So yeah I went to Girls Camp as the Camp Director for our ward, which is the same ward I was born and raised in. I served with some new people but the YW President is someone who was around when I was a young woman and that was kind of fun to learn from her how camp is run and what we do as leaders before, during, and after camp. (Which is a lot more than I ever thought!) Our week at Girls Camp was crazy and fun. It was packed full of good times, but also of some crisis. I'll explain:
Monday: Most adult leaders, YCL's (16/17 y/o), and 4th years (15 y/o) head up to camp in various trucks, vans, suvs, and two large buses with trailers following suit. 20 minutes to our destination (almost to Yakima on Hwy.12) the main Uhaul with nearly all the girl's stuff, 80% of our food, and lots of other things needed for camp, CATCHES FIRE! No joke. The engine catches fire and the driver (luckily a fit adult man) has to jump out while it is moving along the highway b/c nothing mechanically is responding. There was a ton of damage and a lot of girls lost everything they packed for camp and the blaze was so bad that it melted through the metal into the trailer! Everyone on the buses who had things in the Uhaul turn around and go back to Vancouver to claim and salvage anything they can and replace everything in less than 24 hours. Those of us (including myself), who drove up in separate vehicles and have our thing with us just do what we can up at camp and chill the rest of the day.
Tuesday: Everyone (adult leaders and the rest of the girls 12-17 y/o) comes up a little later than originally scheduled and the weather is nice, people are doing pretty well considering what happened. We set up the rest of camp and go along our merry way.
Wednesday: Everything is back on schedule, we still have some trucks coming up to deliver last minute food replacements, and all is well. People are having fun, swimming in the lake, doing crafts, certifying for their levels, writing in their journals, BB guns, archery, humanitarian aid projects, la-de-daw, sunshine, fun times, etc. Wait what was that? Thunder? Lightening? Dark clouds barreling in above us? Crap! Get everyone out of the lake fast! Get under some shelter! It starts hailing and raining. Actually it was more than rain. It was a flash flood! Everyone get into the main lodge, leave your belongings the lightening and thunder is deathly loud right above our head. (I flash back to when I was about 13 and my whole soccer team got struck by lightening through a field light post) Stay low, grab a jacket, my new camera and my day pack. 5 hours later all my stuff is dripping wet, even though it was in a tent with a rain fly on top of a tarp. Many more people report that everything is wet. We cram as many people from each ward group into the platform tents and disperse out necessary bedding and clothing and everyone else is on the floor in the main lodge for the night.
Thursday: It's still kind of rainy in the morning but by lunch it is warm and humid. We tie rope to as many trees as possible and put wet things out to dry. For those of us who had the worst of the flooding in our campsites we got our super wet things together and two adult leaders (from our ward :p) took things in garbage bags to a laundromat in Yakima and returned just in time for bed. I sleep in the lodge with a few other girls who still don't have a shelter/tent to sleep in down at our campsite, it was fun.
Friday: Everyone is happy again. Activities are back on schedule. Yeah! Ew...what's that huge puddle from? Because of the torrential rain, the septic tank overflows and it starts seeping up from the ground in one of the ward groups campsite. No using the bathrooms or showers for today! A truck load of wood chips and gravel fix the standing sewage water and some time allow the water pressure to resume to normal and things are good again. Phew! That evening the bishops from each ward comes and we have a good time sharing our testimonies about camp, our families, our lives, and mostly about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Our bishop brought us a treat of Cinnabons and milk. Yes milk! We had milk only one other time the entire time at camp and I think I drank about 32 oz. that night. Yummy! Slept in the lodge again b/c of hearing of a chance of rain and not wanting to wake up wet.
Saturday: Everyone wakes up, quick breakfast and more milk! Ahhhhh. Clean up camp, pack our things, load up the trucks, have a farewell ceremony, and go home! Yeah!
Crazy fun! No really, it was a lot of fun besides the craziness. I learned so much about myself, about camp, and about the girls. It's a little nerve wracking to see these young women go through their teenage years. It's a very formative time of who you are and what you want to be. It all depends on your choices.
