camping outdoors One of the biggest pleasures of camping outdoors comes from the fires that we build at night to sit around and enjoy each other's company, listening crackling and popping of the wood burning. It's one of the most rewarding activities that we enjoy when we're camping outdoors. When we go backpacking, a campfire is particularly enjoyable because we have earned the chance to be sitting out under the stars after having hiked miles during the day to get to our destination. When we're backpacking, we always try to get to the camping site an hour or so before dark so we have a chance to gather enough firewood to cook our meals and have a small fire until we go to sleep at night. Of all the ways to enjoy camping outdoors, backpacking is probably the best because it is so utterly quiet and private. It can be strenuous, too, especially in parts of the country that have mountains with serious stretches of uphill and downhill. Nonetheless, there's nothing like rounding a corner and being able to look into the distance of 50 miles or farther when we're camping outdoors without a house or car in sight, looking forward to a hot meal and a beautiful campfire once we reach our destination.