It's about halfway through the summer. Time to make sure you're getting your relaxation, fun and time with friends. Summer is the perfect time to squeeze in all of the things you didn't get to do during the school year. Have you ever thought about camping as one of those activities to enhance your summer experience?

I just recently went up north with my mom to stay in a house near a campground we always went to when I was younger. It gave me major flashbacks to our camping days and how much joy they brought me. I remembered how my siblings and I would bike ride; racing against each other to make it around the perimeter of the campground. I would keep speeding on as the wind whipped at my face.

The nights filled with the smell of campfires all around were another one of my favorite memories. My siblings and I were all tasked to walk all around to find as many twigs as possible to help fuel our campfire. Our progress in finding the sticks would be slightly hindered by the increasing darkness. That was when I could pause and look up at the star-filled sky filling with columns of smoke from our fellow campers. I would soon be beckoned back to the fire by the temptation of s'mores.

I looked forward to the beach days with only a few clouds in the sky. As soon as we stepped out of the car we would slip our feet into the sand. We quickly realized how the sand was burning the bottoms of our feet and would sprint towards the shore. Trying, but failing to be agile, I would step on pretty much every rock and twig that I was trying to avoid. As soon as we reached the shore we would set up our little area of paradise. Mom would stick her chair in the water and read her book. Us kids would lay out in the sun and occasionally get our legs wet in the freezing cold water.

I loved those moments. The bike rides, campfires and beach days. Perhaps the overall moment I cherish the most is the fact that we escaped it all. The reality of everyday life. We wouldn't have to worry about work or cleaning the house. We had those few days to live carefree or at least feel like it. Now that I am a young adult now, I am hit with the responsibilities I am going to have to take on. That's just how life works. However, it's the carefree quality of camping that makes me miss it all over again, especially now that I can't so easily escape my responsibilities as a young adult. I've always had an appreciation for camping, but now that I am becoming an adult I treasure it even more.