Outdoor enthusiasts pull their cots and ENO hammocks out of storage as prime-time camping season comes around. Weekend getaway trips become the norm as people escape the city to become immersed in nature. Fall in Texas is considered one of the best times to camp because the weather finally begins to cool off.

“I love to camp during this time of the year because the cool air makes you want a fire,” junior Jackson Wallace said. “And who doesn’t love to get cozy and warm next to a nice fire?”

Camping gives people time to reflect, retreat from technology, get away from their everyday routines and unwind in the environment to relieve built up stress.

“Camping isn’t about staying connected,” junior Jimmy Deaton said. “Camping gives you the opportunity to reconnect with nature in a relaxing and stress-free environment that is away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.”

This helps people create more meaningful memories due to phones and social media not being able to lead to these great experiences. Everybody creates some form of either good or bad memories while camping.

“One time, my friends and I had to talk to a sheriff because we apparently camped in a spot that we weren’t supposed to be in,” Jackson said. “We all were pretty scared because we didn’t know if we were gonna get in trouble.”

Camping is also enjoyed by a genre of people who refer to themselves as “granola.” They’re often found wearing Chaco sandals, spending countless hours at REI, enjoying the griminess of the outdoors and having a peculiar attraction to the experiences nature has to offer.

“Granola people love to camp because of the isolation and how outdoorsy they are,” senior Jordan Hicks said. “They also like to partake in activities like rock climbing, which can be convenient at certain campsites like Rock Dog in Reimer’s Ranch Park.”

Amazing campgrounds exist in Texas, but they can be found everywhere in the U.S. as well.

“One time, I went to camp on Elk Lake in Oregon in the dead of winter, and there were six feet of snow on the ground,” sophomore Merritt Bjork said. “My family and I tied our sleds to our snowmobiles so we could slide over the frozen lake.”

Whether you’re a book worm or the country type or a nature-loving-granola-bar of a person, camping can be enjoyed by virtually everyone.