The mild summer breezes that followed last week’s intense heat gave way to some nice camping weather.

My parents rarely missed an opportunity to take my sister and I camping all over Wisconsin when we were children.

The camping trips my parents would plan usually involved meeting other family members at a campground and sharing tent sites. My sister and I were so young when we started going that we’d be put to bed in the tent and then our parents would surround us with pots and pans. The thinking was if we got up in the night or were moving around, the pots and pans would clank together like an alarm system.

When I was about five or six, my parents purchased a small pop-up camping trailer. It could be easily towed and set up. It had storage space on the inside.

On one particularly memorable trip, my sister rolled off the bed slat, under the elastic enclosure and plopped outside onto the ground. I know she wasn’t hurt — I can’t remember if she even woke up.

I always enjoyed campfires. I like cooking over a fire — especially roasting hot dogs.

For my dad, camping was secondary to fishing. We could load our boat on top of the camping trailer. He and my mom both enjoyed fishing and could spend a whole day on the water.

When my dad went fishing, he was on a mission and his trips usually started at dawn and ended when he felt like heading to the landing. Many nights we’d rig our boat lights and fish in the dark. That was a bit harder on me, as sitting in a boat got boring quickly. I preferred exploring the woods around the campgrounds.

I don’t recall the fear of ticks being such a significant factor when I was younger. The only time we wore bug spray was near dusk and at night around the campfire. Insects weren’t just a nuisance, but it was interesting to find a preying mantis, walking stick bugs, caterpillars and butterflies. The campgrounds generally were alive at night with fireflies.

My parents eventually bought a travel trailer on a lot near the Petenwell Flowage and that’s where we spent our weekends through my teenage years.

As I became a parent I shared my love of camping and swimming with my son. I eventually received a second-childhood worth of camping by being an adult leader with the Boy Scouts. Much of this camping was very simple. During periods of good weather there wasn’t need for a tent. It’s easier to poncho and sleeping bag near the camp fire and sleep under the stars. This works nicely if the weather cooperates.

Ever since my son’s journey as a Boy Scout ended, I haven’t been camping. I’ve been to campfires, slept in camping trailers and stayed at campgrounds, but I haven’t gone back to that experience of a no-frills camping trip. Those kinds of trips don’t get any easier as a person gets older, and I do like the convenience of having a roof over my head, a comfortable bed and indoor plumbing.

I am thankful for the time I spent camping with my family and Scouts. I learned some lessons about poison ivy, removing ticks and getting caught in thunderstorms along the way, but the positive experiences were overwhelming.

— Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.