One of my grandfathers was an enthusiastic outdoorsman. He had no patience with people who thought picnics were a way to enjoy nature and slight tolerance for people who thought camping required a tent. HIS idea of an outdoor vacation was two weeks off the trail with a sleeping bag and a frying pan. There were giants in those days.
Postcard artists, especially after mid-century, when people on vacation were the main customers for postcards, were willing to show both sides of the story, to suit whatever mood vacationers were in. Some postcards cast doubt on the joys of a return, however temporary, to nature.
Taking your tent out into the woods meant fairly primitive amenities (though these were not without SOME compensations.)
And they were willing to go into some detail on the surprises which could be caused by your neighbors in the wild. And you thought the walls were thin in your city apartment.
Yet, there are always those who enjoy the change I their routine, even if it comes in the form of a loud creature right next door.
There was, as some of you will recall, a war around mid-century, where tents were put to a great deal of use. My grandfather was at the peak of his camping out years (he started his multi-decade career as a Boy Scout leader by accident: he was just standing in for a man who was going to take over the troop, but that man was drafted and the rest is history. His wife became a Girl Scout leader around the same time, and they raised three children partly in the woods. None of these three children developed much enthusiasm for camping, tent or no tent.)
When he would talk about how camping OUGHT to be done, tent-free, he was bound to hear from someone who would point out that our military insisted on tents when troops were in the field. His response was simple: enjoying nature was not the focus of these camping trips and the troops weren’t out there to have fun. They had to make do with whatever the officers decided was good for them.
There were tents and tents, of course, and much of the tent humor of World War II dealt with the smaller pup tents. The cartoonists suggested that sleeping in those was difficult. I have heard from veterans that sleep in any form was a treasure not to be scorned, and tents were as good as anything else.
In fact, some men found tents entirely too comfortable.
Which did not mean they weren’t as happy as most anybody else to get back to civilization after a long camping trip. Of course, to them, getting out of the tent and heading to town was the START of their vacation. That can make all the difference.
Blogsy Babbles 