Camping can be a wonderful activity for those of us living with Parkinson’s
Being active and spending time in nature help expand my world
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A few years ago, my husband, John, and I purchased a teardrop trailer. It really is cute. The back opens into an outdoor kitchen; inside, there’s a double bed, a chest of drawers, some great under-the-bed storage, and a teeny-tiny bathroom. It is the perfect trailer for minimalists.
We had always enjoyed camping, but pretty much gave it up when our kids were young, and the summers were busy with farmers markets. (John was a farmer.) When I retired in 2015 (aka was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease), we thought we would enjoy the camping life again.
Before I get ahead of myself, let me take you back in time for a moment. Flash back to 1990: The very first time John and I went camping together, we had a crazy, funny experience. We had gone to Algonquin Provincial Park in northern Ontario, Canada, for a weeklong canoeing adventure. I had never camped or canoed before, so I was a bit nervous.
We were asleep in our little two-person tent when I heard the noise.
“John! Wake up! I hear something!”
Worth mentioning here is that, because I was so nervous, I had gone to bed with all my clothes on. (Remember those big, bulky Icelandic sweaters? Yup, I had one of those on!) And John has reminded me that I also had a knife at my side. Call me the safety elephant if you want, but nobody was going to murder me while I slept!
“It’s nothing!” John said. “Go back to sleep.”
Minutes passed. I was sweating.
“I still hear something.”
“OK, OK.”
John opened his eyes, still half-asleep, and unzipped the tent flap.
“It’s a bear! Holy smokes, it’s the biggest bear I’ve ever seen, and he’s got our food pack!”
It was only our first night out canoeing in the park, and we had carefully hung up our food pack in a tree so a bear couldn’t get it. We needed that pack, or our trip would be ruined.
“Scram!” We both sprang into action, making noise, yelling at the bear, and beating pots together.
The general cacophony scared the bear off, and as it ran, it dropped our food pack. We optimistically rehung it, higher this time, and returned to our tent.
It wasn’t long before a strange noise woke me up again.
“John! I think the bear might be back!”
Zip, zip, the tent was undone, and John looked out and said, “It’s a raccoon! It’s the biggest raccoon I’ve ever seen! And it’s trying to get our food pack!”
We got up and started yelling, throwing things, and making a ruckus until this giant ninja raccoon finally ran off.
Exhausted, we finally went back to sleep with our food pack hung even higher and more strategically. Trying to do this in the dark, while sweating in my Icelandic sweater, was no easy feat. We couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
The next morning, we were enjoying breakfast when we heard another noise in the woods. Not again, we thought.
Then, another camper burst out of the woods.
“Somebody has stolen my pack!” he said with a thick German accent. Good to mention here is that he was wearing only underwear — red underwear!
By this point, I felt like I was on “Candid Camera.”
We convinced him that we had not stolen his pack. We shared our breakfast with him, and he continued looking for his pack. Eventually, he found it in the woods. All the food was gone — devoured! We gave him more food to get him through the day, and then we set out.
Fast-forward 36 years, and our adventures in our trailer have not been half as stressful. These days, when we camp, I am not canoeing, portaging, or cooking over an open flame. I haven’t chased any bears, and I use our own bathroom in the middle of the night. I go for walks and easy bike rides, read my books, and cook in our outdoor kitchen. I even shower!
I think that camping is a wonderful activity for those of us with Parkinson’s disease. It gets us out in nature and challenges us with a different environment. I find that I sleep very soundly when we camp, because I am more active. Another bonus is that I can ride my bike at a campground without fear of being run off the road.
Camping with Parkinson’s means being prepared: as with any travel, pack extra medication. Request an accessible site. Using trekking poles on uneven ground can help to prevent falls. The Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s website has lots of great suggestions for successful camping trips.
Living with Parkinson’s, I sometimes feel like my world is closing in. When I’m camping, I feel like it opens up.
Note: Parkinson’s News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Parkinson’s News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Parkinson’s disease.
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