I've never been, and I am so excited. What I'm also excited for is the chance to do some camping.
When I was growing up, my family had a tradition of camping for Thanksgiving. I have so many good memories of helping set up camp, watching my dad build big fires, and taking hikes in the woods. It's been a couple years now since I've been camping, so I am stoked for this weekend!
Hence...I can't help but want to write about the folk knowledge of camping for my blog post this week. Please humor me.
One of the first things I wondered about camping was how in the world I could address it in terms of our history learning outcome. In its current form, it's actually a relatively new thing. The "invention" of camping as a recreational activity is credited to Thomas Hiram Holding who wrote a handbook about it in 1908. Yes, the knowledge was recorded and thus came out from the realm of pure folk knowledge, but bear with me because Holding's own history is a great example of the transmission and transformation of folk knowledge.
Holding developed his passion for camping as a 9-year-old when he crossed America's plains with his parents as part of a wagon train. You can read more about his life and contribution to camping here, but what I love most about his story is that he found pleasure in the skills that he learned as part of everyday life - how to cook, sleep and perform other essential tasks outdoors - to that point that practicing those skills became a form of recreation for him later in life.
I don't think anyone can deny that camping is a lot of work. Today, we don't learn the skills that it requires as part of our everyday life, but instead enjoy them as a specialized type of folk knowledge that allows us to challenge ourselves and enjoy nature. I know that's what I'll be doing this weekend! And who knows what new camping skills I might pick up along the way?
