Top 7 things I learned while camping

Last weekend, I went camping in Yosemite. Yes, it was (quasi) real camping with a tent, lanterns, and everything. We did have flushing toilets nearby and a shower within driving distance (hey, I wasn't about to be digging). No, we didn't hire the services of a sherpa to build our tent for us, carry our backpacks, or fluff our goose down pillows. And, no, we didn't eat at any of the local restaurants or.

This was my first time in years camping. This was also my first time in Yosemite. It's so beautiful up there. Don't get me started about how lame I feel for having grown up my entire life in California yet had never ventured up to Yosemite. Now, I must go every year to make up for the last 33 wasted ones.

Here are the top 7 things I learned while camping in Yosemite (I tried to do a Top 10, but could really only think of 7 things):

1. A bear's sense of smell is several times stronger than that of a dog.
2. A hiking stick works wonders, especially when you're trekking downhill and you're over the age of 30 and feeling the impact of gravity on your knees (no, you don't have to whittle one out of a tree; you can buy a perfectly synthetic, man-made one at your local sporting goods store)
3. Korean BBQ, like kalbi, is like the best thing ever to cook at a campsite.
4. RVs can cost $300,000.
5. There are specially-designated sanitary dumps for those RVs.
6. Potable water means it's sufficient to drink, so don't be fooled by the name "potable" (btw, I didn't learn this while camping; I just Wikipedia-ed it now.) Who does PR for water? They need to come up with a better term than "potable." Potable sounds like water that's sufficient for drinking from the pot...pot as in TOILET.
7. Spam is still good, no matter where you eat it.