Girls (and a little Scout) Camp

Oh man. How can you describe something that taxed you so much mentally? This program really did a number to my mental health. How was it different from last year? Well, obviously, this year I was in charge. I found out there's a BIG difference between being the assistant camp director and the camp director. I was just so emotionally and mentally drained each evening from making decision after decision. Last year, I went running three mornings. This year? I ended up driving between camp and the pavilions WAY more than I want to admit and I didn't even get to go on the hikes.

The Good:

• The women. I had a committee of 12 women who, except for the cooks, were doing this on a strictly volunteer basis. It was not their calling. They simply love YW and want to be involved with camp. In addition to them, working with the Stake YW Presidency is amazing. I like all of them so much.
• The girls. They're able to remain happy and upbeat in the face of a lot of crappy things.
• The service project. This year we worked with the state park to carry out an invasive species pull. It turned out really great and we learned a lot from doing it.
• The boating. Last year it was more random, but this year, we dedicated an entire day and were able to rent the boats for a great price.
• Going up early with YCLs. We took them up Monday and were able to do some training and have fun with them without the younger girls around. It worked out really well, and it's something we'll do next year.
• The guns. Holy crap. We took the girls shooting on a gun range. For reals. I was terrified of it, but it turned out great and we only had one girl ask to go back to main camp. I still hate guns SO VERY MUCH, but it was something we could do to give the girls a bit more "high adventure."
• The food. Our camp cooks are amazing. Food tastes delicious and watching them work is so fun. Such a machine!

The Bad:

• The rain. Omygosh the rain. It rained so much. The one day we needed it to not rained, however, it didn't! But the first night my tent got soaked and was out of commission for the rest of the week. I stayed in the cabin with the camp nurse and her baby, which wasn't ideal (did you read the part about the baby? although, to be honest, I barely heard her), but it was a million times better than a wet tent where all of my possessions were getting wet. But it also meant the wards didn't get great campfire time. We also had a ruined breakfast that was supposed to be cooked over the fire.
• My sleeping quarters. As mentioned, my tent got drenched the first night (I'm talking puddles inside). It was terrible. Next year, I'm considering bringing the Scamp. I just couldn't handle the anxiety of watching the rain, wondering how wet my tent was going to be. It really didn't help my mental ability to make camp decisions. However, if I had the Scamp, I could rest easy and not have that additional stress. We'll see.
• It's a long week. We started with YCLs on Monday, and everyone came up Tuesday. But we didn't get to go home until Saturday. It just seemed long.
• Issues with the girls. We had two major issues come up. One week, in the woods, with 75 girls...it shouldn't be a surprise. But it's hard. Yes, I was thrilled to have other smart women around to help me figure out what we should do, but you're always wondering if you did the right thing.

I got back Saturday afternoon. Twenty four hours later, Chuck left for six days of scout camp. Awesome. They did a 50-mile high adventure one this year. At mile 48, his shoes failed him and he got some blisters. But otherwise, he enjoyed the boys and was happy to have his hammock. I was super happy for the bishop's wife who offered to watch my boys for free (well, the cost of enrolling them in Vacation Bible School) so I wouldn't have to miss another week of work for a church camp. How grateful we are to this good woman!

And now, next year's camp is less than ten months away. Oy.