July 4, 2018
In the past week of “nature bathing” I had one event that stood like towering a tree above the all others; pitching my tent in the secret camp spot of camping extraordinaire “Otter”. Otter had sought the “perfect” camp location for years she told me, as we dipped in the river and out into the sun, settling often for so-so camping places. Otter knew what she was looking for, as most otters do. Now that she’s found it, she visits every year (for nearly 15 now) for a week, sometimes two! Otter embodies the true spirit of the “Nature Bather”. She cherishes this place. She recognizes the rejuvenating qualities, mosquito bites and all, it instills deep in her psyche. She honors the wildness with her camping ethic “Live & Let Live”, know where you pets are (kids & canines). Every night the campfire is drown & stirred and when she leaves she takes all the trash and even what was left by others. Good camping etiquette for all of us. What stands above (like a towering tree) about an Otter camp out is the celebration! This isn’t about shifting her inside world to the outside. It’s about living WITH the outside world. Not cave-man like at all, she has an impressive camp kitchen and a Mary Poppin-ish toter full of essential and emergency camp supplies. It’s the attitude. Her appreciation, recognition, and celebration of all things natural about this place: the wind (because the sound in the trees and the swooshing of mosquitoes), watching Bats as the day fades instead of a campfire (who doesn’t love Bats, Bats are cool!), staying up in lounge chairs until 2 AM to Moon (light) Bathe, using the river chill to make ice cream (well, almost), on and on. I think she found her Walden (as in Pond). Since pulling up stakes from the secret camp spot of camping extraordinaire “Otter” I feel a new kind of delight. There is magic in this big beautiful wild natural world of ours just waiting for us.
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