camping, the city slicker way

I want to go camping, like really "roughing it" camping.

But, I know my idea of camping, as I told my survivalist friend last night is "show up, pitch a tent, eat, sleep, wake up, take the tent down & go home."

Not so, as I'm finding out thanks to google (and the survivalist friend).

Funny thing is, last night I was chatting with the oldbestfriend, and the statement/point I was *trying* to make was:

I want to start up the rock climbing thing again because I want to go camping, and incase there are rock faces there, I want to be able to scale them, and do more in the experience.

Didn't really get that out, because I got as far as "I want to start up rock climbing because I want to go camping" and he jumped on the idea of camping. Now, keep in mind that for an hour before this I've been getting used to the idea that I'm going to have to dig a hole in the ground to use as a latrine, and learn how to clean a fish and all this sort of stuff, and I'm convincing myself that I'm gonna like the great outdoor, poison ivy, oak, mosquitoes, gnats & all. But when I get out the "I want to go camping," he jumps on that like "ooh, my co-worker has a cabin in west virgina, and we can go atv," etc... and I'm like, wow. I sound like that. "camping" means "a/c surrounded by the outdoors, but not really outdoors."

That must be what I sound like to the survivalist.

BUT the oldbestfriend has a 3 person tent... which I want to borrow for my first excursion. I get that camping involves material cost, but I'm trying to minimize it
as much as possible... I don't want to buy a one person tent if I'm going to go with my friends in the future, and I don't want to buy a tent at all if I'm going to hate the experience and never do it again.

Besides, the one person tents... they look cool, but I'm not a survivalist. I don't do things alone. I want 5 people in a 3 person tent, damnit. People don't go camping to be alone, do they? Maybe some of them... but I go camping for the fire, and the stories, and the guitar, and the songs... the communal communing with nature. This individual stuff... man, forget that. I can imagine it now, I'm alone in my tent, and a curious racoon comes up to see what this thing is that has blocked his normal path, and I hear some clawing and sniffing at my tent, and I freak out, and let out a scream so lound that the ranger won't need a map to find me. Just follow the sound like a beacon. Siren that I'll be.

So I'll borrow the 3 person tent from oldbest and sleep in the middle. I wanna do a trial run with some friends... go to the forest, and camp the way I know, pitch a tent, start a fire, eat, make a smore, go to bed, wake up the next day & go home.

I think more than one person can sleep in a tent, I mean, you're not sleeping together, per se... Each individual has their own sleeping bag... I just don't like the idea of having to sleep by myself in the middle of the woods. I'd rather have someone in the tent with me. That's all.

So we'll go camping as a trial run. I'll borrow the tent & see who wants to go.

b