One of my first big camping experiences as a teenager at Girl Scouts National Center West in WyomingREI and the National Wildlife Federation are partnering to encourage people across the country to camp outdoors this weekend through the Great American Backyard Campout. The event evokes some Brady Bunch moments for me, since as a kid I used to camp in my backyard, tell ghosts stories with my friends, shine flashlights at the stars, and devour the yummy s'mores my mom used to make.
Camping also connected me to the natural world, and I loved listening to the insects and frogs sing at night (I used to think it was the music of the stars) or searching for bats, or simply resting in the tent and falling asleep with the earth's heartbeat as a lullaby. So this weekend, get that tent set-up, make a run to the grocery store for some marshmallows, and fall asleep under the comforting night sky.
Here's a PSA that REI filmed with myself and Jack Hanna promoting the campout. Not sure how I got paired with someone as cool as Jack Hanna, but it is fun promoting camping in a cocktail dress! Jack and I filmed this message at our Voices for Wildlife event in Los Angeles last week.