Last weekend, as we were launching the boat for the maiden voyage of 2022, the smell of campfire drifted across the water at Charles Mill Lake and a big smile spread across my face.
The start of sun-filled days and campfire nights has arrived.
Camping for many is a way of life, much like those who snowbird to the South during Ohio winters. You have camping homes, friends and even your own summer routine.
My parents took me on my first camping trip, two days after my first birthday. It was an eight-day adventure I have been told about many times. We camped at Aix-les-Bains, across from Lake DuBourget in France and then made our way to Barcelona, Spain — where we camped at the El Toro Bravo camping area. According to mom’s journals, I took my first steps while we were there in Spain.
No we weren’t wealthy, my dad was military and we were stationed in Germany. They had friends they traveled and camped with during those years and have kept in touch throughout their lives. Growing up, we enjoyed several family camping trips before we hit high school. Then came college and being broke, so it was a thing to do … grab a group of friends, pile in cars, pick a random place on a map and head out to kick back and explore for the weekend.
As an adult, I enjoyed camping with my kids as a family and as a Girl Scout leader.
There is something so soulfully satisfying about unplugging for a few days and enjoying a little bit of roughing it in the wilderness. And let’s not pretend, we ALL know s’mores over a campfire are the bomb!
But have you ever wondered how camping became a leisure activity and what started the wave of popularity that has steadily risen for 160-plus years?
According to the history books, the spark came when a teacher named Frederick Gunn, who owned a boy’s school, founded Gunnery Camp in Washington, Connecticut. It was here that, in 1861, he would take his students on a two-week camping trip, complete with outdoor activities like observing nature and hiking, as well as outdoor living skills, such as cooking over a smokey fire.
Next came the release of William H. H. Murray’s Adventures in the Wilderness, a surprise hit that planted the pictures of camping in the minds of urban dwellers. It was as much a guidebook as a wilderness tribute to the Adirondack Mountains. Over the following two years, its popularity sent tens of thousands of Americans into the Adirondacks to camp for the first time. The year was 1869.
By the 1900s, the interest in camping had begun to take a firm hold on the American psyche. The YMCA had by this time established multiple campsites for members including Camp Dudley in Westport, New York, which is still in operation today.
By 1912, both the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts had established campsites across the United States and led regular excursions to them.
But a three-day camping excursion in 1903 would forever change Americans’ perception of voluntarily sleeping under the stars.
Legendary conservationist John Muir took Teddy Roosevelt (future president) camping in Yosemite. After showing him all the wonders of the outdoors, Muir urged Roosevelt to protect the area, a notion Roosevelt took to heart.
The trip directly inspired a conservationist movement that led to the creation of the National Park Service 13 years later by President Woodrow Wilson. This action was noted as one that brought “America’s greatest idea” to life and made it possible for Americans to view some of the country’s most pristine and beautiful landscapes.
Soon the concept of recreational camping steadily grew in popularity across all walks of life and evolved into one of the most beloved activities in our country. With that came the development and refinement of outdoor “survival” products geared to make it more feasible to travel across our great country, all the while sleeping under a canopy of stars.
The biggest growth spurt in the camping industry and thus, camping itself, came at the end of World War II in 1945. With the stressful daily burdens of war removed, millions of Americans headed into the woods to kill time and tell stories around campfires. To keep them interested, there was a constantly evolving recreational gear market that made civilian versions of what was only yet to be found in military circles.
These included modern camping lanterns, fire starters, backpacks, and sleeping bags, to name a few. But the invention that opened the camping craze floodgates occurred in 1959 when the company Eureka! released a tent that the average person could set up in minutes.
Since then, camping’s popularity has increased consistently with each passing year. Millions of kids who came of age in the 1970s and ‘80s had camping instilled in them during childhood, and it seems this love of “getting away from it all” and “getting back to nature” continues to be treasured with each generation.
Recently, the COVID pandemic spawned another significant growth in recreational camping and in the 2021 edition of the North American Camping Report, it states the proportion of first-time campers grew five-fold since 2019, and the number of households that now own an RV grew by 2.6 million.
More than 86 million U.S. households now consider themselves campers, and 48 million of those households took at least one camping trip in 2020 – up more than 6 million over 2019. And camping accounted for 40% of all leisure trips taken in 2021.
Across this great nation of ours, there are over 113,000 federally managed campsites, more than 166,000 campsites in state parks, and an unknown number of private facilities where people come and go, enjoying the simple joys of life among the magnificent beauty Mother Nature shares with us.
For those of us here in north central Ohio, if you have never camped at Charles Mill Lake or Pleasant Hill Lake, pack your s’mores and sleeping bags because opening weekend for campers is around the corner. You should make it a point to pitch a tent or haul your trailer out for some memory-making days!
In case you are unfamiliar or just need a reminder, Charles Mill Lake Park and Pleasant Hill Lake Park are two great local spots for having a great camping experience, whether you are looking to rough it or relax in a cozy cabin. Both also provide a fun-filled calendar of events for the camping season that is perfect for families of all ages and interests.
Charles Mill Lake Park is situated on 2,000 acres in Richland and Ashland Counties. It offers a variety of campsites (over 450 for RVs and tents) dotted along the scenic lake and inland, nestled in the woods. In the past few years, renovations have been made including the addition of two new restrooms/shower houses, playground, and cluster docks. A new shower building with laundry facilities replaced a restroom-only facility and the existing small shower building was renovated as well.
A new accessible kayak launch was installed at the public boat launch (on State Route 430), that allows for a safe enter and exit of a kayak. A new outdoor exercise area was constructed at the swim beach that is also a great compliment to their 1⁄2-mile walking path.
Charles Mill Lake has a surface area of 1,350 acres and 34 miles of shore line. A favorite for sailing, boating and fishing, the lake has a maximum depth of 24 feet.
The Charles Mill Dam is a rolled earth fill dam with an impervious, water resistant, clay core that was constructed in 1935-36 on the Black Fork Creek for the purpose of flood control. On the spillway side of the dam, there are picnic tables and grills, along with a nice playground area as well.
Heading toward Mohican Country, between Ashland and Richland counties, lies Pleasant Hill Lake, a 783-acre man-made lake, with unlimited horsepower and surrounded by 1,350 acres of land.
It boasts over 400 updated RV and tent camping opportunities, as well as 10 cabins that can be rented year round. In addition, there are horse trails and designated horse camping areas. Like Charles Mill Lake Park, the campgrounds at Pleasant Hill have newly renovated campsites with paved areas, picnic tables, fire rings, 50-amp electric and water/sewer hook ups. Restroom/ shower buildings have been recently updated to feature family restrooms, laundry, heat and A/C.
An interesting feature of Pleasant Hill Lake Park is its one-of-a-kind historic water trail. This self-guided water trail features five stops along the lakeshore highlighting the area’s hidden history.
Pleasant Hill Lake Park has been part of the history of this area since 1938 when the dam was built on the Clear Fork of the Mohican River. The dam which forms the lake is a 113-foot tall, earth-fill dam, constructed for the purpose of flood control. There is a public boat ramp, marina and a canoe/kayak launch ramp near the beach.
