Girls Camp Report

We went to to Big Bear, California for camp. It is about 3 hours away from Las Vegas, equidistant from our regular stake camp in Kolob Canyon, Utah. However, it was a treat to be at Big Bear because the terrain was so different from the dusty desert of home and the accommodations were a big step up from what we were used to!

The girls stayed in cabins or A-frames instead of tents but the thing I liked best was the huge dining hall and kitchen. There was also a sports court where the girls played volleyball. There were several large gathering spots and lots of places to explore.

Mary (in red), with Bella, Taya, and Sara. This was our first gathering.

The dining hall.

The 2nd year girls were Kung Fu Pandas.

Mary and Taya at certification. Mary carved a really cool cat out of soap.

I went on the 3rd year hike.

These were our hikers. We went uphill for 2 hours and sped downhill back to camp in 30 minutes.

This was a view from the trail. Lovely. One group even saw a baby bobcat.

On the 4th of July we went to the lake. It was a spur of the moment decision and since we told the girls not to bring swimsuits, they swam in their clothes. How cool is this floating bounce house?

At the lake we sang camp songs. I'm sure the other lake-goers were entertained.

Waiting for the fireworks, which were super cool.

Mary will always be remembered at camp for her cape, her monkey, and her obsession with her Swiss Army knife.

One very fun activity was the Bishops' warrior competition. Each bishop dressed as a character from the scriptures and told why that person was relevant in our modern lives. Then they competed in some hilarious games (log throwing, hot dog eating, Primary song singing, and musical chairs, among others). Our Bishop rocked and he made our girls proud!

The leaders from our ward: Kristy, Jody, Danette, Jenni, and I. Loved hanging out with those chicas!

Our last activity was a hike to Testimony Rock. President Steadman and I both gave short talks before we descended to camp and began our testimony meetings.

It was a hard balance between being a ward leader, kitchen help, Mary's mom, and the stake Young Women's president, I won't lie. No one knew who I was so I went around introducing myself. I wasn't in charge (the camp directors were) but still my position made people ask me questions for which I had no answers. The lady I replaced as stake YWP, Lori, was there too, and she knew everything; I knew nothing. I felt that I wasn't doing enough in any of my roles and there were some awkward moments, uncomfortable moments . . . moments I felt like people were wondering where I was and why I wasn't acting more in charge or on top of things. Really, it was horrible. After one particularly horrible moment with Mary that made me too late to conduct the next activity, I hid in the bathroom and cried. But we got through it.

Mary said she loved it. I had to drag, pull, threaten, and sometimes just give up when it came to her participating but I'm glad to know she wants to come again. I'm hoping that maturity will make the camp experience easier as time goes by--for me, if not for her.

Our theme was BRAVE--Be Righteous and Virtuous Everyday and the motif was various bears (because of the movie with the same name, the mother was turned into a bear....remember?). It was super fun to hear the cheers of the different levels and the fun things they did with that. We had some very enthusiastic leaders and girls who helped make every event a party. A highlight for me was the 3rd year hike--sweet girls to get to know, nice adults, and great scenery. Mary's 2nd year group went 7 miles to the top of the mountain, the longest hike of any group. And guess what shoes she wore--cheap silver flats from K Mart. Hello. But her feet didn't bother her at all and the hike was her favorite part of camp, too.