Remote work and distance learning have chained us to our devices and Zoom rooms. But now that it’s summer, camping offers outdoor low-tech liberation.
Campgrounds are, by nature, well designed to provide lots of social distancing and a little community. Kids ride bikes in the twilight. Neighbors wave from their separate sites.
On the Outer Cape, campgrounds report an increased demand for reservations, putting management into overdrive to keep things safe. Wellfleet Hollow State Campground is making a reduced number of sites available. Coastal Acres and Dune’s Edge campgrounds in Provincetown are offering campsites for self-contained RVs only, while Maurice’s Campground in Wellfleet is imposing distancing policies in bathroom facilities by limiting the number of users.
John Gauthier, co-owner of Maurice’s, said that in previous years tent camping was in decline. Not so this year, as weary would-be travelers stay close to home and simplify their plans. Camping requires some equipment, but chances are a friend has a tent, a lantern, and a little cook stove to borrow.
The joys of a campfire and waking with the sun are just the right antidote to the stress of these times, whether your style is to unfold a tiny teardrop camper or to spread out for the season with extras like decks, flowers, and sturdy picnic tables. Here is stay at home, redefined.
DeeDee Beckwith’s dad had an Airstream sitting in his yard in Marstons Mills. It was rarely used until the family decided to rent a spot at Maurice’s Campground for the season. Now, the family takes turns spending weekends at their beachside getaway. She and her husband John settle in on the deck, complete with canopy, sturdy picnic table — and tablecloth. (Photos Molly Newman)
Sean, Matt, and Carolyn Condenzio escaped New York to spend two months camping at Adventure Bound Camping Resort in Truro. The boys’ stacked hammocks are a getaway within a getaway. Their advice for others: “Don’t be afraid of bugs.”
Carly Halloran opens a canned cocktail while visiting her aunt, whose teardrop camper, “the honeybee,” is parked at Maurice’s. These tiny, towable campers are retro-inspired but contain lots of cleverly stowed modern comforts.
