In the awful and dull winter, it is easy to forget how beautiful summer is. The yellow and gold hues that shine through the trees, cute jean cut-offs, and sweet ice cream. However, one of the most memorable moments from my childhood was sleep-away camp.
I first started attending when I was eleven years old, much older than the vast majority of summer camp goers. At the time, I was incredibly shy and fearful about being away from my parents for the first time. I remember clinging to my carseat as we drove up to this large grove of trees sat aside a babbling brook, before the camp sign came into view.
It wasn’t until I met my camp counsellor that I began to unwind and become more comfortable in my new environment. My camp counsellor was the coolest person I had ever met, with pearly blue sunglasses and ribbons in her hair.
Throughout that week, I learned how to be independent and brave in a way that I had previously never been and made friends who are still in my life today. From then on, every year I waited patiently for summer to arrive. To return to the wilderness where the smell of campfire and the twinkling of stars awaited me. I continued to go to camp up until I was too old to attend.
Last year, I got hired to work as a camp counsellor at another local sleep-away camp. I got to fall back in love with the outdoors and camp. I saw camp from a whole new perspective, staying up late with my co-workers and getting to be a kid again.
During this, I started thinking about why exactly sleep-away camp is so important and has played such a large role in my life.
Summer camp is an environment where kids can make their own decisions, often for the first time in their lives. There is nobody there babying them in the same way a parent does. You can be who you want. The confidence that children gain from camp, and the sheer unapologetic authenticity that it encourages, are so important.
Additionally, the silence and slowing down that being in nature facilitates is vital to childhood development and an appreciation for the outdoors.
Sleep-away camp has made me into who I am today, and is a core childhood memory that I will cherish forever. Even in the dead of winter, I continue to long for the summer and know that the gentle hum of the campfire awaits me.