Camping has always been an important part in our culture in the United States.  During the summer, many families take to the road with their camping gear to go and rediscover nature.  We even have fifty-eight national parks that are preserved for campers to enjoy.  In a world filled with gizmos and gadgets, why is camping still so popular?  Here’s what I think.

1. Camping is a traditional national pastime. Kids are raised going on camping trips with their whole family.  For fathers and sons, camping presents a great opportunity to bond.  Remember your first camping trip, those memories of looking up into the night sky for the first time, unpolluted by the city lights?  The quiet peace of camping allows families to bond.  Things that are left unsaid during the daily bustle finally have a chance to be said.
2. Campfires are unforgettable. Around campfires, parents share stories of their childhood and pass down their own ideas and thoughts on life, the outdoors, and the nature of the universe.  While camping, timeless folk and ghost stories are shared.  Because we remember those fun times camping, it’s only natural that we take our kids camping during the summer just as our parents did with us.  While camping, families can come together and relate to each other in a way that often isn’t possible at home.
3. It’s a time to “get back to nature”. No matter how many conquests we make in the business, political, and technological world, many people still like to “get back to nature”.  Camping connects people to a part of themselves that often gets lost in the busy city.  It is easy to forget that there is such a thing as nature.  All that rushing around, trying to pay the bills, and get ahead in life.  Camping is quite different.  There is no rush, no stress, just a sense of belonging in nature that is unique to camping.

Camping can be a fun pastime and a strong family tradition.  People continue to go camping year after year.  And as the world around us may constantly change, camping will always remain a much loved experience.