Extolling The Virtues Of Camping.
Local area man wants the world to know how at one with nature he is.
Justin Van Kamp, 42, is an account manager with Boise, Idaho tech startup, LumberFin. He cannot wait to get to the office to tell everyone about his weekend camping trip.
“I took off early on Friday, just after lunch. Jess and the kids went up Thursday, and I met them there, we’ve been planning the trip for weeks. Looking up sites, on-line equipment reviews, and it was all worth it. It was amazing.” Extols, Justin.
Justin’s long-term girlfriend, Jessica Austin, was less than thrilled. Talking from the home the couple share with their two children, Mixi and Paul, in Garden City. “I had to go up Thursday and set all the stuff up. I didn’t have a clue how most of it went together. The kids hated it. They were so bored. We told them they couldn’t take screens, so they just pouted all weekend. Justin got there at 8 pm on Friday and immediately wanted to go for a hike. The kids were tired and grumpy. I’d finally got them sitting around the fire making smores. It was already getting dark when he led us into the forest. He said, “Just a quick hike,” but of course he got lost. Three hours later, I heard a wolf. A wolf.”
“It was amazing to be so close to nature, to be out there in the wild. You never know what’s behind the next tree. Sure theirs hic-ups, but that’s part of the fun. Part of the appeal.” So said Justin as he unloaded the family Tesla, as Jessica put the kids to bed.
“I said I would go if I didn’t have to pee in the woods.” a stony faced Jessica says, “I had to pee in the woods.”
“Jess can be pretty uptight. She relaxed enough to go pee in the woods. She even saw a chipmunk!” Justin excitedly told us as he folded up his tent to fit it back into its box.
“So I’m crouched behind a tree, lost, God knows where, no TP, and what do I see? A chipmunk. A fucking chipmunk! I thought it was going to bite me. Can you get rabies off a chipmunk? “
For many, it’s the feeling of getting back to nature and a simpler way of life that they enjoy. But being in the tech industry, the modern world is never far behind for Justin. “Jess and the kids made a chili Saturday morning, just something quick to cook all day as we went out in the canoe. But it wasn’t great. I didn’t want to hurt their feelings, so once the kids were in bed and Jess was reading by the campfire, I snuck back to the car and had Uber Eats bring me sushi. That went down pretty well. Sat in the car watching Better Call Saul and eating sushi.
“After I spent all morning making breakfast and entertaining the kids. I threw together a chili for when we got back from the river. It seems it wasn’t good enough for Justin, who ordered himself some sushi and didn’t share with us. “ An angry Jessica explains as she sits in the spacious home, ignoring calls from the driveway to help unpack the car.
“I imagine everyone in the office will want to hear how amazing it was to connect with nature. How you can be outside just one with it all. What it’s like to be out there away from all this..” Justin waves his phone around. “Unbelievably, some of the guys I work with have never been camping. Gord must be fifty; he’s never slept in a tent. Not even once. I may even bring it up at the next all-hands meeting. A once-a-quarter off-site communing with nature day. “
La’akea Jackson, Justin’s assistant at work, worries that camping will become her boss’s new thing. “Last year he made the whole team go trampolining. We didn’t have a Christmas party. Justin had us all go to an archery event. We didn’t even get to shoot the bow and arrows. I’m all for having a hobby, but don’t make me do it. “
Senior account manager Avery Smith, who works closely with Justin, wonders if he Justin is missing the city. “Nice couple. They moved from Austin last year and I think he’s trying to fit in, trying to find his thing. He was all about paintball when he started. There’s a local league we sponsor, but I don’t think he finished one season there. I know Paula bought his gun. It’s a bit slower here than in the big city, but he’ll get used to it. In the mean time, we just smile and nod. “
“Jess, have you ever been spelunking?” Justin calls out from the hall.
“Not yet.” Jessica sighs.
