HodgePodge Hippie

There’s no official line marking when camping changed. No single moment when lantern light gave way to LED strips or when quiet lakeside mornings turned into fully booked campgrounds months in advance. But ask someone who has been camping for decades, and they will often tell you the same thing: it feels different now. Not worse, necessarily. Just different. For…
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The first night of a camping trip can either feel like the start of a core memory or the beginning of a long, uncomfortable countdown to going home — and most of the time, it has nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with preparation. That first evening sets the tone. If it’s chaotic, cold, and disorganized,…
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Can something as simple as pitching a tent under the stars actually dial down anxiety? I mean, we’re talking about swapping screen time for s’mores time. As someone who runs this camping blog, I’ve hit the trails enough to know that yeah, it can make a real difference. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves—I’m not saying it’s a magic…
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Camping was never supposed to feel like a race. It used to be the fallback plan, the easy option, the thing you did when you wanted less structure, not more. You picked a park, packed what you had, and figured the rest out when you got there. Somewhere along the way, that changed. Now people set reminders for reservation releases,…
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Camping promises peace and space — until your neighbor’s coffee pot is close enough to hear bubbling at sunrise. Camping promises space, fresh air, and a break from crowds. But during peak season, that promise can feel thin. Sites fill up. Tents go up just feet apart. Conversations, music, and meal prep bleed from one campsite into the next. At…
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