There is just something about being surrounded by trees and mountains and endless trails and fields and creeks and lakes - places to explore!
I have always really loved camping - tenting to be exact. Once I was old enough, I started heading to places in the sticks. Not only is there no campsite fee, but when I head out there, I am searching for serenity as opposed to constant partying and big crowds.
This time of year I get really antsy to just get out there and spend several days just going for short walks, doing some fishing, maybe swimming in the lake (or taking Dex to swim at least), and finishing the day with a good dinner and some tea in front of a campfire.
Last year I really missed out.
With all of the daily vomiting and the drastic weight loss from my thyroid going all out of whack, I only got out camping once with a friend in her family's RV. That was still pretty awesome, but I was devastated that I just was not physically capable of getting out to my favorite spots.
There is something so absolutely perfect about driving into the mountains. No cell reception. No traffic. No hospitals. No appointments or pharmacies or stressful phone calls. The whole atmosphere is what I live for in the summer. Just getting away from everything.
I have always been pretty independent. My illness, however, forces me to depend on others. It forces me to depend on medication, help from friends and family, nurses, doctors, etc... So the parts of my life where I CAN be independent, I tend to go a little overboard with proving it.
When I go camping alone, it feels like I am making a stand. I am stubborn and I like to prove that I can enjoy myself and take care of myself with literally no one else around except for my puppy. Camping is my escape. It's my Heaven-on-Earth... and I like to assert my independence. Not only that, but going by myself finally gives me a break from feeling guilty. When I go camping with others (or participate in any activity with others, essentially) I tend to do too much because I want to help. The last thing I want to appear is lazy. When I am alone, if I can't go trekking to find more firewood, I just don't. If I need a nap in the afternoon, I take that nap. There is no peer pressure to drink if I don't feel well enough to do so. There is no one relying on me to do anything - and I don't have to rely on anyone else but myself. If all I can manage to do is sit by the fire and read, that's what I do.
Camping alone also cuts down on costs! For the most part, I tend to drive way out in the bush instead of going to a paid campsite. And since I'm usually pretty sick after the first night out camping, I usually can't eat much more than bread and Boost, so I rarely have to buy more than the bare minimum. Plus - the less I eat, the less I have to go squat in the bushes. I never get a better leg workout than the weekends I go camping. Sometimes I bring some of my own firewood, but I can usually scavenge for logs and kindling and what not when I get out there.
Last year was so disappointing that I have been just itching to get out there! My health is better than last year, but still not up to what I was hoping for. Setting up a tent would still be manageable, but I'm not sure that I could set up all of my tarps and hike around the site. My energy levels are still so low that scavenging for firewood could knock me out for a day, and with my HAE acting up so much, do I really want to go to sites without any kind of cell reception, just in case?
The truth of the matter (that I am reluctantly admitting) is that, at this point, I am still not strong enough to be able to camp out in the wilderness by myself. I am probably going to have to rely on having someone with me in order to help. I will also probably have to camp in paid campgrounds this year far more often than usual. With firewood on site, with outhouses nearby, and cell reception, it will likely be much safer for me to go that route this year.
I absolutely love camping on my own... This year, however, my health is not quite improved enough AND it has been so unpredictable lately, that I am going to have to rely on having someone else with me the majority of the time.
Luckily I have friends who enjoy camping and a boyfriend who is also craving to get out there!
There is something so absolutely perfect about driving into the mountains. No cell reception. No traffic. No hospitals. No appointments or pharmacies or stressful phone calls. The whole atmosphere is what I live for in the summer. Just getting away from everything.
I have always been pretty independent. My illness, however, forces me to depend on others. It forces me to depend on medication, help from friends and family, nurses, doctors, etc... So the parts of my life where I CAN be independent, I tend to go a little overboard with proving it.
When I go camping alone, it feels like I am making a stand. I am stubborn and I like to prove that I can enjoy myself and take care of myself with literally no one else around except for my puppy. Camping is my escape. It's my Heaven-on-Earth... and I like to assert my independence. Not only that, but going by myself finally gives me a break from feeling guilty. When I go camping with others (or participate in any activity with others, essentially) I tend to do too much because I want to help. The last thing I want to appear is lazy. When I am alone, if I can't go trekking to find more firewood, I just don't. If I need a nap in the afternoon, I take that nap. There is no peer pressure to drink if I don't feel well enough to do so. There is no one relying on me to do anything - and I don't have to rely on anyone else but myself. If all I can manage to do is sit by the fire and read, that's what I do.
Camping alone also cuts down on costs! For the most part, I tend to drive way out in the bush instead of going to a paid campsite. And since I'm usually pretty sick after the first night out camping, I usually can't eat much more than bread and Boost, so I rarely have to buy more than the bare minimum. Plus - the less I eat, the less I have to go squat in the bushes. I never get a better leg workout than the weekends I go camping. Sometimes I bring some of my own firewood, but I can usually scavenge for logs and kindling and what not when I get out there.
Last year was so disappointing that I have been just itching to get out there! My health is better than last year, but still not up to what I was hoping for. Setting up a tent would still be manageable, but I'm not sure that I could set up all of my tarps and hike around the site. My energy levels are still so low that scavenging for firewood could knock me out for a day, and with my HAE acting up so much, do I really want to go to sites without any kind of cell reception, just in case?
The truth of the matter (that I am reluctantly admitting) is that, at this point, I am still not strong enough to be able to camp out in the wilderness by myself. I am probably going to have to rely on having someone with me in order to help. I will also probably have to camp in paid campgrounds this year far more often than usual. With firewood on site, with outhouses nearby, and cell reception, it will likely be much safer for me to go that route this year.
I absolutely love camping on my own... This year, however, my health is not quite improved enough AND it has been so unpredictable lately, that I am going to have to rely on having someone else with me the majority of the time.
Luckily I have friends who enjoy camping and a boyfriend who is also craving to get out there!