it might not go as planned. I don't even remember any perfect camping trips. Or vacations. Or outings of any sort.

Forget the raincoats! Set up a paper-plate picnic in the wind! Call your children out from their dry tent into your leaky one during a thunderstorm! It doesn't matter.

Don’t go for perfect. Go for memorable.