My first experience with hiking and camping came in high school while I was on the cross country team. But since it was a running team, our version of camping was a little bit different than others. We did drive away from the city into the mountains and get to camp out in tents and sleeping bags underneath the stars. There were also bonfires and various levels of appetizing meals served. But instead of typical camping activities, we spent all of our time doing running-related activities which included: running up and down very dangerous hills and mountains, running drills and exercises, interval workouts up sand hills and more. Whenever people ask if I’ve been camping, I always feel the need to clarify that it was actually running camp. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every minute of it. We got to spend time with other runner friends for the weekend without parents (chaperoned, of course) and just spent time doing what we loved doing: run. There were a few random events that did take place that I still remember fondly: random water balloon fight, sneaking off and finding this really nice pool, going to the beach together as a team, lying at night trying to spot a shooting star, and much more. I believe we had a running camp all 3 years I was in cross country and I enjoyed each one individually. If I were to ever go camping again, there would probably be less running and more of everything else. I’m actually glad, I’ve been limited to the number of outdoor activities I’ve participated in, it just gives me more to look forward to in the near future.