Camping & Glamping

What qualifies a person as a “camper”? Is it all the fancy gadgets? An affinity for fire-roasted marshmallows? Are campers people who spend every free moment in the great outdoors, hiking and fishing until the sun goes down? Or do you simply need to own a camper?

Camping comes in all variations, whether it be the diehard primitive outdoorsman who sleeps on the ground, sets up camp in the middle of the woods and forages for their food, or the weekend warrior who owns a camper and likes to hang out at the lake. There are people who camp only when their friends schedule a large trip, and there are people who make camping their lifestyle, selling everything they own and deciding to live more simply.

Misty Jensen is one of those people.

“My husband and I have had a camper ever since we have met. We were avid weekend campers, and we would do various long stints of camping on and off for the last 22 years or so. And two years ago, my daughter was graduating high school, and we wanted to take a little bit of an adventure,” Jensen says.

She and her husband sold everything, bought a 33-foot fifth wheel and headed for Florida. There they have lived for the past two years, settled in their camper, moving around as they saw fit and creating a community of a lifetime.

“We’ve loved every minute of it,” she says.

There are, of course, challenges that come with this lifestyle. Downsizing was one of these challenges – it’s not easy to sell your belongings, though Jensen admits it was fairly cathartic. There were also the learning curves, the hard lessons that no one really teaches you about this style of life. Like the fact that you can’t just pull your camper up to a random campsite and expect to be a able to find a place without reservations. Storms, as well, can be a bit risky. Parks don’t usually contain tornado shelters. Finally, there were the social challenges that came from living in a 20- foot area. Sharing a confined space with your husband 24/7

CONTINUED ON P. 50

Camping & Glamping Taking it Outside in an Inside World

After “Glamping” for two years straight, Misty Jensen offers advice to those those looking for their own outdoor adventure.

by Sydney Shrim pton photography by Jason Dailey

Misty Jensen

can become difficult at times, according to Jensen.

Challenges aside, the positives far outweighed the negatives. Jensen and her husband got the chance to meet people from all over the world and to see sights they’d never imagined, like watching space launches while camping 30 minutes away from Cape Canaveral.

“It’s definitely a lifestyle to consider,” Jensen says. “If you’ve ever thought about it, it’s definitely worth it.”

For many of us, selling everything you have to become a full-time camper seems like a dream, a far-fetched idea that could never fully be realized. But the great part about camping is that you don’t have to go that extreme to enjoy the outdoors every once in a while. Even if you don’t believe you have the proper equipment or know-how, there are many techniques to make the entire process go smoothly.

A big part of camping successfully lies in ensuring you are prepared for the weather and the terrain, according to Sunflower Outdoor and Bike Shop manager Liam Inbody.

“There’s a lot of outdoor rec here within the Midwest – or that’s really accessible to us. So it’s not necessarily like, ‘Oh, what are you going to do in Kansas, it’s all flat?,’” Inbody says.

Lawrence and surrounding areas are only really a few hours away from

great places to hike and camp in Colorado, Missouri and Arkansas – easy day trips that provide a huge difference in terrain and outdoor adventure opportunities. There are also fine camping sites just a few minutes away, including Clinton, Melvern and Pomona lakes.

If you’re a regular camper and are sick of holding hot dogs over the fire, Inbody recommends trying different kinds of dehydrated meals, which supply you with calories and nutritional elements that you’ll need after a long day of outdoor adventure.

There are also quite a few camping appliances that you can purchase, including an over-the-fire cooking grate or oven, as recommended by Steve Geiss, owner of Take it Outdoors, a military surplus store in Ottawa.

“It sits over the fire and heats up the box,” Geiss says. “You can actually bake like a little pie or biscuits or cookies.”

There are all kinds of gourmet camping recipes out there, just do a search on the internet and see what kind of innovative solutions you come up with.

“Planning your meals is really important,” Jensen says. “I remember from weekend camping, it was annoying to go buy an entire weekend full of stuff, not sure what you’re

going to eat.”

She recommends doing as much prep work as possible to ensure that the weekend is full of fun, not labor.

Enjoying the outdoors in the summer can prove a challenge if you don’t have a recreational vehicle. There are a few tips that will help abate this challenge. Geiss recommends purchasing a tent that is designed for breathability with a rainfly that you can put on or take off, which provides good air circulation and cooler temperatures. You could also try sleeping in a hammock.

The beautiful thing about camping is you don’t have to make your every outing into a big production. Because there are so many different variations of the experience, you’re guaranteed to find something to do that fits your lifestyle, creating memories and building friendships¬ along the way. The outdoors provide endless opportunities for entertainment, whether you enjoy hiking or would prefer to play cornhole with some friends. You don’t even need all the fancy gadgets or to have extensive camping trips planned with a picture-perfect place to go. All you really need is a love for nature, a drive to get away every once in a while and a quiet place where you can see the stars.

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What I wish I knew...

by Cam eron Wood photography by Trenton

Bush

Making mistakes is a big part of life, but what if you could have avoided them entirely? Recently, I have been thinking about the overwhelming benefits that would come with the ability to recognize a mistake before it’s made. What would you do with such a talent? Would you go back and convince yourself not to cut those quarantine bangs? Would you remind yourself that pulling an all-nighter will take you days to recover? Or would you tell yourself to stop plucking that one eyebrow so thin (everyone’s been there)?

This March I turned 20 (eek!). As a young woman who has just entered a new decade of her life, I have many questions and concerns about the seemingly daunting next 10 years. With both the lack of trial or error, I am not yet able to learn from or regret a decision (thank you, quarantine). Of course, I have those simple concerns involving my decreasing metabolism or the increasing importance of sunscreen, but I mostly worry about the bigger issues: my relationships, family life and career during my twenties.

