25 days. The first day of resident camp is only 25 days away! In 25 short days school will be over and summer camp begins. I remember each summer during check out hugging my brand new, lifelong friends goodbye. We had only know each other for one week but in camper world we had lived a lifetime together. We had sunny days just waiting till it is time to jump in the pool to cool off. We had crazy rainstorms that came out of nowhere and produced lakes of mud. We had mud football games and games that counselors made up that made no sense but were amazing fun. We had scary nights learning to not be afraid of sleeping in a new place. We had nights giggled away in our bunks till we didn’t even know why we were giggling anymore. We had hikes in the woods with that counselor who always new the name of every bug and flower and tree and plant. We had pounded our names into leather bracelets and bookmarks and painted flowers onto rocks. We had sung silly songs until our voices were tired and sang old songs that connected us to the campers before. We had lived camp.
I can still remember not being able to contain my excitement driving up through the gate for check in. I remember my counselor Tammy whose real last name was Camp. I remember how funny it was during mail call whenever Lacy Fell had mail and everyone would laugh and yell in unison “Is she alright?” I remember my counselor Misty Dawn would let us call her Drizzly Morning. I remember every joke the director told. I remember the year we covered all our bunk bed and cabin rafters in sheets and towels to make caves and never walked on the cabin floor. I remember getting care packages from my grandmother and sharing with my whole cabin. How do we have so many memories from something that only lasts a week? For each of us that went to camp we know the answer. It’s camp. Camp is special.
And in 25 short days it begins again. A new little girl will go to camp and experience the joy that we hold onto from those summers years ago. A new little girl will become a camper.
-Maranda Ribera
