The honest truth is that for most of us fags the thought of sleeping in a tent without the advancements of a/c and room service requires the introduction of libations just to make the idea even fashionable.
But going to “camp” for me personally has become one of those things Daddy and I do to congregate with our inner queers. There is something just transcending about being completely isolated from the mainstream world and its half-assed attempts at accepting us. (No Offense to our allies and friends you guys rock!)
But I can’t tell you how many times even very recently Daddy and I will get a “look” from some backwater inbred, deliverance-looking mo-fo who would just as soon string us up for being offensive rope-suckers.
Thus the idea of escaping into the gay bubble isn’t a new one. We have been doing it for years. I am not fully sure what came first, but at some point, we found that counter-culture was far more in tune with the concept of “live and let live.” Not being told how and who we had to be had an extreme appeal to so many in the early days.
In the 50s the inception of the Leather community found its birth on the back of motorcycles as gents home from war craved the “scent of a man” and found their way into the wilderness.
The same goes for the artists that moved into off-the-beaten-path communes where they could make beautiful things while enjoying the company of those they truly desired.
The idea of living even temporarily without a latrine isn’t a foreign concept to us, and possibly why gay camp has become so popular.
Camping or Glamping?
If one goes to the woods to find one’s self, one should do it in style don’t you agree?
Queers have been taking places no one wants and making them amazing, desirable, and attractive since the beginning of time. Camp is no different and why should it be? This is a special place we reserved just for us. A moment where we can let our freak fly and enjoy what nature has to offer. Trust me there is something very powerful about taking a shower outside under the tree canopy while complete strangers admire your dairy air!
To cumalot we go!
Our camp of choice is one of infamy and for the past two seasons, Daddy and I have been invited to spend time at Cum-a-lot, a permanent campsite, and brotherhood located at Hillside Campground in New Milford, PA. Our very close friends and chosen-family are members in permanence there. This magical place filled with unicorns, rainbows, mythical woodland ferry-folk in mossy oak camo, or other kinds of fetish gear is completely worth the nearly 4-hour drive into the backwoods of Pennsylvania.
When I say there is nothing around this place, I MEAN THERE IS NOTHING, yet they somehow have fiber-optic internet access, which as a techie fucker completely blows my mind. I don’t have that at my home in one of the east coast’s larger cities yet the internet-gods felt the need for these folks to be graced with good quality internet access. But the infrastructure advancements stop there, and good old-fashion “take a turd and make it wonderful” engineering steps in.
Remember when I said fags have been making the world beautiful since the beginning of time, well baby this place takes the cake.
When we go, Daddy and I are invited to stay in one of the site’s “couples” tents. These semi-permanent yurt-like structures are basically the same things used by vendors selling socks at your favorite flea market. Each has a propane heater, and a urinal fashioned out of a funnel attached to a long network of tubes which I have to believe drains into a secret den reserved for those who flag yellow. But the “Swiss Family Robinson-like” comforts don’t stop there. In addition to the tents, we also have a massive lounge pit reminiscent of a bedouin tent with a chez lounge, individualized seating areas, and topped off, the pièce de résistance, cherry-on-top, a crystal chandelier.
In the next few weeks, Daddy and I will be making our final pilgrimage to camp for the season, and while anonymity is very important to so many who go to these places, I will do my best to document and share the wonderful fuckary that is camp.
Please note, all of the images used in this post are of hillside and cumalot but where pulled from google and publicly accessible sites. As I said privacy is very important to people that venture to camp. If there is an image you would like me to take off this post, please email me, boyjoey81@icloud.com. The last thing I want to do is cause an issue for people I love, at a place I hold so close to my heart.
