Winter Camping Fun

About 20 tents were set up in the field covered with snow. Out of the chimney, snow-white smoke came out. This was a scene from the “Rainbow Village” in Gyeonggi Province at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Everything was dark outside, but lamps shed light around the tents, illuminating the thick snow covering the area. Children who spent all day snowballing ate dinner. They devoured pork kimchi stew and grilled eels. Enjoying camping in winter is a unique Korean camping culture. This reporter looked how people camp in this cold weather, and what children do in the camping area.

Stoves inside Tents Warm Campers-

There was a stove burning wood in the tent. It is almost the same as the one older people used when they were elementary school students in rural areas, but the size is a little bit smaller than that. Smoke comes thorough the pipe to the outside. The “L”-shape pipe goes out along the floor inside and goes straight up outside. A triangular frame protects the pipe from contacting the canvas of the tent, which is an idea that came from campers.

When campers go to bed, they put a hot water bottle in their sleeping bag to keep it warm. It is sometimes called a “snapping-turtle container” because of its shape. “Yudanpo” is also a popular Japanese term for it. Some people with children use heating pads. That is why campers check whether they have access to electricity.

Hong Yeon-gi (40) and his wife, who camped Friday night with nine- and seven-year-old sons, said that they did not feel cold at all because they blocked the cold air by using electric blankets and sleeping bags. Fascinated by the pastime, the Hong family began auto-camping starting this August. This was their first winter camping experience.

Their living room tent does not directly contact the ground and has several ventilation ducts. A tent for the bedroom beside the living room has a closed floor, blocking cold wind from the bottom.

But a living room tent carries the risk of suffocation if campers burn coals inside to prepare food. Moreover, any heating facilities should be turned off before people go to bed. In other countries, few campers enjoy winter camping using tents for hunters, but Korean campers enjoy camping in winter by using a mini-boiler that circulates hot water. Outside of the tents, people can warm themselves around a brazier, which sometimes turns into a dinner table. Sitting around wood fires, campers forget about the cold and can enjoy a nice winter night.

Children Play Board Games in a Cozy Tent-

Lee Eun-ju, 37, a mother of an eight-year-old boy, is a well-prepared mom when it comes to camping. She prepares games for her kid and his friends to play during camping outings. She brings glue and wood to make handicrafts with the children as well. She trims branches to make various shapes like dragonflies, caterpillars, and snails. When she goes near a stream, she encourages children to bring their favorite stones and to draw pictures with crayons. When she lets them think about what they want to draw, looking at the shapes of stones they collected, they show wonderful imagination, says Lee. She sometimes holds an exhibition near a camping area with painted stones.

She taught English carols to children at the camping area last Christmas and gave a surprise choir performance with the help of an emcee at a camping event recently, drawing a great response.

Jo Yong-chan, 42, who camps with a middle school student son and daughter, adds a digital aspect to camping. He allows his children to surf the Web with Wi-Fi thanks to access to electricity. Of course, they also read books and enjoy board games inside their tent.

In contrast, some disallow children to bring any toys. Park Yeon-soo, 40, said, “I do not allow any toys on purpose to encourage contact with nature.” His 9- and 13-year-old sons had a great time helping their dad split firewood. Other children enjoy sledging with a big plastic bag on frozen streams and hillsides. They also collect nuts like acorns to make necklaces or stamps after cutting them in half.

After dinner, some families play chess or board games in a cozy tent. Baik Yook-hyun said his children bring their homework to study as well.

“I like camping because it is like a daily routine away from reality. Every Monday, I wait for the weekend camping trip,” said Baik.

jameshuh@donga.com