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Letter from the Editor: We Should All Be Campers

Editor in Chief Erin Meanley Glenny dishes on the April issue of San Diego Magazine
Cuyamaca Peak | Photo by Austin Trigg

By Erin Meanley Glenny

We should all be campers. There is something about camping that’s hearty and healthy and old-fashioned in a good way—the proximity to nature, the everybody-pitches-in ethos, and the imperative to interact with friends and family rather than stare at a screen. Hearing my uncle Bill’s childhood memories of fishing, canoeing, horseback riding, and “shared cleanup” after meals made me realize just how far removed, in place and time, I am from the great outdoors. I asked my dad (Bill’s cousin) for similar anecdotes, but his experience sleeping under the stars ended 57 years ago with Boy Scout Troop 595. He counts just one trip through the wilds of what is now Carmel Valley and a single night guarding the cross on Mount Soledad after some vandals had tagged it. “We’re not really a camping family,” he admitted.

But reading Claire Trageser’s cover story, “Adventures in Camping,” I was inspired to go camping—and you will be, too! It’s a celebration of our stunning beaches, mountains, canyons, vistas, and deserts. It includes hikes, the best sites to book—and hacks for how to do it—a fire-building lesson from a park ranger, and even rustic recipes courtesy of a local chef. In addition, Troy Johnson’s first-person piece not only made me feel like I was there but that I would go camping again and love it. (You too, Dad!)

While camping is about trying to get back to nature, our other feature, “Best of North County,” is about a region that we once called a “backcountry” but whose growth and innovation we now recognize and honor. Where else can you find a restaurant that babysits and feeds your kids while you dine on a three-course meal in a separate room, or a farm that hosts yoga classes with goat companions? It’s all happening in North County—see our picks, many of whom will be at our Best of North County party at the Park Hyatt Aviara on April 29. I hope to see you there, and if not, perhaps out on a trail one day. (Which reminds me—Wild author Cheryl Strayed is coming to town. Fans shouldn’t miss our Q&A with her.)

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Letter from the Editor: We Should All Be Campers

Cuyamaca Peak | Photo by Austin Trigg

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