Although Teri and I love to go camping, there are a couple of things that can turn a great weekend outing into the Camping Trip from Hell.  As a companion piece to an earlier post (”10 Reasons to Love Camping“), here are 10 things that can make you hate camping:

1. Boom Boxes. For some insane reason, some people just love to crank up their radios or boom boxes when they’re out camping.  I just don’t see the logic of leaving the noise of the city - and  then bringing it with you to the campground.  Inconsiderate people who play loud music is one reason to hate camping.
2. Loud People. You know the type.  Even when these people whisper, it sounds like a fog horn on a stormy night.  Apparently, these people don’t need much sleep because they’re always the last ones to go to bed keeping everyone else up with their loud jokes, comments, and laughter.
3. Door Slammers. I happened to be up before daybreak one morning and watched my “neighbor” in the campsite next to me crawl out of their tent, open a car door, not find what they were looking for, then slam the door shut, open another door, SlaM it closed, walk over to the other side of the car, open a third door, then SLAM it shut.  If the entire campground wasn’t already up, they were after this person opened and slammed 3 out of the 4 doors on their vehicle.
4. Car Alarms. Why some people deem it necessary to set their car alarms when they’re camping is beyond me.  Invariably, one of them goes off in the middle of the night when someone in their party opens a door looking for something (see item # 3).
5. People Who DRIVE to the Bathroom. In most state parks, the showers and bathrooms are usually within walking distance from the campsites.  However, there are some people who insist on driving the 40 or 50 yards.  Waking up in the middle of the night because someone is starting their car to go to the bathroom is no fun — especially since they usually set off the alarm (see item # 4), slam the car door (see item # 3), and then tell their spouse where they’re going (see item # 2).
6. Irresponsible Dog Owners. This one’s a pet peeve of mine.  I love dogs but would never take one camping.  Most of the time, the poor dog spends the entire weekend tied to the picnic table or barking at everything in their strange surroundings.  I especially hate people who don’t obey lease laws or those who leave their dogs at the campsite while they go off hiking or into town.  Irresponsible dog owners is a reason to hate camping.
7. Irresponsible Parents. For some reason, parents assume that they can let their kids run wild like they do at home.  I’ve seen kids get hurt running into briar vines and falling off of rocks.  The outdoors is not at all like a manicured back yard.  Kids need supervision, especially when outdoors.
8. People Who Bring All the Conveniences. One of reasons to go camping is to get away from all of the TV and radio chatter.  It’s difficult to relax when your neighbor is watching the game on his portable TV in the next campsite and has the sound cranked all the way up.  I’ve seen people set up satellite dishes in a campsite!  Geez!  These are people who just don’t understand the whole concept of camping in the first place - and a reason to hate going.
9. Mr. Fire Bug. One of my earliest camping memories was watching a bunch of fishermen trying to build a campfire.  One of them dosed a stack of wood with what must have been at least a gallon of gasoline.  It was kind of breezy so he struck a match and held it close to his body in order to shield it from the wind.  Then he slowly moved it towards the gasoline soaked wood.  The fireball literally blew the fishing cap off of his head - and I’m sure singed his eyebrows off as well.  Some people just shouldn’t be allowed to play with matches.
10. Alcohol. Why is it that some people think camping is a reason to drink?  They’ll stand around a campfire and chug beer after beer for most of the night.  Of course, there’s always a boom box, loud talking and laughing, car doors being slammed, and a barking dog or two!

Although I love being out doors, any or all of the above can really ruin a great weekend.  Most of these come down to a basic lack of consideration for others.  I was brought up to be considerate of others, to try to be quiet when we came in late so as not to bother people who might be trying to relax or sleep.  In this “me, me, me” world, I guess such things get left by the wayside.  It’s a real shame.

However, don’t let these things rob you of the joy of being outdoors.  Nothing will heal your mind and spirit like a weekend sleeping under the stars.  You’ll feel a strong spiritual connection to Nature that you just can’t get anywhere else … that is until someone slams a car door …

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: camping, outdoors, mental, balanced health, spirituality, nature, relaxation

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