The times I've gone camping, it's generally been with friends or family, or just myself and Chris. I like it best if there's a dog along, but that's not always possible. We have a tent and sleeping bags, and take a cooler of food to cook over a campfire or some ready-made food if drought rules out a fire. It's peaceful and quiet, and we go hiking and meet people along the way. It never occurred to me pay a company to set up my camping trip, or to seek out an organized ice cream social or any other organized event except maybe a wildflower hike. And I would probably drop an mp3 player into a stream I was crossing. I've already dropped a digital camera (it survived), and Chris dropped a cell phone (it didn't).

For the past several years, anyone who knows me has, at one point or other, had to hear me talk about the importance of nature in our lives, especially those of children. Studies are showing that lack of time in nature is causing us to become overweight, sick, and have attention deficit disorders. For kids, this means not doing well in school and having diseases formerly found mostly in adults, such as diabetes and obesity. Our time spent in front of television and computers, or the "electronic umbilical cord," as Cheryl Charles of the Children & Nature Network calls it, means less time outside. Both are important, but we are out of balance, leaning too heavily toward the plugged-in side.

Will glamping catch on? There are certainly plenty of opportunities to partake. Websites galore have sprouted to take advantage of this new trend in tourism. Goglamping.net is a luxury camping directory with sites around the world. The New York Times Travel Section did a story last September about some eco-friendly glamping options. MSNBC has the Top 10 luxury camping trips. And the August 13 featured gadget on glampinggirl.com was a pair of outdoor wine glass holders. They sink into the ground and hold your wine glass upright--and even work in sand! Just $12.95 for both. Maybe that's not a bad idea. . .

Yet some people believe this new fad is just that, a fad. I heard some interesting comments from friends after sending around this week's Washington Post article on glamping. When you live in a place where 90 degrees and 40% humidity causes heat alerts, you have to be hardier than most to enjoy camping without glamor. Another friend believes that there will be a lot of high-dollar glamping equipment stacking up in garages after one use. But others think that maybe after people go glamping, and see what it's all about, they just might decide they don't need all the upscale gear and can be okay experiencing the outdoors with more basic equipment.

You know, if glamping is a "gateway" to getting people outdoors who wouldn't normally give it a try, maybe it's okay. And, of course, for some people with health or mobility challenges, glamping may offer opportunities to enjoy being outside with Mother Nature. However, in general I wish people would be more adventurous and live a little more outside the box. Maybe in the new, more frugal economy, glamping will be less possible for many people. Does that mean they won't try to experience the outdoors at all? That they'll stay indoors with the internet and cable tv, because that's already paid for? Or will they see that our state parks offer inexpensive campsites (and yes, some cabins) for wonderful outdoor adventures? I hope it's the latter.