The Great Reset: Discovering the Emotional Benefits of Camping
We spend a lot of time on this blog talking about gear specs, waterproofing, and BTUs. I have spent decades testing tents from Florida to the Canadian provinces. I have spent 35 years in the food industry. During this time, I figured out the best way to cook a meal over an open flame. We need to realize the importance of resetting and recharging ourselves. The emotional benefits of camping are beneficial. It provides the peace we are missing in our daily lives.
High-quality gear matters because it keeps you safe. However, gear is just the vehicle. It is not the destination.
Today, I want to talk about why we pack up our comfortable homes. We drive for hours. Then we sleep on the ground. It is about more than just fresh air; it is about the profound emotional benefits of camping.
The Cacophony of "Now"
We live in an era of constant alert. Our pockets buzz with notifications, our inboxes overflow, and the news cycle screams for our attention 24 hours a day. We are hyper-connected electronically, yet many of us feel profoundly disconnected spiritually.
There is a low-level hum of anxiety that runs through modern existence. It is the pressure to be productive, to be seen, and to hurry up.
Camping is the antidote to hurry. One of the primary emotional benefits of camping is the forced deceleration. Because nature doesn't care about your deadlines, the urgency evaporates when you arrive at a campsite. The sun takes its time setting. The fire takes its time catching. You are forced to slow down to the rhythm of the natural world.
The Primal Comfort of the Campfire
Throughout my decades of traveling through 49 states, I have discovered a universal truth. Nothing brings people together like a campfire.
In my years as a professional cook, I have worked in high-end kitchens. These kitchens had thousands of dollars' worth of sophisticated equipment. Brewing simple coffee on a camp stove is more satisfying. This is especially true as the morning mist rises off a lake.
The campfire is primal television. When the sun goes down, and the screens go away, we stare into the flames. And then, the magic happens. We start talking. Real talking. Without the distraction of WiFi, we look each other in the eye instead of our phones.
Finding Perspective (The Alaska Lesson)
I spent significant time working and living in Alaska's extremes. I was high up on the North Slope. During this time, I learned a valuable lesson about perspective.
When you stand under the vast, terrifying beauty of the Northern Lights, your daily worries suddenly feel very small. Or look out over an Arctic tundra that stretches forever. Nature has a way of righting the scales. It reminds you that you are a tiny part of something massive and ancient.
That feeling isn’t scary; it is liberating. It means that the email you forgot to send really isn’t the end of the world.
Go Find Your Quiet
You don't need the most expensive ultralight tent to feel this shift. You don't need to trek deep into the backcountry. You need to go.
To truly reap the emotional benefits of camping, find a place where you only hear tweets from birds. Go somewhere where you can get a little dirt under your fingernails and smell woodsmoke in your hair.
We go to gear so we can go to nature. And we go to nature so we can come back to ourselves.
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Happy Camping!
Source: The Great Reset: Discovering the Emotional Benefits of Camping
