8 of 26

Write now Article Tools

I've discovered the pleasure of sleeping in my backyard with just a sleeping bag to keep the bugs off and a tree overhead to minimize dew. My first trial with the idea occurred on a whim one summer home from college. Spending each night lying on a bed under a comforter in a closed room was bothering me. The utter silence of an enclosed space at night was disquieting and made waking difficult because of the illusion of darkness that being indoors created. Opening the windows helped, but something was still missing.

So one night, after taking my dog for a walk, I dug my sleeping bag out of the closet and stepped outdoors with it, dressed for sleep. The first night was unnerving. I'd slept in tents before, but never out in the open alone like this. I made my way across the yard to the tree under which I'd sleep. Having found the perfect spot without stepping in my dog's dirty business, I threw down my bag, crawled in, and lay there staring out at the night sky. A few minutes later my mother yelled her good night out the back door, and then it was just me and all the odd sounds of a suburban night.

Once I grew accustomed to the peculiarities of sleeping outside, I looked forward to it. Falling asleep was never a problem what with a sky full of stars to contemplate, shifting clouds to watch, and the ever-present white noise of the outdoors. The air outside is fresher and crisper as night progresses towards morning, and I was more able to jettison the anxieties about the impending school year and any frustrations I may have had towards my family. The early birds' songs would usually rouse me during one of the intermediate stages of dawn, and the brisk air would startle my senses into action. I'd take a few minutes to gather myself and then dash through the dewy grass to the back door and begin my day.

Rain is always a threat to the denizen of the outdoors, and there have been many nights during which I have woken up to the plinking of drops on my face. Unwilling to destroy my happy slumber, I'd usually roll over and sleep through if it were a light sprinkling. Other times, though, I've been sent racing inside by a swift and angry rain storm.

The threat of becoming the target for a bird's droppings was always hanging over my head. Thus far I've not been hit in the face, though I've noticed spots on my sleeping bag some mornings. Other times I'd be awakened in the middle of the night by the snorting of a vexed doe. The deer in New Jersey can grow very annoyed when the particular path they wish to walk is obstructed, and they put on quite a show of angry stamping and snorting if the person in their way doesn't move. I've had several nights disrupted by such activity, and I've often worried in my sleepy-headed state that the deer might grow agitated enough to trample me. Still other times I've been scared awake thinking that a bear has found me and is sniffing my body in search of a meal, when I realize that it is just my large chocolate lab wondering why I'm lying on the ground outside. Then, disinterested by me, he'd walk a few feet away to do his business.

Despite all this, I wouldn't think of abandoning sleeping outside during the ideal months of May June, early July, and early autumn. During the height of New Jersey's humidity in early August I usually give in to nature and retreat to my air-conditioned house. I sleep outside for pleasure, not for spartan self-punishment.

Summer's arrival is a time for renewed appreciation of the outdoors. If you have the luxury of a backyard, why not try something different and experience the original freshness of sleeping beneath a tree? If it doesn't work out, you can always just walk inside.

Learn more about this author, d. richard scannell.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Are you really 'roughing' it with camping, or are you just sleeping in a tent??
We want to hear your view. Write now!