I can’t learn from experiences I have not yet had, but this does not mean I can’t gain some insight on my twenties from others. So this is exactly what I set out to do. Lucky for me, I am surrounded by a surplus of inspirational women who have allowed me into the world of their twenties in order to gain some second-hand experience. CONTINUED ON P. 54

Adulting?

When asked to reflect on her twenties, Jessica Howard, 32, wife and mom of two, admits, “The twenties are so much from the beginning to the end. I went from being a college girl to a married woman.”

“A blur.” “A huge transition time.” “Life-changing.” These are the words women found to be the most fitting to describe this decade. As Rita Oltjen, 52, marketing coordinator, says, these 10 years hold “some of the most important decisions that you’re going to make that will affect your life and your happiness.”

Somehow, hearing about the many adult decisions I will have to endure in the next 10 years makes me equally want to jump up and down with excitement and crawl into the fetal position with anxiety. Is this the normal feeling that accompanies adulting?

Out of the utter disbelief that someone could even consider me an adult, I began to search for some answers. I mean, who said it was okay for me to make so many of these life-changing decisions? Laura Vaughn, 39, pediatric dentist and mom of two, helped to aid my concern with some comic relief.

“I honestly didn’t feel like I was an adult until maybe last year,” she says.

This leads me to wonder: What makes someone an adult? Is it their responsible choices? Their ability to have a stable income?

Howard answers this not-so-easy question with advice I think works for any age: “Life doesn’t come with a manual. And you look at older people and feel like they know what they’re doing. That they’ve got it together. They’re adulting. But it’s a lifelong process. Everyone is always still trying to figure it out. If you are making the best decision for yourself, you are acting as an adult.”

Opportunity Knocking

In the midst of tackling this new task of “adulting,” I am reminded that my twenties are a time to try new things and change my mind. While this is one overall thing that sounds comforting, I still have to stress about eventually coming to the conclusion that there is, in fact, something out there that I am both passionate about and good at. Luckily, these women have reassured me that I have time to find it.

Howard says, “Life is so short, and every phase of life is so short. So whatever you’re going through in your twenties, just realize this is the time for that and do the best that you can do to enjoy it because the next phase is going to be so different.”

Even in this short phase, I still need to eventually decide what I want to do with my life. I have learned that the early twenties can be about being selfish, as these women help me

to understand the significance of fleeting opportunities.

“After you graduate and get a job, you don’t really have a chance to take a month off and go explore. Then once you get married, life isn’t just about you. Those early twenties are really a time to focus on yourself and what you want in life,” Howard says.

Howard has helped me realize that the opportunities I have in this phase of life are different than the opportunities I will have in the next.

When asked how she balances these opportunities, Vaughn says, “I always told myself that I would not say no to an opportunity for 24 hours before really considering whether it was something that would be worthwhile in the long run.”

Both Vaughn and Howard have helped to show me the benefits of never turning an opportunity down while it’s temporarily there. CONTINUED ON P. 56

Dating 101

With so many opportunities at their fingertips, I often wonder if there is something women wish they could do again, or, more importantly, never again. Vaughn answered “dating” for both.

“Meeting new people and starting new relationships is always equally fun and anxiety inducing,” she says.

This has helped me to remember that anything worthwhile is going to pull me out of my comfort zone and force me to take some risks (advice that I may not want to hear but need to).

Much like Vaughn’s analysis, I have found the dating world to be comparable to a rollercoaster. Is it fun? Yes. Could I throw up and fall to the ground? Also, yes.

For me, my biggest issue is finding a relationship while still remaining Cameron (as opposed to becoming “that guy’s girlfriend”). Losing your identity in a relationship is something I constantly worry about as it is hard to find that balance of being committed while still remaining independent.

“Have friends. Have fun. Enjoy your relationship but don’t lose yourself in it. A partnership is great, but you can’t be all about one person,” Howard says.

While relationships are a constant and complicated journey for all women, Oltjen helped me to simplify it down to one major point of advice: “Keep relationships with the people that are good for you.”

There simply isn’t enough time to surround yourself with people who don’t lift you up.

Grab Your Girls

And, when your love life resembles that of a sappy John Mayer song, friends are who you come running to. Having girlfriends who you can depend on is essential when braving life as a woman (Who else are you going to gossip over the new season of “The Bachelor” with?).

For strategies of maintaining real friendships, Howard says, “You set boundaries for how you want to be treated, and it starts with how you treat other people. If they don’t treat you how you should be treated, don’t be afraid to walk away.”

Walking away, I have learned, is something very challenging to do. It is always difficult to stay true to what you believe, even if it’s not popular.

On this dilemma, Vaughn says, “Don’t apologize for being yourself, but also keep others in mind, too. Don’t be a mean girl. Nobody likes the mean girls.”

When looking back at her own relationships, Howard recalls, “I needed to be more confident in who I was and be okay with people disagreeing with the choices I made. You don’t have to agree or convince anybody. You don’t have to change anybody, and they don’t have to change you. Let it go.”

While being able to go back and warn yourself about future mistakes is not possible, it is still both fun and useful to think about. If given the opportunity to tell her 20-year-old self something, Vaughn advises, “The hard work pays off, but don’t forget to slow down and hug the people you love every once in a while because they are important. You don’t remember the details of all the work, but you remember the people.”

I have learned that having the right people around you is what makes all the difference. Whatever stage of life you are in, just remember that even though we are not capable of predicting our own mistakes, it does not mean there isn’t someone out there who can help to steer you further from them.