Camping Tunes

“I feel His glory who could make a world, yet in the lost depth of the wilderness leave not a flower unfinished.”

It took a while, but us L.A. boys finally planned a camping trip. We ship out Sunday and head north-east to Sequoia & Kings Canyon national park. Are we prepared? Not really, but we went to a greasy Wal-Mart the other day and picked up three matching bucket hats. They’re a handsome shade of khaki and feature the Budweiser logo.

I’ve been reading Kindered & Related Spirits  (a collection of letters between John Muir and Jeanne C. Carr) lately and it’s more or less gotten me into the camping spirit. I’ve always thought of the wild as a spiritual place not autonomous from the human world. In other words, we are interdependent with the natural world and what we do to it, we do to ourselves. “Why do we need wilderness? Because we are wild animals.”

Expect some great stories.

 The Tunes

• The Swimming Song – Loudon Wainwright III
• Keeper of the Mountain – The Flatlanders
• Orinthology – Charlie Parker
• The Cannonball – The Carter Family
• Sunflower River Blues – John Fahey
• Sun Bonnet Sue – Bob Willis & His Texas Playboys
• Bron-Y-Aur – Led Zeppelin
• Run Like a Thief – John David Souther
• Loch Raven – Animal Collective

• Sleep, Baby, Sleep – Jimmie Rodgers
• Shadow Waltz – Bing Crosby
• Blue Yodel No. 6 – Wanda Jackson
• Rise – Herb Alpert
• Dix-A-Billy – LaVern Baker

• Sailin’ Shoes – Sam Bush
• Preachin’, Prayin’, Singin’ – Flatt & Scruggs
• The Ballad of Bonnie & Clyde – Georgie Fame & Blue Flames
• All Aboard – Muddy Waters
• Prove it On Me – Ma Rainey
• Hey, Hey Baby – Big Bill Broozy

What are your favorite camping tunes?