Why We Love Backcountry Camping

Spending the night at White Sands National Monument verified why we love backcountry camping so much! So before we share what happened when we were there…we wanted to go over the reasons why we love camping deep in the wild!

You have to work for it. Backcountry camping involves hiking to your destination with all your gear on your back as well as preparing your shelter and food. This back to basics process always makes us feel like we are responsible for our own survival which teaches us so much about ourselves!
You not only get to see nature, but you get to experience it. When you are out there in the wild, you are basically part of it. Not much separates you from the elements which we find to be scary sometimes but mainly refreshing!
Lots of National Geographic like photography opportunities. There’s so much to see and photograph when you are out there overnight, and the likelihood of a person photobombing is pretty unlikely…maybe a bear, but not a person!
Everything is slower and sometimes harder. Everything slows down in the wild…you don’t have technology to help you or distract you. So things take longer like cooking…setting up a shelter…keeping yourself warm. It’s all part of the process…a process that we find enjoyable because it takes us back to the basics!
It’s peaceful…seriously peaceful. Now when I first went backcountry camping and someone turned off all the noise…I felt a bit disoriented since I was used to living in the city. But once you embrace the peace and quiet, it is so calming to be surrounded by the consistency of nature!
You get to actually see the stars. It’s amazing to look up when you are outside away from city lights and see the breathtaking starry sky. We actually think this is one of the main reasons why camping is so popular in general. Who doesn’t love sleeping underneath the stars!
The sun is your alarm clock. For whatever reason the sun does not wake us when we are at home, but when we are backcountry camping…it is like a wake up call in a good way!
Great way to bond with someone or not. When camping with another person, you have to rely on the other in terms of survival. Also since you’re out there with very few distractions, you have more time to get to know your companion. All these things lead up to either having great memories together or at least learning quickly that it won’t work out. Some of our first dates involved camping, and luckily it turned out well!
You feel like you accomplished something. Backcountry camping has a lot to do with survival and self reliance, so if you come out of it happy and safe…there’s this sense of accomplishment that is so rewarding!