CAMP: Part 1

Arriving at camp was always a moment absolutely filled with excitement, hope, and happiness. The long bus ride to Camp St. George in Eagle River, Wisconsin, was truly thrilling and energized me to a point that I thought about it every waking moment until it finally arrived.  We would arrive at the camp, after an eight hour drive around dinner time.  Upon our arrival we would grab our belongings and jump off the bus.  If it was sunny out that was great, but if it was raining that was fine, as nothing was going dampen or interfere with my feelings of inner peace and happiness. My life at that time was so constantly laden with fear sadness and desperation, that the excited, carefree feeling that washed over me upon arrival affected me all that much more.  It was wonderful to feel happy, content and just plain normal. 

Before going to dinner, all of us from Isabelle Hall would be assigned a cabin.  The cabin was long and narrow.  There were windows on both sides and there were wooden floors which creaked every time we took a step. Along this narrow corridor were eighteen bunk beds and very little walking room between them.  There was also a small walled area where a high school girl would stay and, in theory, supervise us.  There was also one small bathroom with a sink and a toilet, no shower or tub. All of us would run into the cabin and pick a bed, the older kids got what they wanted, the top bunks and the little kids were stuck with the bottom bunks. We would deposit our belongings at the bottom of our beds and head out for dinner. 

All meals were served in a large hall close to our cabin. The food hall had very large windows which allowed the sun to shine in.  There were long wooden tables and chairs and the hall just looked and smelled fabulous. The food was cooked by a German woman who was blessed with real culinary talent.  She was assisted by high school girls but the food creations were hers and every meal was tasty and satisfying.  As an added bonus to the situation, we didn’t even have to do the dishes.  Those were done by the high school girls; it was simply wonderful.

After dinner I would begin to, once again, familiarize myself with the camp.  I walked down by the lake, strolled along the long pier and got to know my surroundings.  The lake was always so peaceful and inviting.  I’d listen to the birds and watch the fish jump and I would tip my foot in the water to gauge the temperature. I would then kick my feet in the sand and wonder what sand castles we were going to build.   After visiting the lake I would walk up the hill and see the screened-in cabin.  I would peak in and see the ping pong table and think about the ping pong contest that was to be held during my week at camp. I so looked forward to playing ping pong.

I would then venture further up the hill and walk down by the outhouses, checking to see if anything had changed.  The outhouses were nestled in the woods and were filled with flies and smells.  During the day we were not allowed to use the bathroom in our cabin, we had to use the outhouses and so it was important I checked these out.  I am sorry to say they never changed; they were always the same… terrible.

After I finished familiarizing myself with the important camp sites, I noticed it was getting dark, the sun had gone down and it was probably time to go back to my cabin get ready for bed and see the end of my first day at camp. As I was falling to sleep that first night, I thought about my day’s adventures and I could not think how it could have been any more special and pleasurable.  This was just my first day and there was so much more to come.