This past weekend I took my older girls to our local Girl Scout Camp, Camp Evelyn. This was my first time staying over night here, or really just being there. When I grew up I was in another council so I never made it this far north. Charlotte came here for a 3-night camp in June so she knew most of the counselors at camp.
Gretchen was a bit hesitant at first, shy. None of the girls from her troop came but Charlotte had two friends/moms come along. We knew lots of people at camp but she was just taking things slow. I had to remind Charlotte that this was a family weekend, not a friend weekend, but it still turned out great.
For a July weekend, or summer weekend at that, the weather was perfect! We drove into a storm headed to camp but the rain stopped and Saturday was a perfect 74 and sunny. The morning was spent at the lake where we jumped off the pier, went kayaking, canoeing, and stand up paddle boarding. Then we did lots of crafts (all day, on and off), ate lunch, went swimming in the pool, more crafts, more swimming, and dinner outside. The kids had plenty of s’mores (with thin mints in between!!) and campfires. They played and ran around with sticks. I love seeing them explore in the woods. The mosquitoes weren’t even that bad! We managed to escape with only a few bites.
The beds were mediocre. They were plastic mattresses on metal bunk beds so every time somebody moved it squeaked SO bad. My kids slept like rocks but the adults were a little more sensitive. After I got some ear plugs for the second night I slept awesome. We were in a cabin (no electricity) so the bugs were pretty minimal inside.
The camp Evelyn property is beautiful! We walked almost 9 miles on Saturday between going back-and-forth to the cabins and walking to the next place. No complaining from the kids! It was so nice to be out with the big girls, soaking up the sun and the forest. They really enjoy being outdoors and also love the comradery of the other women in Girl Scouts. Sometimes the Girl Scouts get a bad rap and there are certainly some political rumors, but I see this as an opportunity to put my girls in a positive role-model experience and give them a chance to explore the outdoors and just have fun.
We will definitely be going back next year. They are also going back in August for a day-camp too. I’m hoping in years to come they will enjoy a week at camp, learning about teamwork and themselves. My troop leader and I are also taking some girls back in September for a Troop weekend. That will definitely be a blast!
Erika LaPean 