Four veteran campers share tips on enjoying the outdoors in 'My Camping Life' series

The "My Camping Life" series by Kang Sung-gu, Moon Na-rae, Jang Jin-young and Seo Seung-beom / Courtesy of Joongang Books

By Park Han-sol

Carefree outings without wearing face masks have become a luxury in the age of the coronavirus pandemic.

Four campers offer a peek into the great outdoors by sharing their own adventures and tips on how to enjoy nature to help people, who've grown tired of being locked up at home, consider camping to tune into their inner voices.

“My Camping Life,” a four-volume essay series, introduces readers to basic camping gear and methods, as well as recreational activities and recipes that can be enjoyed outdoors. Pocket-sized and lightweight, the books serve as perfect guides for readers to take on any trip. Vibrant illustrations by artist Relish, along with photos taken by the authors themselves during their escapades, add special charm.

In “My Camping Items,” the first book in the series, author Kang Sung-gu defines camping as, “an activity that brings to the outdoors all aspects of life, from clothing to food, away from one's daily routine.”

Ever since he joined the alpine club in college, Kang's life has been filled with experiences about mountains. He worked for three years as a reporter for a mountain-climbing magazine and currently teaches at the National Mountaineering School while living near Mount Seorak.

For Kang, a tent is a piece of gear that gives him a chance to do serene introspection and to tune into his inner voice without distractions. He calls a tent, “a space that allowed me to listen to what my heart is saying.” In the volume, he introduces 26 kinds of equipment in three categories, must-have items for: building temporary shelters; cooking and wearing; and travelling.

It's not just a manual, but a collection of tales associated with each object that he holds dear. Some of the objects have even been in the author's possession since he first arrived in Seoul in his 20s after college. Each episode opens the readers' eyes to the reason we should cherish our experience with nature.

“A life in which I never have to brush the dirt off my feet ― that's the life I want to lead,” author Moon Na-rae says in “My Camping Activities.”

Camping starts with the will to make one's way through unforgiving nature and overcome inconveniences, idleness and fear, she explains.

Her book demonstrates 15 fun outdoor activities. Some are noticeably easy, such as making a shelter on a sandy beach for a quick moment of meditation, or visiting small film festivals held in the middle of the forest. Others, from tree climbing to camping in the rain, are more daring. Through these moments, the writer encourages readers to build relationships with the people they meet in the mountains, coastal areas, valleys and even while camping out in tents.

Moon was a reporter for the monthly magazines “Outdoor” and “The Traveler.” Now she works as a forest educator at the National Center for Forest Activities in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province.

The third book, “My Camping Cooking,” invites readers to picture a one-table restaurant surrounded by a thick forest, as crickets chirp on a pleasant summer evening. Its author Jang Jin-young works as a photographer for the Joongang Ilbo during the week and spends her weekends as a camper touring the country.

Jang writes about the joy of cooking, eating and sharing food, as she presents recipes that are suitable for a camping lifestyle ― a modified version of jjapaguri, which made an appearance in Bong Joon-ho's film, “Parasite,” beer can chicken, roasted brie cheese, etc.

Also included are tofu noodle salad, soy milk pollack roe (a type of fish egg) cream pasta for vegetarians and food that don't need fire to prepare, which could appeal to minimalist campers. She even introduces ways to make a large volume of cocktails and brew makgeolli, or rice wine. Just browsing through the pages makes one's mouth water.

The fourth book, “My Camping Hideout,” lures those of us who may still be hesitant to leave their homes by suggesting places and methods that can awaken their adventurous spirits. The author is Seo Seung-beom, who was editor-in-chief of the magazines “Monthly Camping” and “Outdoor.”

By recollecting his camping experiences and the moments of enlightenment he encountered along the way, Seo suggests various modes of camping on foot or by car, bicycle, kayak and trailer.

“A trip where you walk four kilometers in an hour, and a trip where you see the 20 kilometers that lie ahead are different. There are paths that can't be taken with a bicycle, but there are also trails that are better accessed with one. It's not about speed and efficiency, but rather the scenery,” Seo says in a chapter detailing his bicycle trip in Okinawa, Japan.

Instead of recommending fixed routes, he has strewn throughout the pages tips on how to draw one's own camping map, plan one's course and make a bucket list.

In the near future when travelling hopefully becomes a routine once again, readers can follow the four campers' friendly words of encouragement to pack their bags and head out to experience nature.