Let's Go Camping!

One of my favorite REI-sponsored programs is Let's Go Camping. We partner with Oregon State Parks to take families camping for the first time. Maybe they camped when they were kids or before they had kids, or maybe they had never slept in a tent outside before. We provide the expertise and the gear, Oregon State parks provides the outdoors.

Last weekend, in the blistering 90 degree temps, we took 35 people camping at Milo McIver State Park for the very first time. It was a blast.

Here is the group on a scavenger hunt hike-- we taught them all how to use a compass:Three of the cuties, Kaitlyn, Maryam, & the back of Violet's head.We had a wide range of ages, ethnicities and camping abilities and the weekend was a huge success. When you can watch some kids eat a s'more for the first time and get paid to do it, you know you have a great job.

On a side note:
When I think about the obstacles companies like REI face in our effort to get more people enjoying the outdoors, the first thing that comes to mind is technology. We are competing with TVs/cell phones/computers/MySpace/video games for their attention. REI needs to think of new ways of making our seemingly low technology "old-fashioned" pursuits, relevant to today's generation of tech-savvy outdoor enthusiasts. One way to do this is with an activity known as geocaching.For those of you who know your way around the woods and don't need a gadget to tell you where to go (anyone see the episode of "The Office" where Michael drives his car into the lake because the GPS "told him to"?), geocaching is basically a big scavenger hunt with a GPS.

The photo above is my first geocache. Wendi is to the left, Bob to the right. Bob is an avid geocacher and knew of several caches around our campsite over the weekend. I happen to think it is uber-geeky, but it is a hobby that is growing fast in this country and if it is getting people off their couches and into the outdoors, then I enthusiastically support it.