Photo mirror by Nate Powles /
(From left) Becky Lambie, Jared Lambie, Kristy Mitchell and Jason Lambie play “7 Wonders: Architects” during their annual camping trip at Prince Gallitzin State Park on Tuesday.
Some families fly to other countries during the summer. Some take road trips and stay in hotels. Others go on trips and avoid land altogether. But more and more people are choosing to pitch a tent, rent a cabin or buy or rent an RV and camp out under the stars.
While camping is nothing new, many newcomers have entered the outside world in the last two years due to COVID-19 shutdown and mitigation efforts.
When people were told to stay home and avoid meetings to stay safe, camping was the only way for those who were feeling agitated as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even suggested camping as holiday option.
For Dave and Sandy Streets in Davidsville, camping is a family tradition as the couple has raised their daughter since she was young. Then she grew up, and they took several years off. When COVID-19 hit and Sandy retired, people were out calling and the couple bought an RV in May 2020.
The couple did not mind traveling around the country, so they found a Friendship Village Campground in Bedford and decided to book a seasonal place. They take the camper to their designated center on Memorial Day and keep it there through October. Dave is a full – time pastor at West Hills Community Church in Johnstown, and Sandy is the part – time office manager. Sandy said she can come to the campsite more often than Dave and often spends a few days on site during the week while Dave works.
Dave, as a minister, said he spends a lot of his time with people and chatting, so the campsite is a walking camp for the couple when they are not always obliged to interact with people and can spend time. throw together and reload.
However, if they feel like being over there, they meet some friendly people at the campsite and occasionally have church members for cooking.
Sandy said the camper is now a sort of family time, now that their daughter is grown and married with two young children. She said the two couples are scheduling different times of summer to spend at the campsite and bookings rarely overlap for very long.
Dave said that he and Sandy prefer to be alone while at the campsite, so that they do not stay at the same time with their grandchildren. They said they spend a lot of their time at home with their daughter and family, so it’s nice to have their campsite.
Sandy said the campground is perfect for families with young children as there are usually some kind of activities every weekend. “There is never a vague moment,” she said. The Street camper is also parked across from a playground and bounce platform, so that their grandchildren can play and the adults can supervise from the campsite.
Some families and couples have been camping for many years, and COVID-19 only encouraged them to go out more than usual.
Bruce and Monika Jacoby from New Jersey have been camping for 35 years. They started with a tent, then when they had all three children, another camper popup was in line.
As the kids grew, so did the camper. Eventually, Monika said they were “tired of pulling” and bought a single motor home.
Camping has always been a relaxing, relaxing time for the couple, and they said they look forward to spending more time on the road soon as they both retire completely.
Parking at Shawnee State Park this week, the couple said it was the furthest west they had ever camped. They picked the park because they enjoy exploring new state parks and, Monika said, New Jersey is not suitable for camping.
“I like nature,” Monika said. “We both like to be out.”
Electronics often take a back seat while camping, with Monika noticing that she sits outside and reads, unplugged from the outside world.
Despite the rise in fuel prices, campers said they have not changed their plans because paying for fuel comes with a lot of territory.
RVs can be between 6 and 15 mpg.
“It fits the territory,” Monika said, noting that their trucks would average 11-12 mpg when towing camping.
Kenny Burtnatt from Bedford agreed, saying it was worth taking the cost out of town.
He and his wife have been camping for the past 22 years and worked their way up from a small tag to their current single-unit motor home.
Retired and working only a day or two part-time, Burtnatt said he is able to spend a lot of time at Shawnee during the week.
The couple stays home on the weekends when Bedford has dirt racing events, as his wife helps them, but that works out anyway because it’s almost impossible to get reservations at the park for the weekend due to booking spaces very quickly and well in advance.
Like the Jacobys, Burtnatt has a dog and sometimes has problems finding campsites that allow pets.
At Shawnee, there are designated areas that are pet friendly. That is not true in all Pennsylvnia state parks, he said, noting that he had no problem finding pet – friendly campsites in other states he visited.
