When I was in second grade, my mom sent me to Camp Addisone Boyce for four weeks so I could earn some badges and keep busy during the summer while she worked. I never thought that it would become my second home and the place where I could fully be myself. When I tell my friends that my camp only houses 10 flushable toilets, they look at me in disgust. I flash them a smile right back, because they couldn’t even imagine what my job entails.
1. Our days don’t consist of trips to the town pool.
In fact, trips in themselves are special occasions. Our daily activities consist of archery, canoeing on the lake and learning helpful skills to use in nature. At my camp, trips are hikes in Harriman State Park or to the ghost town of Doodletown (where you were lucky if your counselor let you swim by the waterfall). Our sister camps take a lot of trips, but they’re always outdoorsy activities like whitewater rafting. Girl Scouts believe in building courage, confidence and character, and who wouldn’t feel quite literally on top of the world after hiking a mountain?
2. Boys are a foreign concept.
If you’re not the park ranger or his assistant, you can be sure someone, be it a camper or counselor, is yelling “BOY IN CAMP! BOY IN CAMP! BOY IN CAMP!” Having that all-girl environment takes the societal pressure to constantly look nice and put together and creates this perfect little bubble where that collection of tie-dye T-shirts is your shining glory. Do you normally feel like you can’t wear pigtails because you’ll look too childish? Put those braids in, girlfriend, or come to camp with your hair ready because there will be at least one camper or counselor who can do it for you. Have that super comfy pair of basketball shorts that are apparently unacceptable to wear to school? You’ll probably be asked where you got them. Did you see these awesome Little Mermaid temporary tattoos at Five Below? You’ll be the most popular girl in camp. Use that power wisely.
3. You’ll actually experience real camping and learn the traditions of scouting.
Sure, our cookie game is strong, and we laugh at the struggle people have with Pinterest friendship bracelets and tie dye, but don’t underestimate our other skills. By the time you’re a counselor-in-training, starting a one-match fire will be second nature to you. You’ll have perfected the art of Dutch oven one-pot pasta and you’ll know how many coals you’ll need to light for the box oven monkey bread. You’ll know how to properly fit your lifejacket and what to do if your canoe flips over. You’ll be able to recite the Girl Scout Promise and Law in your sleep, and you’ll actually know the words to Taps. You’ll have no problem leading a flag ceremony and be able to properly fold an American Flag. Your brain could basically pass for a campfire song Pandora station. The options for your overnight sleeping arrangements are pitch tents on the field or platform tents. If you choose the former, you’ll need the motivation to take them down in the morning before you start the next day. The latter, well, hopefully there’s someone willing to be the designated exterminator for the night. And don't think about waking your counselors up to take you to the “flushies.” Grab a buddy and head to the latrines or a nice tree.
4. Finding out your counselor’s real names was a summer-long journey.
Juliette Gordon Low’s nickname was “Daisy,” and Girl Scout camp keeps up this tradition by having the counselors choose their own camp names. This goes two ways. When you were a little Brownie, you thought that your counselors being named Pom Pom, Magic and Lightning were the coolest thing ever. Once you were old enough to realize that that’s not actually what’s on their birth certificate, the whole unit worked together to try to get their counselors to slip up and give that crucial clue that would lead to finding out their real name. Once you became a C.I.T., choosing your camp name was a decision on the same level as later choosing where you were going to college. You then had to double check every keychain on your backpack, every clothing tag your mother wrote your name on and even ditch the monogrammed necklace you got for your 16th birthday. Once those girls got the first letter of your first name, you were done for. Although, if you have a unique name like I do, you’re basically set. As soon as you start getting called by your camp name, you’ll find yourself taking longer to respond to your real name. A few years into your counselor-hood, you’ll find that you’ve stopped responding to your real name altogether during the summer. Good for those pesky campers that try to get you.
5. You’ll grow as a woman and as a sister.
I have so much to thank my camp for. Whenever my non-camp friends and I get together, I’m the one who builds the fire or leads the way through a nature walk. You get to meet women from all different backgrounds with all different passions. Eleven years ago, I met one of my very best friends when we were placed in the same unit, and I continue to make bonds with campers and counselors every year. Reuniting with the women I respect the most every summer gets me through the stressful semesters of college. Without camp, I wouldn’t have found my passion for all types of boating. The previously mentioned friend encouraged me to join Sea Scouts, a co-ed branch of Boy Scouts focused on water activities, and it was there that I found my love for sailing. I found out about a canoeing team that practices at camp during the spring, and even though I didn’t join until my senior year, my partner and I won first place in our five-mile race.
This summer will be my ninth summer at camp, and my fourth year on staff, and if all goes as planned, I’ll be the boating manager. Not only have I built my reputation as a nautical enthusiast, but as the resident songbird. The amount of times a summer I hear, “Treble, can you teach us The Backwards Song?” or “Treble, what’s the next verse of Titanic?” is enough to affirm my music education major. These past eight summers have given me experiences I will never forget. Every Thursday night, I get to wear a ridiculous outfit and sword fight with pool noodles in interpretive dance to a song about baby owlets. I’ve had the pleasure of coexisting with a garden snake that chilled out by the paddle shed every day. I’ve seen the faces of little girls light up when they finally figure out how to get their canoe to where they want to go.
So no, I don’t need a town pool and ice cream to keep me happy this summer. Just give me a canoe, a campfire and let me sing some camp songs, and I’ll be set.
