Camping on the 4th

This last three 4th of the July's I've spent them in a tent. In 2011 I was in Yellowstone, 2012 I was in Alaska, and this year I was in the north woods of Wisconsin. The whole point of the 4th of July is to celebrate the birth of this great country we live in. The United States definitely has it's pros and it's cons but it's the place I would prefer to live. The US is still a very young country in comparison to countries in Europe or Asia. The Declaration of Independence was only written in 1776. Fun fact it was written on July 2nd and went through a two day revision process and was approved on the 4th. John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more

Well he got what he wanted. So John Adams basically came up with how we celebrate today. While fireworks, hot dogs and beer are great, the best way for me to celebrate isn't getting drunk, overeating and watching sparkly things in the sky. I prefer to celebrate by going out to the woods. The US doesn't have great ancient monuments such as the Cathedrals in Europe or the Great Wall in China. In the US those monuments live in National Parks, State Forests and Wildlife refuges. A barbeque is replaced by a hike through the woods with friends, and eating a well earned trail meal afterward. The shows, games sports, and parade can be replaced with camp games, songs around a campfire and sharing of memories. The guns and bells can be replaced by songs of birds. And of course fireworks, or illuminations as John Adams puts it, can be easily replaced by stars. Also my celebration doesn't end at any given moment it ends when I walk out of the woods.

I don't feel the after effects of the 4th with a hangover and 10 pounds of leftover hamburgers. Instead I take a shower and let the dirt, bug dope and sweat go down the drain. I wash my stinky socks, hang up my sleeping bag and put my pack away for the next trip.