Camping in a downpour doesn’t sound like much fun, and in fact during the day it isn’t. But those pitter-patters from raindrops on a windless night while high and dry on a cot in a cozy tent drift me off to sleep faster than anything.

Much more challenging: Trying to cook under a flimsy lean-to when the wind kicks up or vainly walking about to search for animals that are smarter than me because they’re seeking dry shelter. At least the plants and trees get treated to a nice long drink.

Such a trip to Big Cypress National Preserve last year in search of stress release in fact reduced me to a nervous wreck thanks to relentless showers and gray skies. But this year the story went differently at Ocala National Forest. Convincing my son, daughter and fiancé to hit a campsite and pitch two tents somehow succeeded, and after the three-night jaunt no one seemed regretful.

We found a promising location just off a dirt road with plenty of pine trees for shade, not to mention the security of blocking an errant entry at night by a lost car or truck. The grassy clearing made for a perfect set up of campfire, tents, cooking lean-to and a secluded gap to park the car. Although a popular spot, thoughtful prior campers had kept the area looking nice – which we vowed to do as well before leaving.

I took charge as camp director, asking all to clear the grounds of pine cones and branches. Tents went up quickly, thanks to the modern-day convenience of fewer parts to contend with. I remember with no fondness at all of the many times years back when I’d spend an hour or more fooling with “pitching” a tent. It more often than not became a laborious effort involving the location and direction of flaps, zipping or unzipping zippers, lining up loops and snaps, guiding fiberglass rods through sleeves, pounding pegs into the ground (and having to pull some up and redo it), tying anchor lines at the front and back of the tent – on which I’d trip over at least once per night – and being altogether unhappy when one side collapsed or realizing that an untied fastener at the tip-top was now out of reach.  

With great weather our friend this year, we enjoyed several days of leisurely hiking, photography, yummy cookouts and sleeping as peacefully as humanly possible in a setting of fresh air and star-studded skies. We didn’t see any creatures larger than a rabbit on our hikes until the last day when we quite accidentally came upon four deer upwind of us in a scrub pine thicket. They bounded away in a flash, their white tails waving bye-bye as we futilely groped for cameras.