Camp was one of the best experiences of my life. It made me remember how much I love to be outside, under the stars, in the fresh air.
There was this girl, Silvia, who had gotten picked up at the same time as me, so I sat with her. I was hoping to make a friend, and I did. The funny thing about us was that we looked a lot alike. We had hair about the same color and length, we both wore sun hats (of similar styles), and we were about the same height.
When we got to Camp, Silvia and I ended up in different tribes, but we still did stuff together during the week. The hike up to base camp was really quite nice, even through the occasional cloudburst. After a few hours of mild hiking, the dinner of spaghetti and tofu was much appreciated.
The first couple of days, we learned the routine and found our way around camp. We experimented with sleeping arrangements and took our swim tests. There was snow nearby, none on Lakeside but some icy patches Creekside. I went to lots of activities, at the Craft Shack carving spoons, kayaking on the lake, or going on epic scavenger hunts. I had a really fun afternoon, one day when none of the activities seemed appealing, leaping from rock to rock all the way across camp from the middle of Creekside, past the Craft Shack, and up to my tribesite at Lake 4. I never touched the ground!
The day before the big hike was ‘Special Day’. We got woken up by farmhands singing about how wonderful corn was, and went to a breakfast of “corn”: processed cereals and ‘cow processed corn juice’. At the morning meeting the counselors were cursed by the ‘Phantom of the Valley’ and had to sing a different genre of music all day, until we had found the conductor’s baton and a special song to lift the curse. That night, after the curse had been lifted, we had a hoe-down and do-si-doed for a good long time.
I had quite a summer, and going to Camp Unalayee was my favorite part of it. It was so amazing. Thank you so much for your assistance in this endeavor. I felt so good while I was there, and I wish I could have stayed all summer. I wish I could do it again, and I hope I will do something like this again in the future. Maybe I’ll go back next year!
– Gillian Allen, Camp Unalayee Camper, 2012
Read more testimonials from campers, parents, and staff of our summer camp for kids on Guidestar.