Breaking Camp

Good campers leave no trace. Bad ones leave with hilarious stories.

Don't Poke the Bears

A black bear approached our campsite in Shenandoah National Park, so we slowly walked away. Meanwhile, a man from the next campsite walked toward the bear, clapping his hands and yelling, "GO, BEAR! GO!" Magically, the bear went back into the woods. When it returned hours later, I stood my ground, loudly clapped and yelled, "GO, BEAR!" It didn't work right away as it had for our camping neighbor, but the bear did leave after several rounds. As it lumbered away, I heard someone running toward us. It was the man from earlier. "I forgot to tell you," he panted, "if you say 'Go, bear, go' and it doesn't go, YOU need to go." ―CINDY STRAIGHT Crownsville, MD

Overheard the Herd

My best friend and I took advantage of an unseasonably warm weekend to camp in Rocky Mountain National Park. The campsite was deserted. We had forgotten that it would still be freezing at high elevation, but decided to camp anyway. All night, the wind created strange noises. In the morning, we unzipped the tent and discovered the noises weren't wind and the campsite wasn't deserted: We were smack in the middle of a herd of elk. They'd moved in during the night and were as confused to see us as we were to see them.-AMANDA TRAMONTO Hilton, NY 

The Call of the Child