Camp Your Way To A Great Family Life

Camp Your Way To A Great Family Life

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Welcome to my series on the fun of family camping. In this series I'll draw on my own childhood to help you learn why I believe that camping is the best family building experience on earth. My family discovered camping when I was a young teen and in the almost 40 years that followed, I've had some tremendous family experiences while camping. In the process, I'll turn you on to some great places to camp and help you create a list of the basic equipment you'll need.

One of my favorite things about a family camping trip is the opportunity to experience nature in a totally new way. The earliest example of this I can remember was on our very first family camping trip. It was the summer of 1969 and my parents decided that we would try camping for our summer vacation. Mom and dad decided we were going to visit Assateague Island National Seashore and see the wild ponies. Imagine how cool it was for my brother, sister and I (aged 4, 10 and 13 respectively) to see those ponies running around in nature. Yes, we could have stayed at a hotel and driven to see the ponies, but it just wouldn't have been the same as getting up, getting out of our camping tent, packing our picnic basket and then hiking to where we could check out the ponies. It felt to me like we were part of the ponies' environment rather than intruders into their world.

Among the spectacular wildlife I've seen while camping are wild moose in Maine, a spectacular monarch butterfly migration in Long Island (yes you really can go camping in Long Island), dozens of hawks and bald eagles in Central Pennsylvania, a migration of tiny frogs near Myrtle Beach and hundreds of deer in one day on Virginia's Skyline Drive. All of these trips have left me with memories for a lifetime. I only wish that digital cameras existed when I was a child. That reminds me, don't forget to take your camera on your next camping trip and when you go, please, please take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints.

About the Author:
Alan Kassirer is an executive at Youth Advocate Programs, a not-for-profit agency serving thousands of youth per year. He also owns Picnic Baskets and More, your one stop shop for wicker picnic baskets barbecue tools and other picnic accessories.

Alan suggests Camping Gear Stop for camping tents and other camping gear.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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