going into the wild

GOING OUT INTO THE WILDS

I have as I believe many of you heard or read that getting out into the sunshine is good for us with respect to the coronavirus situation and our health. It may not be the best thing to be in crowded places but certainly in the mountains.

Air travel was a bummer for the last 20 years as far as I am concerned. And now I cannot imagine how horrible it is to board an airplane. So, that means auto transportation. There are mountainous regions on the east coast from the New England states almost to Florida and west into Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Then of course there are the Rocky Mountains from Colorado north to the Canadian boarder and south to the Mexican border and of course west to almost the Pacific Ocean. I can’t leave out the wildernesses of Arkansas and Kansas as well as the rest of the countries states that have wilderness areas.

The point being if you venture out into the wilderness areas of the country you will be breathing fresh unadulterated air. If you live in a city and have young children who have really not experienced camping or if you are also a neophyte to camping now is the time to experience it. There are numerous books written that can be a guide for you.

I was born at the outset of WW2 and at that time in our history Polio was a problem in the cities, we lived in Brooklyn, so my parents as well as thousands of others with young children rented bungalows in the Catskill Mountains to get their children out of the cities away from where the Polio epidemic was centered, and we were there for the whole summer. They did this until I was 14 years old. I was introduced to the great outdoors. I had the luxury of being in the Catskills for the summer. Hunting with my BB gun and fishing were everyday activities.

I have never lost my love of the mountains even though I go lost in the mountains. The freedom I felt in the mountains even as a 5-year old was resurrected in my learning to sail and my love of the ocean. It too represented freedom. If I were a young man today, I might very well get another boat and leave the states for some remote location in the ocean. Just a pipe dream.

In any event you have heard from environmentalists we have to reconnect with the land and there is something to that statement today. There is no doubt in my mind your children would eventually appreciate this new experience. Of course, you must leave the I-pads and other electronic devices at home. You can only take your cell phone to use in an emergency situation.

Of course, I recommend that you have Wiggy bags as well as other appropriate Wiggy products. I also recommend a large enough tent for the whole family to sleep in, take citronella oil to ward off mosquitos, all of the chemical products are poisonous to use.

Anyway, you get the idea, now happy camping.