Camping has always been a part of my life. I grew up doing it with my family, and now my sisters and I go together and bring our kids. It’s something I’ve always loved, and now I get to pass that love on to my one-year-old son.

We started camping when he was a newborn. It’s more hectic now — he runs all over the place and gets into everything — but he’s happiest outside. I love that. I love seeing him grow up with the same experiences I had, surrounded by cousins, nature and no real schedule. It’s about the time we spend together.

For me, camping is a reset. We plan our trips in the winter and look forward to them all year. It’s how we disconnect from technology and reconnect with each other. Time doesn’t exist out there. We ride bikes, walk trails, play cornhole and sit around the fire. We all have campers, but we’re rarely inside them. We’re outside together.

One of my favorite memories was from a trip this past year. We waited until it got dark, put glow sticks on us to look like skeletons and walked around the campground. Other campers were excited to see us. When we got back, we sat around the fire and told stories. It felt like childhood again. Everything slowed down, and the world stopped for a minute.

We take turns cooking, and I always end up making fried bread dough — something my husband’s grandmother used to do. It’s become a tradition. My husband even brings a smoker and makes prime rib. We don’t go hungry.

Camping is where I feel most like myself. It’s where I can breathe, laugh and just be with the people I love. I hope my son grows up loving it as much as I do.

Taylor Clark is a radiology technologist at University of Vermont Health – Elizabethtown Community Hospital. She has been with us since 2016.