Please note: This is a lengthy post. Why wouldn't it be? We had a lot of fun a camp. If you want to see the rest of the pictures and hear about the rest of our adventures past day 1, make sure you click the link at the bottom of Day 1.
This year for Girls' Camp was ward camp. Every 4 years the wards get to choose what they do for camp and so this year they chose to go to Beaver High Adventure Base. I am not in Young Women's at the moment nor am I camp director or anything but I had 3 girls going, I love outdoor adventure, I dig Girls' Camp, and they needed help with transportation so I volunteered.
Day 1
Girls' Camp got off to a slightly rocky start. It was a bit chaotic that morning as I only slept for maybe 15 minutes the night before. I made a run to the airport to drop my BIL off at 5am and then raced home to get things going. I confess part of the chaotic start was partly my fault as I had it in my head that everyone was meeting at my house at 6:30. Turns out it was 6am. Oops.
We also a bit of an issue with the trailer but the men got it fixed and we got on the road.
We arrived at Girls' Camp around noonish. The first thing the girls did was just stare at the view.
So beautiful. This was our front yard for the week. It took the leaders a minute to get the girls motivated to unload the trailer and get going with camp set-up. However, once they got going, they all worked together to get it done.
After camp set-up and a quick lunch, we loaded up the kayaks and picked up the canoes and headed down to the lake to do some kayaking and canoeing.
Our Bishop gives the girls a lesson on how to hold the paddles and the correct method for rowing and steering the kayaks and canoes. He also made a point that the girls had to work together to navigate the boats where they wanted them to go.
The clouds started to roll in and lightning was sighted, so we packed up the kayaks and canoes and headed back up the mountain to camp.
Once back at camp, the girls were taught different methods for starting a campfire.
My girls had a surprise visit from their dad, brother, and grandparents who happened to be on the mountain fishing. Ryan showed them another method for starting a campfire.
The sun was going down, so I walked with Ryan and his parents back down the road to where the cars are parked.
That night for dinner, we did dutch oven chicken, potatoes, and corn.
The girls take some time to work on their spiritual challenges. This year for the spiritual challenge, the girls had to do a task for each of the values. For example, for Faith, the girls were instructed to read Alma 19 and to pay attention to the way Abish demonstrated her faith. The girls were told to memorize their favorite Book of Mormon scripture that has strengthened their faith. For Knowledge, the girls had to complete camp certification for the year. For each task completed, the girls earned a bead for their necklace. The girls were also awarded good deed beads for doing acts of service for each other or showing kindness to someone else. The beads were put on these necklaces which had these stamped washers on the end with the words "BELIEVE" and "2011".
For the FHE (Family Home Evening) portion of the evening, each of the years (Beehives, Mia Maids, Laurels, and the YCLs) were put in charge of acting out a scripture story to the Book of Mormon. Our theme had to do with holding onto the iron rod and knowing our way because we have been instructed and strengthened through the Scriptures.
In the middle of FHE, the rain started coming down so we wrapped it up, brought the chairs in, and called it a night. It was pretty late. I think it was close to 1am when the leaders went to bed.
Day 2 was super rough I think for the leaders and the girls alike. We had to get up super early to get breakfast done, lunches packed, and get on the road. We drove down the mountain over by Marysvale to go on a white water rafting excursion in the Sevier River.
First stop was the tour guides' office to get suited up, get some instructions, and get sprayed down with insect repellant (the mosquitos were drawing blood like crazy). We then hopped into the tour vans and they drove us over to the river where we would drop the rafts in.
Our whole group before we got the rafts into the river. Our group was divided into three. The tour guide made sure to mix up the groups a lot so we wouldn't get a condition he termed "summer teeth" - meaning some teeth are still in your mouth, summer in the boat, and summer in the river. Ha Ha. He also gave us instructions on how to paddle so that we can navigate through the rapids.
