Have I become........?

[PSBreen]

Have I become a crotchety old fart or do I expect too much from my fellow man? We went camping this weekend. We actually had a good time but there were a few irritations along the way. We like going to the so called “primitiveâ€

[mechmagcn]

All legitimate concerns... and I feel the same myself. My cure for the most part is to camp during the week when I mostly have the campground to my self.
With the attitude of the "Me" generation and the total lack of respect for anyone else, I'm afraid it will only get worse.

[CliffinGA]

Yeppers you have, and welcome to the club! At 40 yrs d my wife says I'm a founding member because I will walk over and do say something, even handed a couple a bill for my stay because their unruly mob of kids kept coming and messing around our campsite.

Cliff

[Deryk the Pirate]

Now not everyone, but alot of people are just self-absorbed and clueless. Im new to being a custodian, came from the IT scene. Well we spent all summer stripping and waxing the floors, well the very first day the teachers were allowed in, there were black scuff marks all over the floor and trails of coffee dribbles.... do these people do this at home? Lift your feet while your walking and if ya make a spill clean it up.... but they figure we are there to walk behind them and do it... People suck lol

[gregp136]

I have been camping a long time, as I am sure many of you have. First went camping on my own when I was 17, which would have been in 1974. I agree that there are people who are too loud, don't watch their pets or chldren, or don't clean up after themselves. But it has always been that way. Some campsites are beautifully clean when I arrive, and some have garbage I have to clean up before I set up camp. It has been that way for at least 35 years, and I assume it will be that way in another 35 years. I think throughout it all, it isn't the "me" generation, but just a few bad apples who are more noticable than the many who are considerate of others.

Greg(and Laurie)

[CarlLaFong]

Now not everyone, but alot of people are just self-absorbed and clueless. Im new to being a custodian, came from the IT scene. Well we spent all summer stripping and waxing the floors, well the very first day the teachers were allowed in, there were black scuff marks all over the floor and trails of coffee dribbles.... do these people do this at home? Lift your feet while your walking and if ya make a spill clean it up.... but they figure we are there to walk behind them and do it... People suck lol

You should try to maintain a jail. The inmates are the least of the problem. It's the custody assistants and deputies that are the worst. Everything is a footrest. Drawers, walls, cabinets broken, scuffed with black bootmarks, crap spilled everywhere. Grown men who think their mommies are still there to wipe their bottoms, all the while whining about their hard jobs with endless OT and 90% unfunded retirements.

[jerry101jlh]

Yep, crotchety old fart. No question about it, but so am I! When I pull into a campsite I expect clean and ready to go and history tells me that's not always the case. Here in Texas at the state parks they actually do clean and ready the sites before the next guest, but I've seen in other states that not the case. As to the other things, kids running around and dogs barking. Even though part of camping, some of us actually go to get away from noise. Maybe parks need adult only sites, away from the more family ones. Oh well, just a crotchety old fart myself I guess lol

[WhitneyK]

Steve,

It's the "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" mind set. However, most people do as they darn well please and pooey on everybody else; "just lookin' out for numero uno". Common cortousy has gone by the wayside. We just have to do our parts the best we can.

(I'm still waiting to be "done unto" like I "done unto" everybody else, would be a good life in my opinion)

[wired]

[quote="PSBreen"]Have I become a crotchety old fart or do I expect too much from my fellow man? We went camping this weekend. We actually had a good time but there were a few irritations along the way. We like going to the so called “primitiveâ€

[PSBreen]

Glad to see I'm not alone. I'm not much of a confrontational type person, but I've been known to feed/water a dog or offer trash bags to campers that aren't doing their part. Most times that just gets me a smart mouthed comment, but sometimes it's enough to get the job done.

Greg you are right that we tend to focus on the few "bad" examples. Saddly these are the ones that can cause more restrictions to be put in place. I want my kids to be able to take their kids to some of the places we've visited.

I'll have to say that this weekend we saw both extremes. There was the ATV family of 6 that where noisey and left trash everywhere. Then there was the family reunion of about 30 people at the other end. We were only about 100 yards from their camp. Other than some laughter and occassional guitar music, we rarely heard them. To top it off they left the camp cleaner than when they came. This last group are the ones I enjoy camping with

[PSBreen]

Wired,

I'm sure we could all get together and make a really long list, but I was just hitting on a few examples to see if I was off base. I'd agree that a lot of us go camping to get away or to visit with friends. It's nice to get away and not have to deal with the day to day noise and distractions of being at home. Cynthia and I aren't in camp much when we go. We are usually out hiking, fishing and enjoying the fresh air.

You mentioned loud music and that made me think of a weird experiance. One of the weirdest things we ever saw was an outdoor theater. Last year we had a family that set up a TV projector, big white screen (approx 15 x 20 foot tarp), surround sound speakers on stands amd folding chairs. They were playing family type movies, but you could have heard it a mile away. Fortunetly the camp host was also a COF (Crusty old fart) so he put a stop to that on the 2nd night.

[jerry101jlh]

i am trying to not be too critical as I am a victim of what goes around comes around. as a child ran recklessly through all camp sites as loud as I could, as a teenager drove too fast through campgrounds with music up full. Hard for me to be too critical although still think the "adult only" area a great idea lol

[john warren]

clearly theres a lot of "campers" out there that could have benifited from a little boyscouting experiance.
always try to "educate" new or inexperianced campers politely. if they don;t take the hint,,,,, thats what the park rangers are for.

[Wolfscout]

I would like to add people with loud stereos to your list. I go camping to get AWAY from things like that. I want to be able to hear the birds singing, the wind in the trees, the crackle of the campfire!

Yes. we go to get away not to have the same things we can have close to home... people wise that is. I'm finding as I get older, I like my luxuries. (Things that let me have it easier .. heck... I earned it)

[nrody]

I too once had no common sense and lacked some basic courtesies toward others. I would like to think that I am past that but every once in a while I catch myself and think "what was I thinking" then I bank that experience. It does not count if you dont learn from it.
I have been camping since before I could remember and was a girl scout for many years. I raised two daughters and am now raising my grandson. The most important rule camping, hiking, fishing is to leave the site better than I found it.