On being too girly for camping

Camping always seems like a good idea to me. It's a romantic notition--being out in the woods with your friends or lovers, a roaring campfire, marshmallows, being one with nature, snuggling in your tent, that crisp smell in the air.

Then I realize that I'm entirely too high maintenance for most camping. This is hard for me to admit, because I was a tomboy growing up. To look at me now, you'd never guess, but I was totally a running-jumping-climbing trees-playing guns with the boys-kind of girl.

I kind of went camping in high school. After football games, the band gang would go set up tents on a wooded plot of land that someone's family owned. We weren't far from civilation, but it was wooded enough that you felt far away. We only ever stayed one night at a time, which was totally enough for me. Mini-camping, with the opportunity to shower at my own house the next day. So you can see where my false notion of camping has come from.

One time, my then-boyfriend (wait, I don't think he was actually my bf yet!) and I were sleeping in a tent and were awoken abruptly by the tent being collapsed upon us. Our friends had decided it would be funny to wrap us up like a burrito and roll us around. There were arms and legs and nylon everywhere and we were cracking up and yelling for help. After they finally released us, we all realize they'd nearly rolled us right into a VERY steep ravine, which we'd camped right next to the night before, not seeing it in the dark.

Every now and then my friends will suggest camping and at first I'm always like, YES, great idea. Then the rational part of my brain speaks up, the part that likes sequined high heels and deodorant and reminds me:" You're always cold, your hair gets oily after one day, mosquitos love you, you are freaked out by insects, etc.."

Take for instance the conversation I had with one friend trying to plan a trip.

Him: Rustic and semi-rustic cabins are available.

Me: A cabin? Sweet, okay, well that's at least not sleeping on the ground! Sounds good. What's the difference?

Him: Semi-rustic means no electricity. Rustic means no electricity and no water.

Me: [crickets]. (ha, see what I did there.

Sooo, yeah, I probably won't be going.

{scene}

All of that said, I STILL stupidly contemplated camping again when I saw these lovely camping photos from The Rockstar Diaries.