My Summer Camp Experience

It was a bleak summer’s evening with the shadows deepening on a path that ambled down between bitternut hickory trees and then cut sideways across a field of tiny green grapevines. There was a wind beginning, small gusts that rattled the fence posts and set the dandelions dancing in unison on the broad expanse of lawn. Rain spotted our shirts and glistened on our nylon backpacks.

When I was taking a photo of the purple sky and two stretching lakes across the Bonney Pass in the Teton Mountains; I knew this place that I loved had transformed me into a better person and a more confident woman.

My fifth grade field trip was very exciting. We went to Camp Agape in Fuquay Varina. Camp Agape is an environmental education site. Upon going on my trip I woke up very early to get ready for school. My mom dropped me off and I had a lot of things to carry on the trip. When the bell rang I went straight to my class. Upon arriving in class my teacher directed me to take my bags to the front of the building. On my way to drop my bags off I ran into my friend Déjà. She began to walk with me to carry our bags.

“Thank you, can u kids please set it up,” miss lynch said while cleaning up the tent

This summer I was given the amazing opportunity to be a camp counselor. At first, I was hesitant because I wanted to spend my summer having fun. I thought about it a lot and soon realized that the opportunity was a dream come true. I had always wanted to have a group of little girls who loved me and thought I was the coolest person ever. My summer was absolutely perfect. Three things that made my summer perfect were my kids, my job, and my memories.

The words “summer camp” conjure up fond memories of campfires, s’mores, pranks, and color war for many Americans. What appeals to many campers, or prospective campers, is the keeping of tradition. Many campers can trace back their relatives who attended the very same camp, and find delight in the idea of shared experiences with their close, or distant, relatives. The long history of summer camps in America stems from an annual trip William Frederick Gunn began to take in 1861 in order to expose young boys to what life in the wilderness has to offer. Originally, the Gunn’s theory was that the experience would “strengthen not merely muscle, nerve, and self-discipline, but developed a masculine character as well.” This applied specifically for boys, but camps for girls first appeared in 1902 with the opening of Camp Kehonka, in reflection of the changing attitudes with reference to the role of women in society. Sleepaway camps become a prominent institution in America in the 1900’s that influenced the youth of this country, and continues to do so over one hundred years later, as thousands of summer camps still run every summer, many of which are the same camps that sparked this burgeoning trend. The development of this idiosyncratic principle in American life can be understood through the development of various widespread opinions during, and before, the first sleepaway camp was founded.

The year is 2003, I am eight and for half of a year I have lived with my grandmother and my brothers. The school year has just ended and summer has begun. “I’m tired of you kids, you boys have been driving me up the walls and I need a break!” my grandmother said. “You’re going to summer camp!” I had never been camping but that did not stop a smile only a child could have stretch from ear to ear across my little face. With a mouth lacking in front teeth, I screamed, “Yay!” My grandmother had signed us up for the annual boys and girls club summer camping trip, meaning eight weeks of fun under a warm sun at camp Big Silver in the neighboring state, Michigan. I will never forget my first day of summer camp.

I am in third grade and I go to the Amsterdam Summer Camp. I am standing between two booths covered in drawstring bags. The corner in which I am standing is very dirty itself. Goldfish crumbs, ice cream wrappers, and bottle caps cover the floor like the icing on a sloppy cake.

I was never one to babysit, watching my younger brothers was always enough little kid time for me, but because my dad was a part of the Recreation Department I was roped into volunteering at a Middle School aged sports camp. Eventually I became a full time counselor for three more years. Everyday leading up to that first day I was nervous. Middle schooler students were always known to be mean. How does one keep fifty middle schooler’s from destroying everything in sight? I soon learned the answers to this question along with the discovery of qualities within myself that not only helped in the camp setting, but will become essential for the rest my life.

Lastly, In 5th grade, we went to… CAMP BERNIE! I have been longing to go there. But unfortunately, we could only stay there for one day because of low budgets. There was Archery, Survival Skills, and Rock Climbing. But at the starting of Survival Skills ( My Favorite activity so far!), I got STUNG BY A BEE! It was the biggest experience in all the experiences I had ever had! Sadly, I had to skip the activity. As you heard, I had a lot of experiences throughout my school years at

One of my favorite things to end the school year is to have a summer vacation. Every summer, I attend summer school to get credits to get ahead so I can meet the requirements to graduate. I also went to a bible camp that is at Turkey Hill Ranch. I enjoyed it when I got to go to Six Flags for the first time.

I hate camp. I hate bonding. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. Why do I have to go? It’s stupid anyways. I thought this camp was easy, but as I got ready to leave for camp that morning, I finally admitted that I was wrong.

Growing up, I was always very shy. I even had a teacher once tell me that I was the only one in the class who was allowed to yell. Perhaps the reason that I was so reserved was because I was the only person that I had to think about. Speaking up never seemed very important to me, so why should I? That all changed for me when I began working at a summer camp two years ago. When I first started working at the camp, I was paired with another, more experienced counselor. I wasn't too nervous, after all I only had to follow her lead and let her take the reigns on this first session. Unfortunately for me, she got very sick within the first two hours of the session. The kids had just gotten there, and suddenly there I was, in charge of twenty little

First off we needed to ensure that we would all be able to give proper notice to our families and our employers about the trip. So we waited nearly three weeks for everyone to finally hash all of that out. Then once that was done we then gathered up everyone’s money and made the reservations for this remote campsite that would comfortably fit all of us with all of our tents. This site had to fit at the very least seven people, which included: Brandon, Seth, Ryan, Sarah, Brittany, Hunter and then myself. We also made sure that the campsite had restrooms and showers nearby for convenient use. I also looked at the weather forecast for the area to make sure that the weather would cooperate with our plans for that week.

Have you ever has hypothermia in New Mexico? Well stay tuned and you will find out how I did. You will read about all the crazy things that happened to me in Philmont in New Mexico. Now let’s begin the journey to Philmont Scout Ranch.