Adventure! Spartan Camping

Friday is the universal last day of the work week. Saturday and Sunday is upon you. What do you do?

• Watch TV
• Go shopping at home depot
• Spend all weekend online

Forget all that nonsense. It’s time for ADVENTURE! It’s time to get out of dodge. It’s time to get away from your computer, your phone, your TV. It’s time to spend a night under the stars and hear the wolves howlin’ and the owls screachin’. It’s time to sit around a campfire grilling some hot dogs and burgers and drinking some beer.

It’s time to go CAMPING.

Camping is one of the funnest things you can do. Camping gives you all the ease of modern civilized living but with a primitive thrill. As a bonus it requires very little preparation and can be done almost anytime.

Steps to Camping:

1) Find a campsite. This is as easy as googling ‘your state campsites’. There are reserved campsites in every single state. These sites give you a little piece of solitude without really being alone - there will be other campers around you. Find a campsite, call to make sure they have room, reserve a spot. Now you are done with the hard part.

Go here to find a campground near you: http://www.greatcampingspots.com/Directory/Search.asp

2) Find some friends to go. Hopefully you have some adventure prone friends. If not, it’s time to make some new ones. Call up your closest friends and invite them. Invite your girlfriend to go along. Invite your brother to go along. Bring your dog along. Go alone. It doesn’t matter who goes with you, just go. There is hardly anything tougher than sleeping out in a tent all by yourself, that will build character.

3) Find a tent. Call all your buddies and see if they have a tent available for you to borrow. Call anyone you know who may have a tent. No point in buying one unless you have to. As a last resort you can go buy a cheap one, shouldn’t cost more than about $40 and it will be ok for, at minimum, several camping trips.

4) Fill a cooler. Hopefully you already own a cooler, if not call your buddies yet again and borrow one. As a last resort go buy one. FYI - Coolers always come in handy so keep your eyes out for a cheap one. I got mine at an Estate Sale for $4. Fill your cooler with water, beer, hamburger beef, hot dogs, ice, and whatever else strikes your fancy (Marshmallows). Bring some charcoal to grill your food and keep a fire going. Don’t forget to bring a lighter or matches.

5) Pack up your vehicle and hit the road. It’s easy enough to find a campsite within one and 1/2 hours drive from wherever you are. Pack up your vehicle with:

• tent
• cooler and food
• some chairs
• blankets and a pillow
• charcoal
• lighter/matches
• some warm clothes to sleep in (it will get cold at night)
• toilet paper and/or napkins
• whatever else you want to bring

Make sure you have everything you need, hop in the car and hit the road.

6) Arrive at your campsite, pay for your spot, set up your tent, make a fire. Your tent should have instructions, but if you’re a man you don’t need instructions. There will be a fire pit at your campsite for you to make a fire with. If you have questions ask one of the park rangers. Your campsite will also have a grill for you to cook on. Cook directly on the grill at your own risk. I usually bring tin foil to cook on.

7) Enjoy yourself. Your tent is set up. You’ve got a fire going. You’re cooking some burgers and hot dogs. Crack open a beer and marvel at nature. Sit around and bullshit with your friends. Think about your life and what you’ve accomplished and what you must accomplish. Make a plan for yourself. It’s these times in life when we are the most reflective and aware of what we must do. Enjoy it. Relax. Come Monday it’s time to get your ass in gear.

Going camping right now could be the best thing you ever did.