I'd like to plan specific kinds of camping trips. There's the kind where you bring your loads of dutch ovens that you've got a full course meal to cook in them along with a scrumptious dessert, which is better than and more work than anything I do for myself at home. But you look cool and you get to share with your friends and family all your delicious "camp food". (East County campout, case in point) Then I'd also like the campout where you find the simplest, easiest meal choices that require packing the least amount of things and not having to bring a cooler the size of Texas to accommodate it all. Going for the least amount of extras in order to actually live off the land, or at least enjoy it more. Then there's the camping where you eat all the things you had when you camped as a child and you pack monster cookies and have foil specials... And you sweep the dirt in your campground so that it resembles an actual floor and you bring your hammock and reminisce about all those other campouts... Okay we're odd.

Yeah, Josh's idea of good camping is to hike up a mountain with nothing but what you can carry on your back (little puptent, water, small amount of food). But of course that means no toilets, too. Hmm...I don't know about that. You men have it so much easier than us women when it comes to the convenience thing. Yeah, I think I'll take my nice big tent with a thick floor pad and a nice big cooler with easy to cook food. But then, as you were saying, why bother if it's just like home? Why LEAVE home? It's a interesting thought...
Oh, side note not related - you need to see I.O.U.S.A. (a documentary) if you haven't already. It'sa good one. It's in select theaters. Visit http//www.iousathemovie.com

For me, the whole getting away thing has less to do with escaping the creature comforts and more to do with escaping the phone, computer, television, etc. Although, I suppose there are those who like to take those things with them. Also, I'm a minimalist when it comes to camping. I like to do as little cooking, cleaning, set-up, take down as possible. This allows for more time to sit in a camping chair and stare at a fire. Although, with a family of five and a wife who thinks I'm fat, this is pretty difficult.

it doesn't always have to be that way. i am leaving tomorrow to head up to the middle of nowhere, no toilet, no shower, no precut firewood, just me, some grub, and of coarse my dirt bike. : ) it's a choice of HOW you want to "get away"!