Lavender sky:
Actually, I read it a day or so after you posted and expected to see people respond that camping trips were a nightmare for them as HSPs. When no one did I assumed that it was just me that hated camping and maybe it was not an HSP trait. I was wondering how you managed it.
I actually love the outdoors and enjoy hiking and mountain biking, but camping is another story. Here's what I hate about it:
The hassle of figuring out what equipment and food is needed, then getting all of it together and packing itÂ
Coming up with easy to fix meals since almost pre-packaged camping food contains gluten
The hassle of pitching a tent and setting up camp
The hassle of cooking meals over a camp stove or campfire and cleaning up after with no running water
The campfire that aggravates my mold allergies, so that I have trouble breathing at night
Sleeping outdoors in spring or fall, which also aggravates my mold allergies
Trying to sleep on a hard and otherwise uncomfortable surface (I'm a light sleeper at the best of times but also have back and neck issues)
Having to wear earplugs that interfere with my sleep but otherwise risk being kept awake by noise in the campground and a snoring husband one foot away
Trying to avoid getting bitten by bugs and trying to keep them out of the tent
Getting bitten by mosquitoes, chiggers, or ticks, even after having applied bug spray -- I have a special horror of ticks
Having to use a smelly latrine
Having to get up in the middle of the night to use the "bathroom": by the time I've put on some sandals, found the toilet paper and flashlight, unzipped the tent front, put on a jacket if necessary, maneuvered out of the tent opening, zipped it up behind me to keep out bugs, walked over to the latrine or scouted out a place in the woods, and returned to the tent I'm wide awake and often can't get back to sleep
Greeting the morning sleep deprived
Having to get out of bed the next morning when it's cold and dress in the tent while shivering
Not being able to take a hot shower and wash my hair (we camped during the off-season when the bath houses were closed, to avoid the crowds) and having to take sponge baths, especially on chilly mornings
Having to spend the day hiking when sleep deprived
Feeling sweaty and grimy and smelly
Lousy food
Having to pack it all up when it's time to leave, especially a wet, filthy tent and groundcloth when it rained during the night
And those are just the baseline irritations, not even the worst case scenario. The last-straw backpacking trip for me was when we inadvertently scheduled it during a heat wave -- nothing like trudging around in 90 degree heat all day carrying a 25-pound backpack. The first morning we got lost when hiking, by which time I had blisters on my heels and no Band-Aids with me. We were hot and sweaty, so when we found a river we got into it and cool off-- and got eaten alive by mosquitoes. We got ticks. I got stomach cramps and diarrhea. There was a thunderstorm in the middle of the night and our tent flooded, getting us and everything in it drenched. I no longer go backpacking.
As for the whitewater rafting or tubing, the family reunion trip we took on a challenging river in CO (on which people have actually gotten killed) was no fun for me. I wasn't deemed strong enough to be one of the paddlers so I spent the trip trying to cling to the seat but either getting thrown back against the seats and bruised when in back or drenched and knocked over by freezing, muddy waves when in front. When it was over everyone else was exhilarated but I felt like a drowned rat. Like you, I've been there and done it, don't need to do it again.
We are getting ready to go on a hiking trip, also in bear country (which does worry me a bit). We're staying in a condo, though.
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