Next up in our busy start-of-summer activities, was girls' camp. This was my first one where I was sort of in-charge. Last year we combined with another ward and the year before was canceled. I had a camp director, but she's really more of the fun camp-cheerleader. Which I knew when I called her. She's not much of a planner and organizer for such an activity, but is the perfect adult friend and cheerleader and so I love having her around at camp.
As I am not your typical person, my camp was maybe a bit atypical. But that's how I roll and that's how I can plan. So we had a great "high adventure" focus to our camp. A lot of the new YW are active and strong and brave and so I knew we could bump up the level of activities for our camp. Now, not everyone loved it and that's okay. (I did not love camp last year because it was so not my style - sitting around for the most of it. But others did. Different strokes for different folks, indeed.) But I do think, overall, camp was quite successful and even those who didn't fully participate in all the "high adventures" had positive moments while at camp.
We began camp doing the Ouray Via Ferrata. I had done it before and knew it would be a good challenge for my YW. A few girls decided against going (one family with three girls), but 15 YW did it - with 13 finishing it all the way. 2 girls went out about half-way through - but, still, they did half of it! Which was an impressive feat. Lucy rocked it and was so dang speedy. She was like in the third group to go and eventually caught up to my group - the first. I worried about her because there are some places where I had to stretch pretty hard to reach. But Lucy did amazing - as did all the girls.
The first part of the Via Ferrata is pretty sketch - this bridge. I hate it. Lucy hated it. But it's not so bad. This is Lucy on it. I enjoyed this time a lot more than my first time. I wasn't focused on me or myself being nervous - just on the girls. :)
Sarah England, our camp cheerleader.
Break time with Esther, Emelye, Izzy, Emmy, and Aby.
Close to the end - what a cool bridge!
After the Via Ferrata, we headed to our basecamp area at Ridgway State Park. I had made campsite reservations way back in the early spring. I had 5 campsites and it worked out great! They were the tent-only sites and you had to walk-in about a quarter mile to the area. Which was great because we weren't totally right off the main path. We had three sites for the YW, one group site, and one site for the priesthood who came each night. The group site was our gathering spot - I really encouraged the girls to not hang out at their tents, but rather to come hang out at the group site. That's where meals were made and eaten, our chairs were set up, crafts done, etc. It was a lot of working setting up camp as we had to unload all our gear (tents, food, supplies, etc.), load them up in wheelbarrows, and push them up that quarter-mile to our campsites. But the girls did it and it all worked out. So we set up camp that afternoon and then chilled that evening - including making some adorable camp hats.
Theme for camp was The Wizard of Oz. The Lion was our first day's specific theme - i.e., courage. Thus the Via Ferrata. Dinner was alfredo pasta and a dutch oven cobbler. I don't ever do dutch oven stuff, but it turned out delicious. Thank goodness.
Thursday was The Scarecrow's day. A day of learning (i.e., having a brain). We started in the morning with the YCLs (Emmy was one of them) each teaching something: CPR, fire-building (Emmy's), team/unity games, and how to gut a fish. I think they went okay. I stayed and helped with Emmy's groups. No on had caught a fish for the how-to-gut-a-fish class . . . until Lucy did on the last rotation! Yay. But, Aby, the YCL in charge was so funny and was all like, "Oh no! I don't really know what I'm doing to gut a fish . . . But I did watch it on YouTube . . ." Aby did great and they had a fun time. :) We then spent the rest of the afternoon at the 'beach." Ridgway State Park has a beach area and so the girls had fun in the water. We got back to camp and chilled and did crafts if they wanted to, etc. Dinner that night was Hawaiian haystacks (hay - straw, like a scarecrow). Plus we made donuts. Ben came up that evening as the priesthood and so it was fun to have him up there for the night. We got our lunch and hike snacks ready that night, too - the girls made whatever bagel sandwiches they wanted (nutella, PB, meat), packed granola bars, etc., and mixed up their trail mix.
Making hats.
Paige, Emelye, and Esther.
The younger girls were adorable - all 8 slept in here and they set it up on their own! They got it wrong the first time, but were determined to do it themselves. The tent was bigger than the tent-pad, but they made it work! Cute girls.