While some enjoy camping because of its rural feel and the ability to unplug from the world, Burtnatt admitted that he and his wife were “glamping” with satellite TV and wireless data devices. In fact, they recently had to run back home after their iPad SIM card expired. She was able to turn her smartphone into a mobile hotspot to watch her shows on the iPad, Burtnatt said, proving that even the most connected people can find a home in the camping world.
State and national parks have a host system for their campgrounds. A family or couple is allowed to stay on site for an agreed amount of time in exchange for being the first point of contact for campers and carrying out light maintenance work on the sites.
Hosts are unpaid, but the job is often for those who love camping and being outdoors and are willing to help their fellow camps.
A couple in Prince Gallitzin’s State Park who wished to remain anonymous said they have been hosting at several different parks for seven years. They enjoy seeing the new generations of campers who need help guiding the camping world.
“It looks like families are returning to campus,” the wife said. “For a while it was just the kids or the parents, but now families are coming together.”
The husband said hosts have no actual authority and have to report issues to park managers. Hosts are there to help the campers simply and prepare the sites and grounds after departure.
Hosts said they saw an influx of new campers with the advent of COVID-19, with more people exploring new outlets outside.
“Our theory was that we are out here in our own little world, openly,” said the husband. “We never slowed down.”
The woman said that camping is not a cheap sport, but that it is like any other hobby. “It’s an investment.”
Regarding the work involved as a host, his wife said that she really enjoys ensuring that venues are clean when newcomers arrive, so that they feel welcome and are in a second home with during their house.
Weekend stays are the most common, the husband said. “We call them weekend heroes.”
After the typical camping season is over, the couple retire to Florida to escape the snow, which means they both camp most of the year.
“It simply came to our notice then. you are out; you get to experience nature, ”said the wife about why they really enjoy camping. “You meet a lot of nice people from all walks of life.”
For some families, camping is a tradition that lasts for generations.
The Gossard / Lambie family has been traveling to Prince Gallitzin for almost 25 years. Jason Lambie said he met his wife, Becky, at a camping group he and his brother Jared attended starting in fifth grade. Becky had been camping with her parents, Jim and Cindy Gossard, for as long as she can remember, so camping became a common ground for families.
“My wife and I were doing this with these kids back when they were little,” Jim said. “So it’s a long way to go.”
Both of their native Johnstown area, Jason said he and Becky had eventually moved to the Hershey area, so they lost contact with some of the camping group. The tradition was restored with Becky’s parents and other relatives, as well as Jason’s brother and members of his extended family, after Jason and Becky had their first son, Jonah. There are now between 30 and 40 people at any one time in the group.
Prince Gallitzin was the meeting place of choice, as many of the family came from Glendale and the surrounding area. The group arrives for a week at the park and the time spent together cannot be replaced.
“Prince Gallitzin is magical, we say, because there’s nothing to do here,” Becky said. “The children are free to go and explore.”
Becky said that when given a choice between Prince Gallitzin’s week and a week at the beach, the “kids” – from the youngest at 10 to Jonah – always choose what they call “cousins’ week,” since is that they are capable. see a family they don’t see often.
Among the campfires, swimming, exploring and relaxing, the group also sits down together for board games.
Family friends Patrick and Kristy Mitchell, who were part of the group several years ago, bring a new game almost every summer.
The games are a big win, and after the week is over, it’s not uncommon for group members to run to the store to buy the game.
Now that the kids are mostly adults, the week tends to be more relaxed, Becky said.
“It was a lot of work. … Finally, you get the youngest person down for a nap, then it’s your turn to cook, ”she said.
The tradition for meals – as the group is usually divided into four or five campsites – is that one site is named “it” each night for dinner and it is his responsibility to cook all the food. do it for everyone that day. Sometimes it’s potluck style and each site offers to share its own dish, but most days, all the responsibility is given to one site.
There are applications for certain meals that are so popular that even if some of the family is not able to go to the park all week, they will drive over to take that one special meal.
Becky and Jason’s second son drove to Prince Gallitzin after work one night last week to be in camp for his grandparents’ special breakfast. Cindy makes pancakes in a mountain iron pie and Jim cooks sausages which he takes from a butcher in Johnstown.
With four generations gathered, the camping tradition will continue, the group said.
Mirror Team Writer Nate Powles is at 814-946-7466.
