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I insert the old key into the tarnished lock, grasp the knob, turn and push. The warped doorframe offers some resistance, but with a firm shove, I’m inside. I put my duffel down on the linoleum floor and pause for a moment to look around. The pleasing familiarity of camp flows through me as I lay the key on the Formica table, bringing a smile to my face.

Outside again, I trundle behind camp and turn on the gas. My wife arrives with an armload of groceries, which we plunk down on the counter in the kitchen nook. She then proceeds to light the pilot light for the refrigerator and stove, while I grab the cooler and unload the perishables and drinks. I consider a cold beer, but given it’s 10 a.m., I decide to wait awhile.

The curtains are pushed aside and the windows opened wide to let in some fresh air. Then the sills get a good brushing to remove the dead flies that have accumulated over the winter. I scour the corners for mouse droppings, but incredibly, find no evidence. We unpack clothes and make the bed. Sunlight, birdsong and balsam fill the space.

Fifty feet into the woods is the composting privy. I open the door and secure the latch, then broom out the cobwebs. I add a new toilet paper roll, wet wipes and hand sanitizer. On my way back, I find my wife tinkering with the shower pulley that’s attached to an old cedar tree. We’ll hoist a bag of hot water up there this evening for a pleasant cleansing.

A 9-inch white pine out front has snapped in half and the top is blocking the path to the pond. I spend some time with the chainsaw, cleaning up the mess and scattering the debris. Next, we launch the canoe and, with water line in tow, paddle out to the deep spot. We attach the line to the lobster buoy float and drop the weight. Camp is officially “open.”

Maine is chock full of summertime camping possibilities. There’s RV and tent camping aplenty at hundreds of drive-in campgrounds. Backcountry travelers will also find a host of primitive campsites along our wilderness trails. For a lot of Mainers, however, camping means the time-honored tradition of heading “upta camp,” be it your own, a family member’s, or a friend’s. Preferably on a refreshingly cool body of water.

Camp may be ready, but there’s never any shortage of chores. Like clipping the narrow paths to the shore, to the privy, out to the back forty. The hummingbird feeder has to be prepped and hung. And there’s always a loose board needing a nail or two, a table or chair leg requiring attention, and firewood to be split and stacked.

The camp happy hour clock is set to Atlantic Time, and with a couple cans of brew in hand, we retire to the screen porch. Just in time, too, as the clouds that have been long building turn ominously dark. Soon enough, the thunder booms and the rain comes down in sheets. We sit happily beneath the noisy metal roof and enjoy the storm. We call it “camp TV.”

Meals at camp are simple affairs. Tonight, it’s cheeseburgers on the tabletop grill, garden salad, and store-bought macaroni salad. There are steaks, corn-on-the-cob, canned beans and eggs and bacon in the larder; we won’t go hungry. At sundown, the sky turns pink and purple, and we take a nightcap to the rocky point and drink it in, mosquitoes and all.

Camp means time to amble the informal trails, walk down the logging road or the train tracks, or maybe hike a nearby preserve. The pond provides plenty of entertainment as well. Swimming is a daily event, as is paddling around in the canoe. There are loons, mergansers and eagles to observe, plus the band of bullfrogs to croak along with.

If that all sounds ambitious, well, camp life does dictate there be ample opportunity for lounging on the old furniture, finishing a stack of half-read books, sleeping late, and taking frequent naps. You’re also allowed to simply do nothing at all. Because when you’re upta camp in Maine, anything goes. Just at a much more leisurely pace.

Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island is the author of Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast, Beer Hiking New England and the Maine Mountain Guide. Follow more of Carey’s adventures on Facebook and Instagram.