Camping/Fishing . . . Love it? or Hate it?

[Kay7979]

Just a minor pity party here DH left with his 19 year old son and his parents for a week long camping/fishing trip somewhere in Ontario Canada. Don't get me wrong, I love the outdoors and I hope they have a good time, but camping, eeeeewwwww. Way too much like work! They got a house/cabin for free but this place is 23 miles from a real road, on a logging road, and there are no phones, no cell phone tower, no electricity, the nearest store is at least a half hour away, and the nearest hospital is 1.5 hours away. In order to go anywhere else at all, you'd have to return 23 miles just to get back to a public road. DH's parents are in super health but are in their 70s. I wouldn't want to be anywhere that remote even at my age!

I think being by a lake in beautiful scenery would be nice, but I would need to be in a cabin that had electricity, drinkable water, and reasonably near stores and civilization. I have no interest in fishing, so the idea of fishing everyday for a week is inconceivable! The hanging out relaxing in nature part is OK, but I would still want to be able to do some sight-seeing and other things part of the time.

I think I might find camping and being "away from it all" more appealing if we lived in the city, but DH and I live in a rural/suburban area at the end of a dead-end road. We have 15 acres of land with 9 acres of woods that have walking trails and plenty of "nature."

If you like to camp and fish, please try to explain the appeal. And how can anyone just fish, and hang around, for an entire week without getting tired of it?

 

[Honu]

I'm totally with you. It's work. The only work I want to do on vacation is make reservations.

 

[Kay7979]

I changed the title of the thread, so maybe more people will share their opinions. If you don't like camping/fishing, either, tell me why. If you find it fun and relaxing, what do you like best about this kind of a vacation? Also, would you think it's neat to go somewhere really remote?

 

[PattnFmly]

I would absolutely love being there! Not the fishing part per se, my DH and my DS's all love fishing and go almost daily around where we live. They could do it all day if I let them. Fishing is not exactly my thing. But the camping part, now that I could really get into! Being forced to leave tv, cell phones, computer behind would be an absolute godsend to me. I could relax and just get reacquainted with nature. We go camping in Maine every year, and though there's a lot to bring, I love cooking over the fire and just hanging out. I don't find the cooking or dishes to be intrusive, in fact, I hate a vacation with only restaurant meals, I do so get sick of sitting in restaurants and ordering, then waiting for the meal, then waiting for the check. Just give me a fire, some pre-marinated chicken breasts and some potato salad. I'm there!

 

[CEDmom]

Doesn't sound like much of a vacation to me. I like to be pampered not rough it. Now fishing can be fun if you're on a dock with a few friends and a cooler.

 

[kdibattista]

Hate it... unless it's one of those million dollar RV's with a plasma screen tv

 

[minkydog]

I love camping! I've been camping since I was a wee little girl. My DH had never camped as a child, so I introduced him to the wonders of the great outdoors. We camped in tents until a few years ago, and now we have a little pop-up camper to get us up off the ground. We love to sit around a little camp-fire,cooking dinner. We love it when it rains. A good vacation is a camping weekend in the mountains!

Obviously, we really like sleeping and living outside a few weeks per year. However, I don't think i would choose to camp 23 miles off the beaten path. i like to go see things, maybe eat at a local BBQ place, meet new people. What you describe would be a little too much solitude for me. And if I lived way out in the country like you do, I probably wouldn't want to camp so much.

Btw--I think fishing is a total waste of time But everybody has their own opinion about that.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We do camping, boating and fishing.

Now my dad fishes so my family vacations were about fishing. My girls have the lastest fishing gear because of my father and I, not my dh, he boats and does not fish.

I like nature, always have. Now I do not go on trips with guides like my dad, but I like tossing a line in the water.

Generally when we camp it is with a BIG group of friends/family so you can just kick back and spend time with each other.

 

[NMAmy]

Ugh, I hate camping. My mother used to make us go just about every weekend when the weather was nice and for the entire summer. She still spend her summers at our cottage on Lake Michigan. It's pretty isolated but does have electricity, a well, and a telephone. She's taking it easy in her old age (she's 75) and that's as close to camping as she gets nowadays.

It's too much work--if I'm on vacation, I want someone else doing the cooking and cleaning.

 

[azgal81]

I don't mind it!

 

[hlbtimes2]

Love camping, hate fishing. I love getting away from the tv, phone, computer, etc for a day or two. I wouldnt want to go for more then 2-3 nights. I also must have a place to shower and a flushy toilet. I hate the time and slime involved with fishing.

 

[SadieDog]

I love camping and being in remote areas. I like fishing too.
I also enjoy sitting by the campfire at night. I have to agree with you though, it can be a lot of work. Looking forward to my next camping trip.

 

[debloco]

I hate camping.
It takes all the regular work that needs to be done for 3 meals a day- prepping, cooking and cleaning up-and moves it to a location in which it's harder to do all of it.
Not to mention the dirt and the bugs
The weather (be it heat, humidity, cold, rain) and the lack of private bathrooms (unless you have your own RV) so it's a hassle to shlep all your stuff to the showers/go to the bathroom. The conditions of the bathroom at many campgrounds leaves a lot to be desired.

So, in my view, camping is more work than staying at home. Not restful or fun, despite the scenery or loveliness of being out in nature. And if it's more work than being at home...it's not a vacation.

What qualifies as a vacation, for me, is being able to take a break from all of the work I do here at home. Not that I don't like being outdoors enjoying nature. I like to canoe, hike, go horseback riding, boating, sailing, etc., I just do these as a day activity. And then go back home or to a hotel.

