Most campers have many stories of fun, adventure, and times of peace. However, many campers also will have some stories of discomfort, horror, and perhaps absolute misery. Camping is a risk. Most of the time, there really isn’t too much risk. There is always a chance that something will catch fire and burn to the ground, it will snow in July, or a bear will find your food attractive in the way that a small child treats an Easter egg.
If you like good camping humor, you must read Patrick McManus’s “A Fine and Pleasant Misery” (ISBN: 0-8050-0032-1). It, along with his other books, is a great humor read. I grew up sitting around a campfire listening to my Dad read Patrick McManus’s various camping adventures and misadventures. For me, that book not only has comedic merit but nostalgic camping memories!
As it turns out, McManus lives in north Idaho (about 20 min. drive from my house). In fact, several years ago I met McManus in a tiny roadside diner. I’m sure he gets this all the time but I just gushed with an appreciation for his humor writing and specifically about camping. In his own words; “Personally, I miss the old-fashioned misery of old-fashioned camping.” I’d like to say more but don’t want to spoil his work. You simply MUST check it out, if you haven’t already.
Another recent find is the discovery of comedian John Pinette. His humor is pretty clean and hilarious. He did a short segment on camping for Comedy Central. Here’s the clip (below)
Enjoy the smiles.
Cheers,
Mark