The Outside Air

There’s just something about being outside in the fresh air – the cool breeze, the scent of the pine trees, the crispness of the air itself. It’s not often that city girls like me get to experience being out in nature, but when I have the chance, I take it! Being a “boy-mom” has given me more opportunities to experience the great outdoors, although as a college student I was quite the adventurous type. I even taught my first lab how to swim in the Black River, during a camping trip nestled in the fields near the San Carlos Reservation. Snow camping along the Mogollon Rim – did that too – again, I was young and adventurous. It was cold, I won’t lie and I can honestly say I can live the rest of my days without trying that again.

With sons in Scouts, there’s always an outing planned – a very large percentage of them, overnights in tents! Of course, they’ve done far more “camping nights” than I have. One of the boys spent 13 days at Philmont in New Mexico, hiking for 11 of those days with all his belongings strapped to his back in a 50 pound external frame pack. Now that’s roughing it. Over the years, though, we’ve acquired “necessities” to make the family camping experience a bit more enjoyable. After our last trip to the Colorado River, I realized how important the jet boil is to camping. I honestly LOVE it!! I bought two more - so convenient, especially for backpacking trips.

On this weekend's adventure, the trees of the forest slowly turning to fall seemed to beckon us to hours of wandering – finding a path through the thick pines, discovering all that nature has to offer. The simplicity and beauty of it all is amazing! Gone is all the bustling, the traffic, the noise and all you can hear is the wind whistling through the treetops and birds chirping happily - like something out of a magazine. I think most boys have an explorer within them, at least mine have always proven this to me! When they were little, they would find a favorite rock that would accompany them back from their outdoor adventures. For each of them, the collection grew - there were smooth ones, and round ones, colored ones and rough ones. A year ago or so, some of those little stones fell out of a box from under one of the beds, and so many memories came rushing back. As I watched them explore, I saw the "stone hunting" begin. Every once in a while, one of them would stop, stoop and tuck something into their pocket. It’s fun to see that some things haven’t changed much – they just dig deeper in the woods for their treasures.

Of course camping requires shelter and since we are not RV campers, this always involves packing up the SUV with a tent. When our boys were young we purchased our first “family tent.” I remember the first time we assembled (struggled is more appropriate) this tent. The other scout families commented on how large it was, nicknaming it the “Taj Mahal”  - the following year, we showed up at one of the campouts, minus the poles to hold that tent up – and had to drive into town and purchase another tent. Do you think we went small? No way – go big or go home, right? So now we have these two sizeable tents, which about four years later has worked out just fine! You see, with boys that are six footers (and then some), and my husband and I not exactly height disadvantaged, these two tents have come in handy.  Thanks to Pinterest, not only for the amazing “camping hacks” that I now incorporate into our trips, but to this really great idea….room for everyone!!  

And how do you wrap up a really great camping adventure? S’mores over a campfire, that’s how. I’ve never been a fan of sticky, gooey marshmallow but a s’more is a different story. And the roasting part is always fun! The crackling of the campfire and the laughter that usually accompanies someone's marshmallow falling into the flames - surely memories to be tucked away along with the stones.

As the weather is Arizona cools off and the northern part of the state revels in all its glory, hopefully more weekends will be spent wandering in the woods and enjoying the beauty nature has to offer!

'til next time.....