 

[Chattyaholic]

I never went camping as a child, but after DH and I got married we bought a tent and started camping occasionally with that (along with a Coleman cookstove and lantern), then we "graduated" to a pop-up camper for many years while the kids were growing up. We loved family camping vacations! Now for the past several years we've had a 5th wheel and we love going to different campgrounds or state parks, just the two of us. It's a great way to spend time together. We usually cook our own breakfast in the camper, then in the evening we might grill chicken breasts on the little gas grill we have, or we may just roast hot dogs on sticks over the campfire. We LOVE sitting by the campfire, just talking, roasting marshmallows. We enjoy campgrounds that are quiet, no loud parties at night, etc. We like those that have nature trails for walking. And we enjoy exploring the area/town we're camping in.

And now our grown children and their families both have campers as well so it's wonderful to be able to all get together and go camping.

Camping in a tent was fun but required lots of work, "getting ready", etc.
The pop-up was better because we at least had a kitchen, a couch to sit on and "real beds." But we LOVE the 5th wheel, it has all the comforts of home and more. If it's raining we can stay indoors and play cards/games or watch a movie on the DVD player. And having our own bathroom is great!!

Really looking forward to the day when we "semi-retire" and we can spend 2-3 months or more in a warmer climate with the camper.

 

[cyndibelle]

I dont mind behing outside hiking etc..but camping forget it..no thanks..

 

[juligrl]

I like camping, but then again, I was raised in a camping family and have a lot of good memories associated with it. I really don't consider cabining (staying in a cabin) camping either.

My family has a cottage in NW PA where I have done "cabining" several times a month all my life. It's not nearly as rural as you describe, we are off a paved road, and we do now have patchy cell phone service in the area (if we had an emergency). Electricity, but we do not have a tv there. We do have a radio which we all sit around and listen to in the evening. Board games - Chinese Checkers is our cottage favorite! A woodburning fireplace. However, we lack running water -- that's right, we use a washtub and an outhouse!

Food always tastes better at my cottage, so I don't even mind the extra steps I have to take in making it or cleaning up after a meal. Plus I love the town that we are near. People are so laid back, it's good for destressing.

I guess the joy of cabining for me is that I can sit back, relax and truly not have a care in the world. Even better is when I'm floating down the river in my kayak not caring about anything ! Actually, I get the same kind of feeling leaving my cottage and returning to "the real world" as I do when I'm leaving Disney.

Camping - true backwoods camping with/without a tent, miles from civilization, I have never done. It does sound like work! My younger sister is a back-country park ranger for the national park system so she gets paid to go miles from anywhere, so for her it actually is work. I can understand why people would enjoy it though. You really do get to appreciate the awesome power of nature in an isolated setting like that.

I guess it's just a matter of taste. Some people like the ocean (I don't, I prefer to stick to boardwalks), some like cruises (I think I'd go crazy feeling stuck on a ship in the ocean ), some like cities. To each his own!

 

[crazymomof4]

I have a DH and 3 boys who LOVE fishing. I grew up with a fishing father and brother and many family vacations of my childhood were planned around fishing. So I could easily say to my guys, "I'm sick of it. You go. I'll stay home when you go on fishing vacations!" I do that sometimes. (They have been fishing in the FL Keys twice without me.) But I go sometimes too. In fact, we just went for a week in Ontario. Here's the compromise: I pick out the rental house (Canadians call them "cottages")! The guys only want to be on a lake with fish in it. So I find that for them, but with a house to suit my desires: dishwasher, microwave, satellite TV w/ VCR or DVD player are required. Other things that are optional, but I look for are: washer/dryer, king size bed in master bedroom and a nice beach area in front of the cottage or close by. Here are some websites that I look at for rentals:
cottagerentals247.com

cottagelink.com

cottagesunlimited.com

athtecottage.com

cottagesincanada.com

cottageholidays.ca.com

thecottageregister.com

cottageads.com

So what do I do while they fish? I make it a priority to do lots of things that I don't have the time to do when I'm home. I read novels/magazines, I buy chick flicks on DVD or VHS to take along and watch, I give myself a facial, do my nails, do the self-tan in a bottle, I take walks with my camera and practice my photography skills, I pack special treats like cookies, chocolates, specialty teas and coffes that I've never had before, I lay in the sun by the lake and enjoy the quiet. Most importantly, I spend time with my much-longed for DD5! We have tea parties, color, play games, swim in the lake, I read her books. I could write more, but you get the idea. I basically INDULGE MYSELF and my DD. I also go out on the boat once or twice and fish with the guys. I really do love the scenery and fresh air. Also, you can look for a cottage that is near some points of interest for you. Many of the small towns in Ontario are quiant and historical. We've stayed near Perth, Ontario for example and I enjoyed taking a day with my DD and shopping, having lunch, walking in the park and touring some small museums.
http://www.beautifulperth.com/
I guess you could say that I make my own vacation around the guys fishing trips. It's a compromise and I'm always happy that I did it. I wouldn't miss the memories that we make together as a family. I love seeing the faces on my boys when they come in to tell me to grab the camera and come down to the dock because they "Got a big one." I enjoy the family card games at night, after they've come back from the last fishing trip of the day. I must say that I come home from these vacations very refreshed and rejuvinated.

In between these fishing trips, I plan my "dream vacations" to WDW and drag my teen sons around the MK! We are in the process of planning a trip to FL that will involve fishing for them and WDW for me. I said, "Just drop DD and I off at Pop Century and pick us up on your way home!"

PS- I go camping too! Tent camping, in fact. But for no more than 2-3 nights. That's all I can take of sleeping on the ground!

 

[Taylor]

Roughing it to me is the Holiday Inn instead of the Crowne Plaza.