We’ve had a long winter, folks! Now here we are on the other side, the spring side, which means camping season is within reach!

In two weeks (give or take a few days), I’ll be headed back up to the end of the Gunflint Trail to prepare for summer at the Pepper Shack. As you might imagine, I’m getting super excited about camping in the Boundary Waters, which has sparked the inspiration for this blog post.

However, you don’t need to have Boundary Waters camping plans to get excited about the season. No matter where you are, whether you’re paddling in, hiking in, flying in, biking in, driving in, or perhaps you’re simply opening the door to your RV, we can all get excited about these 5 things:

Sitting around the campfire with friends and family

Heck, you can enjoy this in your own backyard! I will say though, there’s something special about a campfire when you’re summer camping.

Your mind isn’t thinking about the errands you need to run tomorrow or the emails piling up in your inbox. During those few warm evening hours, you are in the present moment, cooking dinner or roasting some marshmallows with people you care about.

Evening campfires afford us the opportunity to reflect on the day, settle into the slower pace of the wilderness, and connect with ourselves, fellow campers, and nature.

---

Zipping open the tent first thing in the morning

This has got to be the thing I’m most excited for – those early morning hours when everyone else is still sleeping, including Mother Nature.

Rather than waking up to an alarm and artificial light, the first thing we get to see is the wilderness…talk about starting your day off on the right foot.

I’m one of those early riser types so, for me, getting that quiet time with a cup of coffee and a good view is something I look forward to when I go camping.

---

You get to do WHATEVER you want during the day

If you want to lay in a hammock by the water reading a good book all day, do it!

If you (and maybe the kiddos you brought) want to spend the afternoon picking blueberries, knock yourself out!

Maybe you and your partner would rather see how far you can paddle and set up a new campsite elsewhere…you go it!

Or maybe you fancy chasing waterfalls so you decide to go for a day hike, the world is your oyster!

My point is, instead of following a schedule of obligations, you get to do whatever you want at whatever pace you want.

My dad and I love to paddle, paddle, paddle so we spend our days paddling and portaging from one campsite to another, always in search of the most stellar campsites on the map.

---

Stargazing

Over the winter, I tend to forget how magical stargazing can be. If you’re lucky enough to escape the light pollution, it’s often times too chilly to lay down and soak in the view.

It’s true, the winter sky is usually more vibrant but it’s also more challenging to enjoy.

With summer camping season comes more opportunities to escape the lights of towns and cities and fully enjoy the night sky.

---

Disconnecting from modern society

To round out the list, I’ve saved the most beneficial one for last as it’s interwoven into everything we’ve talked about.

Cell phones off. No televisions. No news. No email. No calendar. No traffic. No deadlines. No groceries to get or laundry to do or bills to pay. No calories to count. No party to dress up for. No meetings to get worked up about. No likes or comments or tweets or snapchats.

Just you. Spend a couple of days in the wilderness, with or without family and friends, and I promise you’ll feel a better connection to yourself again.

Consider it a reset for yourself – an escape from the pressures of fast-paced modern society. It’ll allow you to reconnect with who you are and what’s important to you in the grand scheme of things. Doesn’t that sound nice?

---

There you have it, the top 5 things currently getting me super excited for the camping season! What are you looking forward to most? Tell me in the comments section.

Happy Trails,