This is the raft I was in with my daughter Chase. Our tour guide told us to call him "Great Grandpa". I couldn't believe he was 70 and had a whole bunch of great grandkids. I would have guessed maybe 50 at the most. I think he was the most animated of the bunch and told us a lot of great stories. He also kept yelling at us to not "paddle like Barbies". It was great experience paddling through the rapids and the girls had a lot of fun.
After the rafting trip, we were soaked and starving, so on the way to our hike, I had the girls hang their t-shirts out the window to dry and we scarfed down our lunch in the car.
The river or stream that was flowing along the side of our hiking trail. It was rough and moving fast down the mountain.
The girls hiking. This hike, although it as only a little over a mile, was a bit difficult as we climbed several feet in elevation in a short distance. After paddling in a river for an hour, we were a bit tired, so hiking up a mountain in the heat was a bit rough.
A recurring theme of camp proved to be "I never said it would be easy, but it will be worth it." The hike was tough but getting to the end proved to be worth it.
Everyone took a minute to pause before we headed back down the mountain and back to camp. After getting back to the cars, we stopped off at the restrooms at a camp at the bottom of the mountain. At this point, I got hurt by doing something incredibly stupid. In my haste to make it to the bathroom, I ran across the field of trees instead of going on the path. My foot got caught in a hole and I twisted my ankle a little. My ankle was super sore. On the long drive back to camp (about 90 minutes), we drove through a torrential rainstorm. The rain was coming down so hard on the freeway that a few of us lost traction going up the hills.
After getting back to camp, we started in on dinner prep right away. However, it appeared that the tortillas were missing for our burritos. We searched for awhile and didn't find them (they were eventually found at my house in my refrigerator, we had forgot to bring them in the 1st place) but being in the wilderness, we improvised. We had a bunch of leftovers buns from the hot dogs and plenty of cheese, so we just melted cheese on the buns on the grill and we had sort of taco cheese dogs.
This is our esteemed camp director Sister Lott. She is responsible for much of the awesomeness that was going on all week. After dinner, she braided several of the girls' hair.
The girls hanging out. We really do have an awesome group of girls in our ward.
Dessert for the evening was peach cobbler.
While some of the girls were on clean-up and dessert, the other girls sang camp songs and played some games.
The ice cream portion of our dessert proved to be a problem.
Despite lots of cranking by the girls and leaders alike, the ice cream never did set up. It resolved to stay a soupy mess.
So being in the wilderness, we improvised and just had s'mores instead.
Day 3
Day 3 was a slow start for camp. We slept in a little late after the exhausting day we had previously. I woke up in a lot of pain. The night before, while sitting around the campfire, I had got bitten by something. Thinking it was just a mosquito, I put some bite stuff on it, took a benadryl, and went to bed. The next morning I had a lot of swelling around my knee and pain in my joint. I shrugged it off, took some pain meds, another Benadryl, and went on my way. We were a bit late getting to Panguitch to meet up with our priesthood leader who was replacing our Bishop who went home the night before. When I filled up at Beaver, the guy at the gas station told me my tire had cord showing. Apparently driving in and out of camp, a chunk of my tire came off as we had to drive across water that had washed over the road and the concrete was not exactly level. We decided to drive on.
The girls riding in my Yukon.
When we got to the Red Canyon Trail Area, Brother Johnson, the priesthood leader who had met up with us, took one look at my leg and suggested I shouldn't be hiking and that I should go get it looked at. I told him it hurt a little but I would be fine.
Some more views along our hike . . .
My girls, no strangers to hiking, and due to the fact that they spend several hours a week running up and down a soccer field in the heat, were always in the front. Syd is saying "I'm beast."
The view from the top of the trail.
and then we headed back down the mountain . . .
When we got back down, I thought we were headed into Bryce to do another hike or see some sights. I was extremely and incredibly disappointed that a decision was made to go back to camp. Even though I was in pain, I was down to do another hike. Bryce Canyon is some of the prettiest country on the Earth.
