The Happy Camper: That Special Place
Everyone has that spot in the woods they like to call their own.
A familiar place, usually close to home so you can return to it time and time again. It’s a place you’ve grown to love, enjoying each visit to see the changes of seasons. It’s usually not set in true wilderness, but remote enough that it gives a sense of solitude.
Mine is a small pond not far from where I live in Peterborough, Ontario. It’s nothing special; just a cozy corner in vast Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park. There’s a rustic campsite on the southeast corner of the pond, a perfect spot that gets both sunrise and sunset. It’s not the most scenic wonder or known for its natural beauty; it’s more of a refuge for me and whoever wants to share it with me.
I’ve gone there to think; to help reduce my stress. I went there a couple days after my father died and a couple days before my daughter was born. I even spent Christmas Eve there once, after having enough of all the consumer hype, family politics and leftover turkey dinners. And I’ve gone to my special place whenever I feel blessed about the treasures given to me in my life.
What better place to go and reflect on life than a familiar place? I think that’s why we truly do love camping in wild areas. Eventually, the more you camp the more your life spent roaming the woods becomes a common thing; and there’s nothing better for the soul than a proverbial oasis.
