image creditThere is a satisfying immediacy about the prospect of establishing an encampment for the night - clearing the site, erecting the tent, chopping wood, building a fire and cooking over the live flame - that in turn suggests a meaningful connection to landscape, place and the rugged life of backwoods adventurers.
In essence camping is an act of faith and survival, a way to buttress a modest, isolated human settlement against the forces of nature. The camp is a temporary substitute for the home - a place to dwell, to sleep, to interact socially, to prepare and eat food. Stripped of any but the most vital conveniences, the camp is literally and figuratively open to the stimuli of its natural surroundings.
