There are a lot of tips for camping for the first time, but I venture to summarize them, because, if you are an amateur in this activity, you are not for many sermons. In my case it took me several years to take the plunge. I thought camping was synonymous with an exhausting vacation, where work exceeded the amount and ability to relax. How wrong I was! Camping is synonymous with health (you breathe fresh air and in the day you expose yourself to the sun, wonderful source of vitamin D), entertainment and peace. There is nothing like enjoying nature in full action! If you venture, consider these 7 camping tips for the first time in camping grounds within Yosemite.
1. The place. I once read that when camping for the first time, one should not select a very distant place, because in case one does not like the experience, one could return home soon. I live in Miami, and I selected Ginnie Springs, a park with beautiful water springs about five hours from Miami. The park offers many activities that all family members can do, such as going on floats to navigate the river, rowing boats, kayaks, fishing areas, snorkeling and even diving. In addition to volleyball courts, football … Anyway! Since we arrived we had plenty of things to do.
2. The team. When camping, the ideal is not to pack so much, to the point that loading and unloading the car becomes a torture, but you should not pass needs either. Usually the parks in the United States have grills for cooking. So why load a churrasquera? If in the park you stay there is a supply store, why carry the firewood from the house? In my case, the two best things I packed were the sleeping tent and a eating tent. Both were very easy to assemble, and comfortable. Although we were only going to sleep six in my tent, I took one for ten people and it was a good decision, because I discovered that in the box of the tents they put you the capacity of people who will sleep, but “sticky”. The tent that I chose, also had a small porch at the entrance, which gave us even more space.
- The importance of two tents when camping
- Take two tents: one to eat, another to sleep.
3. The preparation. Research everything you can. Although we did, we lacked some details. For example 1) we don’t build the tent at home, to practice how it was done; and 2) we didn’t spray a waterproof liquid because we were sure it wasn’t going to rain. It turned out that, just when we were putting it together, it rained! And we lost valuable time because we had no practice. The friends who went with us, built their tent in less time, because they had already rehearsed how it was done before the trip.
4. The company. Choose consenting friends rather than consented, in a few friendly and considerate words. That was one of the best successes of my encampment! My friend Ziomara Belete, who was my tent neighbor, was the best company: we lent pans, shared food. And, since she is a much better cook than me, I won.
5. The food. As we know that there will always be goodies on vacations, we decided to counteract temptations including healthy and easy-to-prepare foods. In advance we prepare a “healthy” menu: churrasco for the first day, turkey burgers for the second day, sandwiches later… And lots of salad! A good, family-sized freezer with ice that we renewed thanks to the park’s supply store, allowed us to eat vegetables daily.
6. The attitude. One of the main obstacles I had to overcome before embarking on the camping adventure was my attitude. I thought it was awkward, and — above all — I wondered where would we find a bathroom if we were in an open field? It turned out that we camped near a bath and that the park kept it perfectly clean.
7. Prepare to be amazed. The prints that nature gives us when we have it closely is priceless (as the credit card advertising says). I still have in my mind the glare of the eyes of my mother, my husband and my nephew in front of the fire, or how perfectly illuminated the sky looked in the middle of nature. One night, while we were chatting after dinner, I watched the current of the river in front of us begin to shine. It was as if dragging a stream of stars. “They are electric fish!” Someone exclaimed. It looked like a scene from a Disney movie. For experiences like this, I tell you: If you go camping, be prepared to be amazed.
