The true spirit of camping remains alive and well

Sometimes, the best thing grown-ups can do, is to play like children.

Last weekend, on a camping trip out to the Magaliesberg with two other couples, we accidentally discovered that we still have a lot of child in us. With the majestic mountain as backdrop, we did things we haven’t experienced in decades, like playing putt-putt and dive-bombing into the pool.

We told ghost stories around the campfire and ate way too many snacks and sweets. And we stayed up way past our usual bedtime, like children are supposed to do when they go on a sleepover.

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Perhaps that’s the best way to describe a camping trip – a sleepover for grown-ups. We were fortunate to stay at a campsite with lots of game. Impala and nyala roam through the campsite, while an abundance of rabbits, peacocks, guinea fowl and monkeys are a constant source of wonder.

Lying in bed at night with the sound of roaring lions growing more intense as the world grew silent, I reminisced about my childhood camping days.

Being avid fishermen, my father and grandfather often took us camping at the Vaal River. Back then, it was rough camping. My father’s shiny copper Primus stove provided the boiling water for morning coffee. In the evenings it was used to cook mieliepap while the meat was cooked on a wood fire. A solitary paraffin lamp was the only artificial light.

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Today’s campsites are much more user-friendly, with every designated site equipped with electricity, running water, lights, a built-in braai and whatever else it takes. Some even have their own private ablutions.

Some modern caravans and trailer-tents even come with built-in showers, toilets, Wi-Fi, televisions, microwaves and electric blankets – I kid you not.

However, what amazed me most last weekend, was that despite all the modern amenities, I did not see one person, child or adult, stare at a phone for more than a minute. It was only used to take pictures. It seems that, despite the luxury, the true spirit of camping remains alive and well.

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