As we were pulling out of the parking lot, I noticed my tire was now buckling and had a huge piece starting to pull away. I drove very carefully back to Panguitch. The tire shop there did not have my "special" tires. Apparently, I have 19-inch low-profile tires that are not a regular thing they stock. So I drove very carefully back to Beaver. The tire shop there told me I needed to replace both of my front tires. I was a little frustrated because I had them checked before I left town. We had all the girls who were riding with me divide up with the rest of the crew and head back up the mountain while I waited at the tire shop to get my tires replaced.
After getting back up the mountain, I went with the camp director to walk the path for the night hike while the other leaders got the girls settled and paid for the zip line.
The storm clouds looked incredibly foreboding and I thought for sure our zipline experience was going to get cancelled, but by a stroke of luck, the storm passed us by.
The girls getting suited up to go on the zipline. The girls had to work in teams. Two would go up the ladder to go down, two would run the lines back up the hill, and a few would push the zipline worker back and forth on the ladder to pull the girls down. My leg had swollen a little more to the point where I could not bend my knee. I opted not to do the zipline because I didn't think I could climb the ladder and I feared I might fall off. I stayed at the bottom, taking pictures of the girls as they went down the zipline and cheering them on.
My twins have a slight fear of heights and hesitated a bit to go down the zipline. The leaders had to talk to them and encourage them to just go.
Once they went down, they had a lot of fun.
Madison, with this being her 5th year at camp, went down like a seasoned pro.
The whole time I was out in the field taking pictures, I was also texting my husband back and forth. We had arranged a special surprise for the twins as that day was their 13th birthday.
Ryan had ordered a cake and picked up ice cream and had snuck into camp to surprise our girls.
We served up cake and ice cream and all the girls and leaders sang to Sydney and Chase. Since we were the last ones back from the zipline, we did things backwards. We had our dessert before we had our dinner.
By the time dinner was done, my leg had swollen even more. I was in an incredible amount of pain. My leg was hot, I had shooting pains going up and down my leg, and Ryan said it looked like I was "hulking" out of my pants. My jeans were so tight around the swelling of my leg. I hurt so bad and I began to cry, partly because of the pain, and partly because I knew I had to leave camp before it got any worse. I was so upset that I was going to miss the night hike, the horseback riding, and the testimony meeting which is my favorite part of camp.
The girls went on to their night hike. I left with Ryan to go down the mountain to the ER in Beaver.
I wish I still had a picture of my leg to share how bad it looked but I lost all my pictures on my phone because my phone had to be reset because it had whigged out from all the rain and moisture. Let's just say the swollen leg was at least twice the size of the other leg. The doctor took a sharpie to my leg and drew on my leg how far the borders of infection had spread. They injected me in the butt with pain meds, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics. They then told me to stay off my leg and ice it, get plenty of rest, and drink plenty of fluids. My in-laws are currently serving a mission at Cove Fort, so I recuperated at their trailer.
Day 4
I was not at camp for Day 4. I spent most of the day sleeping and taking my meds. Meanwhile, the girls went horseback riding. With the horseback riding, the girls had to also learn the proper care of the horse. They had to brush the horses, saddle them, feed them, and clean up after them.
I was told by some of the girls that their horses were a bit crazy and had minds of their own. Apparently, one of the leaders was even bucked off his horse.
Despite sore butts, a little fear with runaway horses, and having to scoop up manure, the girls all conceded it was worth it.
I was told they had a bit of a soggy testimony meeting (rain and tears both) but as always it was the best part of camp.
The girls sporting their camp shirts. The shirts read "We Know Our Way". On the one clear night at camp, we could actually see the actual constellations our shirts were meant to represent.
The whole group.
So despite all the rain, the struggles with the elevation, learning new things, tire problems, a swelling leg and a trip to the ER, and a huge lack of sleep all week, me and my girls did concede it was rough at times but it was so worth it. And how did this camp rank compared to other camp experiences?
As Sydney is indicating in the picture, this one rates #1.
