camper kindness

19 years ago

Over the years I have found that most campers are very kind people. There have been a few incidents that demonstrate there are other types out there, such as Dale's disappearing tent and me having a cooler full of food stolen last spring. However, overall that type of thing seems to be the exception instead of the rule! There have been two incidents that have really demonstrated to me how kind and generous campers really are!

Last year after a cooler of food was stolen from my camping trip with my students I was very upset and posted the story on a couple of camping forums. On one of the forums, Popup Explorer, the other posters we're equally upset. Somebody posted a challenge to donate enough money to my students to replace the cooler! I was very surprised and we ended up having two Coleman Extreme coolers donated, a lantern, and around $250! It was an amazing act of kindness on their part! Strangers from all over the country and Canada contributed! We had the local paper do a story on it! It was a great lesson for my students after having their food stolen to see the other side of the coin!

Another thing that sticks in my mind happened two summers ago. My daughter did an impulsive thing that led to her having a fairly serious bike accident. She went over the handlebars without her helmut, hit her head on a rock, knocked herself out, gave herself a concussion and several stitches in her forehead! We ended up being at the hospital for about seven hours because they thought she had a spleen injury (Thank God she didn't!) and had to run tests! In the meantime it was checkout time at my campsite on the lakefront and somebody was due to come in to the site. Now, I work in the campground so I had an off water seasonal site set up on another site. I called the office and asked if they could just have the maintenance guys throw my tent gear in the back of the truck and dump it off on my seasonal site! Well, when they went to do that my neighbors at the next site had already fully packed up my gear, nice and folded, delivered it to my seasonal site, and put it inside the screen room! I couldn't believe it because they themselves were packing up their own gear on that day to go home! So, of course they were gone when we finally got back to camp! I sent them a thank you note. Then when they arrived at camp this past summer I had a surprise thank you for them. We have a bakery as part of our camp store. I had a homemade apple pie baked for them and as soon as they were set up delivered it to their camp site! They were very surprised!

Anybody else have stories demonstrating the kindness of campers?

Can you all tell that I am home for a snow day today and have some time on my hands? I really should be cleaning the house.....

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Comments (2)

rustyj14
19 years ago
Aww, Jen, Clean the house later! Go out and have fun in the snow! Plow the driveway, shovel the walks, push snow off the roof, etc. That drudgery can be saved for later!
One time, at a campground near Lancaster, PA., we had already set up, had supper, and were setting around, talking to the folks next door. and then, a fellow had checked in, drove his coach down near his lot, and the engine stalled. upon trying to re-start it, his battery had gone dead, and it wouldn't start. By the time he got the hood open, we had brought my truck and jumper cables down to his coach, and got it started. After he got set up, i loaned him my battery charger for the night, and he returned it next morning!
The guy allowed as how camping was a good deal! And he was really surprised at how we had jumped up and assisted him the night before! And we wouldn't take any money for our help! Which really surprised him!
On the other hand, our coach blew a rear dual tire one day on the Interstate! We limped off to a gas station, where we parked it. I tried to get help, but all of the locals looked down their noses at us, and drove off withoput helping!
So, my wife (5' tall, 120 lbs) and i did the deed of jacking it up, taking off the two wheels, installing the spare, etc. And all of the "macho" types, in their pickem ups, just drove on out, never offering to help! Well, i was rasslin' with the blown ouit tire and rim, trying to get it up onto the carrier, when a dapper looking guy came over and asked if he could help! I told him he'd get all messed up doing that, but he said not to worry: "You need help! I'm going to help you!" Between the 2 of us, we got the wheel up in place, i thanked him, and he left! turned out, he was the town barber, and didn't want us to think that the town was a bunch of uncaring bums!
by Rustyj
dalew
19 years ago
Jen - I remember your cooler episode and how the kindness of fellow campers rose to the occasion; and I think this is the norm for 99% of our fellow campers. As I stated back then the only thievery I had ever heard of regarding coolers was for their contents, i.e., beer; and I'm certain this was a trick pulled off by some hooligans ... NOT CAMPERS. Someone once told me of a fancy Coleman stainless steel cooler getting stolen where someone in the C/G had left it out on the picnic table while they were gone for the day. Since I heard that I make certain all I have is the cheaper plastic types!

Now as for my tent disappearance last season, remember I did'nt actually see anyone take it. It's been "suggested" that maybe the wind blew it away, so I've also included that aliens might have taken it, too! Well, anything is possible, right? I should note that this incident happened at a private C/G, not a state of national forest C/G where I usually stay. AND ... since the rain fly was not on the tent (I still have that), if it were stolen, I strongly believe this was again some hooligan mischief.

I've been camping for years and have never had anything missing before last year's tent incident. So just to stay on the side of caution, I always try and have the campsite picked-up and items like lanterns, fishing gear, coolers and such are placed out of sight. That way, should some hooligans come crusing through the area, there will be no item standing out for temptation.

AND ... I, too, should be tending to today's chore list. Getting real bad here about this procrastination!

Dale
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camper kindness

Comments (2)

rustyj14

dalew

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