Hello Lovely Readers, and welcome back! It has been awhile.
If you’re someone who also reads my book posts, you may be thinking it hasn’t been all that long at all since my last post, and you would be correct. But I know there are some who come here primarily for the travel and adventure related posts. Even those of you who primarily read the book posts may be wondering where the travel posts have gone. Let me assure you, they have not gone away for good, they just went on a bit of a break.
I mentioned in my Summer Reading wrap up that I took an unplanned break from writing this summer. A number of life things came between me and writing over the summer months. Though I wish I could have continued without the break, I am learning to recognize and listen to my physical and emotional cues and take a break when needed. I’ve seen it said many times that it’s better to take a break, or rest than to quit. So that is what I did.
And then when I started back up again with writing in September I decided to spend a few weeks getting back in the swing of things by posting book-related posts only, thus limiting myself to one post a week. Not only did I want to ease back in, but I also didn’t want to burn out before I’d even really got started again. But I think I am ready now to jump back into the travel-related posts. I have the week off from work in an unprecedented fall vacation, and I am hoping to put together a few posts so that I can have the flexibility of working ahead instead of always running from week to week.
I had originally planned on jumping back in with a series about buying a trailer, but as I am sitting here today enjoying some beautifully crisp fall weather, I keep thinking about how much I’m looking forward to doing some fall camping next year, and so I decided to chat a bit about that. Don’t worry though, the trailer series is coming, so consider this a teaser for the upcoming weeks.
I have never gone fall camping. It’s just not something my family did when I was growing up. I don’t think it was something we ever considered since it’s more effort to heat a tent trailer than a fully enclosed trailer, and I just can’t imagine running to the washroom in the early hours of a fall morning. Now, I know that there are probably many out there telling me that they camp all the time in the fall or winter in tents without any heating. As much as I would love to try out that type of fall or winter camping someday, in general, we are wimps, and you are braver than us. So, other than the occasional youth group campout or a fall retreat in cabins, I have never really gone off-season camping.
As I have mentioned before (if you can remember that far back), we are buying a new trailer with a delivery date of June 2021. Our new trailer is a fully contained, aluminum travel trailer with a heater and an onboard washroom. As such, one of the things we are really looking forward to is the possibility of more offseason camping trips. It may sound strange, but a fall camping trip is one of the things that I am currently looking forward to the most in 2021.
Though October can be a hit or miss month in terms of the weather here in Southwestern Ontario, even cooler days can be beautiful and you can’t beat the changing leaves for scenery on fall walks. Sure, you’re not likely to have any beach days or sunbathing in October, but in my opinion, there’s so much to look forward to/dream about with regards to fall camping.
1. Long scenic walks in the woods
In some ways, the cooler fall days are nicer for long walks than hot summer days. When the days are hot and humid, it can quickly become “too hot” to enjoy a long walk. In the fall, the days are cooler so that you don’t overheat but aren’t typically cold enough that you need too many extra layers. Not to mention that the changing leaves make for a beautiful change to the scenery when walking in wooded areas. There is also something special and magical about walking over the soft padding of fallen leaves on the path. I am a big fan of fall walks, especially knowing there’s a cozy trailer and hot tea or chocolate waiting at the other end.
2. Coffee outdoors on Crisp Autumn mornings
Coffee enjoyed outdoors in nature is just better somehow. And it’s even better yet if the morning is just enough on the crisp side that you need a sweater or light jacket, but not too cold to keep you inside or make the coffee get cold too fast. I enjoy the odd day where I can enjoy a coffee, or tea, on my deck at this time of year, and I can’t wait to enjoy it outside of our trailer surrounded by the sounds of fall. When morning coffee is in charge of waking you up and warming you up, it is that much more lovely.
3. Cool morning lie-ins and slow starts
I don’t know about you, but I often find it more difficult to sleep in while camping in the summer, especially if I’m in a tent. The sun, combined with warmer temperatures, is just so insistent in saying that you should get up and start your day. Add to that the need to get up and walk to the washroom, and I just don’t find myself staying in bed too long. Now, I don’t actually know how it will be in practice waking up in our trailer on fall mornings, but I am envisioning the possibilities of lazier, more slow-moving mornings – especially since an on-board washroom and stove mean that we don’t actually need to leave the trailer first thing in the morning if the weather is less than pleasant or it’s raining. It will be so much easier to enjoy the rain on the aluminum roof if we’re not thinking about the upcoming mad dash to the washroom…
4. Cozy evening campfires
I love campfires in the evening while camping in the summer. Depending on the weather, however, summer nights can be too warm to fully enjoy a campfire. This is where fall campfires shine. And with fall you don’t even necessarily need to restrict the campfires to the evenings if the day is cooler. Fall campfires are something you can truly cozy up to, and they’re even better with hot beverages. Sure, depending on the evening, you might also need sweaters and blankets (and possibly hats), but that just adds to the mood and coziness. An added bonus is that, even if you have the temperature down low in the trailer, you won’t be leaving the coziness of the fire to go into a freezing cold tent.
5. The freedom to just relax and enjoy
Now, I try to do this on all of my camping trips, or at least on the ones that aren’t incorporated into other travels, but I think the options are a bit different on a fall camping trip. Sometimes, on summer trips, there can be more pressure to get out and do something to enjoy warm days we know won’t last. Whatever that looks like, it doesn’t always feel right to just hang around all day (though we have been incorporating more of this in our summer camping). Regardless of whether it’s the same activities or different, I think fall days lend themselves so much better to snuggling up and reading or writing all day, or spending the entire day listening to music and playing board games. I’m not sure I’m explaining this point all that well, but I am looking forward to the extra coziness that comes from a lazy fall day indoors surrounded by nature and peppered with the occasional trek outside for fresh air.
These are just some of the things I am dreaming about when I think of fall camping. I’m sure what I enjoy about it, and what I look forward to with regards to it, will change once I’ve actually gone fall camping, but for now these are the things I am picturing while sitting on my deck wishing I was elsewhere.
Have you ever been fall camping? Do you go in a tent or in a trailer? What is the thing you enjoy most about fall camping as opposed to summer camping? Leave me a comment below and don’t forget to like and subscribe if you enjoyed this post!
Until Next time,
