The Overnight

Our oldest campers go on an overnight camping trip and so, for our last night of staff training, we went on the same trip. Last year during training we had the overnight planned, but the Executive Director let me know that he wouldn't be joining us because he "didn't camp" and I wasn't excited to go either, so when it looked like it might rain, I opted to talk about it instead of actually go.

But this year, I decided that, for better or worse, we were going and that was that. Despite being an overnight camp, we aren't super wilderness-y. The staff has varying degrees of experience with camping, and I was concerned that some of them might break down during the overnight, but I was pleasantly surprised when we had a wonderful time.

We hiked out to the site (camp owns a piece of property nearby but heavily wooded). The site is almost a mile into the woods, and I carried Olivia in a large canvas backpack for about half of the walk. At home, when we go for walks, she will go three blocks and then sit down, so I didn't think I could have her hike all the way in. Around the time I thought I would collapse and die (50 pounds of baby bulldog is a lot when you are also carrying a pack on your back), she seemed interested in walking, so I put her down. Without even a second glance in my direction, she charged ahead to the front of the line, cutting off every counselor in her path, to lead the way to the site as if she had been there a million times before. Despite the ridiculous amounts of money I spend on her treats and toys, and my unconditional love and devotion, she has fallen madly in love with the Maintenance Assistant and ignores me completely whenever he is around. And so they led us to the site.

Upon arriving, we set up tents and started a fire. The staff explored the area and relaxed. We cooked spaghetti over the fire and then learned some fun nature activities to do with the kids. I also had the staff fill out some goal sheets and we talked a bit about personal development and the experience of working at camp this summer. The evening was spent eating s'mores and playing games around the fire.

Olivia was right at home, sitting in the circle with the group and running after them as the hiked around. She is so social and absolutely loves being with people. Several times this week, I have run back to the cabin to answer emails or type something up while S led the staff through games or activities. It never fails that, upon letting Olivia outside, she goes missing and I end up screaming her name at the top of my lungs, fearing that she has been killed or is lost in the forest. Each time that has happened (multiple times), one of the staff will call my cell phone and say, "we can hear you from across camp, but she's at the archery range with us." She manages to find them wherever they are and gets right into the circle to participate. During the overnight was no different, and despite my initial hesitation in taking an 8 month old puppy camping, she had a great time.

A few years ago, I spent a lot of money on a really nice sleeping bag. However, I wasn't thinking about camping when I packed for camp, and so it is sitting on the top shelf of my closet, and I had to borrow one instead. It turns out, I grabbed a kids sleeping bag and it was too small to zip all the way. I had also brought a fleece blanket for Olivia, but both of us ended up with our heads under the sleeping bag (as much as we could manage due to the small size) and blanket because it was somewhere in the 40 degree range overnight. Dirty and smelly as she was after a day in the woods, I was happy for the extra warmth she provided. After a breakfast of pancakes and sort of hash browns (a good idea from our cook, but potatoes take a long time to soften up and didn't quite work over the fire), we packed up and headed back to camp.

Other than a cold, sleepless night and a too-short sleeping bag, it was a great experience and another opportunity for the group to bond. I am happy it is the last day of training because I am so exhausted I feel like I might pass out, but I am proud of my staff for camping!