I still vividly remember my first camping experience. In the fifth grade, I was invited by my best friend, Kristina, and her family to go on a road trip up the coast from Los Angeles to Napa and touch into Oregon. We stopped along the way and camped for a couple nights at a campsite near a creek. I couldn’t tell you the name of the campsite, but I remember sending my flip-flops floating down the creek, eating beef stroganoff Hamburger Helper, sleeping in a tent for the very first time, figuring out how to use the bathroom in the middle of the night in the dark, and the thrill of being in nature. I was also promised a hot air balloon ride in Napa on that trip, which didn’t…
