Behind the Photo – A Grateful Approach to a Global Pandemic

I’ll start by saying that I am lucky to have largely been spared from hardship related to the pandemic: no loss of a loved one or of a steady income, or any real measurable discomfort. But knowing the magnitude of loss has been so great for so many, I’m still hesitant to label anything related to COVID as a “silver lining.”

However, like many others, the pandemic provided me the opportunity to pump the brakes, practice some mindfulness, and evaluate the things I had designated as “priorities.”

I’m a planner at heart, I thrive on to-do lists, calendar notifications, and the like. “Slowing down” is something I always plan to do in the future, but gets deferred by a new project, task, etc. And 2020 was meant to be a banner year for planning. A belated wedding reception with our nearest and dearest, a trip to Spain for the Running of the Bulls, and a journey to my husband’s native California. All foiled.

How could we safely scratch our exploration itch that would also help me flex my new mindful mindset?

I had always wanted to be someone who “camped.” Camping is the kind of Type II fun I love to engage in (challenging while its happening, awesome to look back on. See the post on our trip to Peru as an example).

Aside from a handful of times as a child and once or twice as an adult, it always seemed too complicated for the uninitiated. Too much preparation, too much equipment, and when there are so many places around the world to visit, camping often plummeted down the priority travel list as something to do when things “slowed down.”

But when COVID emerged, camping took on a new significance. It checked a lot of boxes. You can’t help but be thoughtful when surrounded by the sounds of crickets and rustling leaves. You have no choice but to disconnect and enjoy simpler things like reading and conversation, when there is no cell service. You can’t help but gaze in wonder at some of the natural beauty our Earth blesses us with. And there is even an element of planning to suit my personality.

We’ve taken two camping trips each of the past two summers. Although, I’ve discovered I don’t find sleeping out in the tented wilderness to be as relaxing as I’d like (when the sounds of crickets are replaced with the possible sounds of wild horses or raccoons). Further, disconnecting from everyday life is easy, but camping is not - from the booking a camp site six months in advance to packing the gear and unpacking gear and hoping that you didn’t forget any of the essentials (like matches).

Each place we’ve camped has offered a different experience – from crowds to activities.

Here are the highlights of the locations we’ve camped at in the summers of 2020 and 2021.

Watkins Glen State Park, New York. August 2020

The campsites were large and convenient to facilities, and there were many families. We always take our bikes when we go camping, but there wasn’t really a lot of space for biking at Watkins Glen except through the other camping loops. Everyone, and I mean everyone, goes for the Gorge Trail – after all it is “gorge-eous.” It is picturesque, and much of it is a walk, versus a hike, so a little easier for folks, which made it crowded. There are portions of the trail that aren’t as packed and equally breathtaking. I would appreciate this trip more at a time when we could couple the camping with some exploration of the local village and wineries.

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. September 2020

A small, not very private camp site, but there are only a handful of sites, and you are right on the Potomac River, which makes for beautiful sunsets and the calming sounds of waves lapping up on the shore. However, look out, because there was a zip-lining course in the trees above our heads and along the river’s edge. There are always pros and cons, in this case, the same company that runs the zip lining, also rents kayaks, which made it easy to hop in a kayak a hundred yards from our campsite. Although we had to book the kayaks in advance.

We took our bikes with us and drove about 30 minutes into Maryland to ride along the C&O Canal. The nearby National Park made a nice hike to the town of Harpers Ferry on our final day.

Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania. June 2021

Everyone goes t Rickett’s Glen for the famed waterfall hike, which we did one afternoon. But camping there was lovely. There is something nice about being able to park at a campsite and having all of your activities accessible by foot or bike. I took great care in selecting a site, we were one site removed from the shores of Lake Naomi, which made for beautiful views, but also some foot traffic from some curious kids in the campsite next to us. It seemed to me that Ricketts Glen is the type of place where families return year after year for the scenery and the quiet.

Assateague Island National Seashore. August 2021

Many people know about the famous wild horses at Assateague (and Chincoteague to the south). And they did not disappoint. At one point there were 5 beauties on the sandy ridge just in front of us, about 100 feet away. The camping on sand is unique, but comes with challenges like carrying all your gear in and out, making sure everything is always secure to prevent an unwanted visit from horses, and no trees to provide shade, among them. But there is something to be said about being able to wander a few hundred yards over the dunes to enjoy a relatively empty beach or watch the sun go down. There are some trails at Assateague that we didn’t explore, although we rode our bikes. Assateague deserves two nights but bring something to provide shade and bug spray.

COVID was devastating for many people. Even for those us who were relatively unscathed still had to navigate a world with masks, fewer hugs, social distancing, and where toilet paper was worth its weight in gold. But it would be shortsighted to not maximize the COVID slowdown in 2020, and to try something new – even if that new thing is as old as human history.

COVID allowed us to slow down while still being active. Adventure while powering down. And look thoughtfully at how and who we spend our time with. I hope we continue to camp even travel have returns to normal.