Out of fashion: Camping

Sacramento Bee: The latest outdoor surveys show American participation in backpacking and camping in decline. What gives?
Overnight camping stays in the national parks have dropped more than 20 percent over the past decade. The outdoor industry finds long-distance backpacking is off by 25 percent since 1998.
It might be tempting to write this off to an increasingly sedentary culture, but that doesn't mesh with increased interest in snowshoeing, canoeing and kayaking, telemark skiing and trail running.
So why don't people want to do overnight camping in parks and on remote trails? Some people write it off to Americans wanting cushy vacations. But that's just a restatement of the question: Why do they want cushy vacations and not an outdoor experience?
Others believe higher entrance and camping fees discourage people. There's something to this. A family camping vacation used to be inexpensive. With current fees, however, a one-week camping vacation can be out of reach. At Yosemite National Park, for example, the entrance fee is $20 and each night's camping is $40. And now, there's high gas prices.
Technological society
Others believe that our technological society -- video games, cell phones, Internet -- has diminished appreciation for "slow" things. In this view, watching sunsets and sitting around a campfire are "boring." This, too, is real and it means that kids growing up will need education and mentors to introduce them to the outdoors.
In a recent article describing a new camping book from Backpack magazine, "The Tent and Car Camper's Handbook," writer Janet Fullwood found that many people who have never been camping don't know how. They need a push and someone to help them figure out what to do.
People who miss out on a camping experience miss the natural beauty and wildness of a quiet night in the woods, by a lake or by the ocean.