The campsite and gathering spot. The gathering spot had this perfect area for all of our chairs, etc. Loved it.
The girls were assigned to help meals. Here's Emmy, Lauren, Bentley, and Jessa making pasta.
Emmy's fire-building station.
Emmy taught the girls how to make a fire using food - start with a graham cracker for your perfect area/site, next place MnMs around for your "rocks" to contain the fire, then some coconut for your tinder, pretzel sticks for kindling, and finally tootsie rolls for your wood. :) Plus a marshmallow as your water bucket in case things get out of hand.
Paige, Emelye, and Lucy with Lucy's catch!
The girls were asked to write the write three kind messages on each heart to another YW. I think this was a really special activity and a lot of the girls spoke about how much these little notes meant to them at our testimony meeting. So sweet. Emmy was especially touched by a note she received from someone who was definitely not expected to give her one. It meant a lot to Emmy.
The girls played games at night in the younger's tent. 18 of them. Well, we had two girls from the Spanish branch who mainly hung out together, but they did join them the last night. These girls might have been told to quiet it down from some other campers - like 20 year-olds. The first night they asked the girls to quiet down, I was okay with it. But the second night, when they (the 20 year-olds) came over at like 9:59 (quiet hour was at 10:00), I wasn't so okay with it . . . :)
Friday, our last full day, was the day of Heart. The Tin-Man. We talked a lot about being kind to everyone, showing love, etc. That day's main activity was a hike. I had wanted to do a 14-er, but thankfully was talked out of that. :) But I did decide on quite a challenging hike: Courthouse. It's hard. Short, but steep and quite a challenging climb at the end. I actually got up early that morning to drive to Montrose (I might have showered at my house . . .) to pick up breakfast burritos from a food truck. Then we headed out for the hike by 7am. It was a very challenging hike, but I was so impressed with how many made it to the top! I was with the first group and honestly thought we'd be the only group to summit. But nope, many others made it. I think there were 5 YW who stayed at the waiting spot, but all the rest made the difficult trek to the top. After the hike, we came back to camp and chilled for the evening. We had a tin-foil (tin man) dinner of pizza and corn and dessert of tin-foil waffle cone s'mores. Something like that. We had our testimony meeting that night and it was really sweet what the girls shared. A lot of positive experiences gained from the "high adventures." Even those who didn't do those activities, still shared some positive aspects from camp. It made me happy. I know it wasn't perfect and there were issues along the way, but overall I was happy with how it went. Saturday we had our last fireside/devotional, awards were given, and then we packed up and loaded up the trailer with all our gear, and headed back to home sweet home.
This was the waiting spot for the girls. It was also our first break spot. It's like half-way up in miles, but not in difficulty. By the time we came back to the spot and connected with the other 5 YW, I was worried those girls would be quite upset . . . But they weren't. We had a fun lunch and just chatted about our favorite songs, movies, etc. I think everyone in this picture made it to the top.
A few of the girls at the top. I was surprised that these girls (and our cheerleader Sarah) made it! Yay.
Lauren and Angela. They both really, really struggled at the end, but pushed through and did it.
Angela actually had a panic-attack while climbing that last difficult section. But a sweet lady (an angel, the girls called her), who was a teacher, helped Angela get over her anxiety. This angel also helped Lauren, who was about to give up about 20 feet from the top, make it all the way. We ended up helping this angel . . . stayed tuned. :) Good karma.
The angel's tire was flat by the time she came down from the hike. So we were able to help - by we, I mostly mean Aby. Aby rocked it. There were about 3-4 of us helping with the tire, but we could not get the lug-nuts off. So we called over to our strong wrestler Aby and she totally rocked it. The gal was so excited that a bunch of girls/women came to her rescue. :)
Sarah - the cheerleader, if you couldn't tell. She's so much fun.
Each night we had a devotional by the YCLs. On courage, learning, kindness/love, and staying on the covenant path (the yellow brick road). It was a fun camp and I hope the girls realize they can do hard things! Because life is hard a lot of the times!
