for the first time in a few years i have this unbelievable desire to go camping. not that i have never wanted to go camping – i’m always up for it. but, there hasn’t been a chance to do it here in sweden. or, it hasn’t been priority.
i’m sure we could have made it happen, i mean, this is sweden – the land of forests & lakes & outdoors-y people. a country full of people who a love, respect, and enjoy nature any time they have a chance. and then there’s this thing called allemansrätten (everyman’s right), which gives everyone the right to roam. it is the freedom to wander, to camp, to hike, to ski, to ride, to swim, to access any land – with the exception of private gardens & farms. the right to roam also comes with the responsibility to take care of the environment. “do not disturb, do not destroy”. the belief is that everyone should have access to nature. very, very cool.
anyway, i’m not so sure if it’s the season of fall, or the inspiration i get from amazing travel & nature bloggers like ashleypaige, or my homesickness for north carolina & my family, or my craving to spend time in nature – living simply, roughing it. actually, i’m pretty sure it’s all of the above reasons together… but, camping has been on my mind almost constantly lately.
i spent a lot of my teenage & college years camping with my family. and when i lived as the mountains, during my adult years, i lived about 15-30 minutes from amazing & beautiful campgrounds & woods. needless to say, i have tons of fond memories of hanging out in the woods, sitting by a fire, sleeping in a tent, looking up at the stars, hiking through trails. i always felt safe when surrounded by a canopy of trees, calm with a babbling brook nearby, and cozy with a fire cracking. these times remind me of laughter, of stories, or laying in the tent reading a book, sitting in a camp chair roasting marshmallows, sipping on hot chocolate.
i loooove camping.
i love being one with nature. leaving civilization behind and living with the land, being a part of everything around me.
it’s on my mind every day right now, and i’m counting down the days until i pack up my tent, lace up my boots, and hit the trail again. i have no idea when that’ll be… but, thanks to pinterest, tumblr, and other blogs, i have the joy of seeing some beautiful images which heighten my senses & draw me closer.
It had nothing to do with gear or footwear or the backpacking fads or philosophies of any particular era or even with getting from point A to point B.
It had to do with how it felt to be in the wild. With what it was like to walk for miles with no reason other than to witness the accumulation of trees and meadows, mountains and deserts, streams and rocks, rivers and grasses, sunrises and sunsets. The experience was powerful and fundamental. It seemed to me that it had always felt like this to be a human in the wild, and as long as the wild existed it would always feel this way.
― Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
how i would like to join u! i’ll bring the marshmallows
Awesome! It’s a plan!
I’ll join you too! Especially in Sweden! 😀
Yay! The more the merrier!
I’ve been feeling a similar urge for a while! I realized recently that I haven’t been camping in years, and it made me really really want to go again. Especially to get to be out in nature and to see the stars again (stupid city lights…). I’ll be done with seminary in 7 months, and I am SO looking forward to the chance to move out of the big city so I can be closer to the natural world. Those pictures you posted just made me want it all the more. Beautiful! Sigh.
It will be so great for you to be closer to nature. 🙂