Hey there, Camp Fans!

Your stories from the ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest have truly stood out, and it’s been a joy reading through all the amazing entries. Now, it’s time to share these fantastic camp adventures with our online community! We’ll be featuring each one right here on the Blog!

We’ve already revealed our ten lucky prize winners, and now we’re excited to highlight even more of your stories. Today, we’re featuring Victoria S.’s heartwarming tale about her memorable time at Camp Harlam. Read her story below and relive the magic of her summer right now...

Click here for an enlarged view of Victoria's Letter.

“Camp means so much to me. Whether we’re climbing the tower or it being a rainy day, and everyone hanging out together inside. When I’m at camp, I feel happy and adventurous in whatever I’m doing! Camp is so special to me because I get to see some of my best friends that I don’t get to see a lot. One thing at camp that means a lot to me is Shabbat services. It is a time where the whole camp gets together and we all sing prayers and songs. Everyone is just so happy and glad to be here, all together. Another thing that I love at camp is Maccabia (Color War). The whole camp is separated into 4 different groups, red, green, gold, and blue. We all complete in different games and sports. Like Tug of War, soccer, and more! It’s always so much fun and makes camp even more special. I have spent the last 4 summers at Camp Harlam! Every summer gets better and better as we learn different things.

I am so happy that I decided to go to Camp Harlam, and get to experience the best summer every year! I am so glad that I get to call Camp Harlam my second home!”

What a wonderful camp experience you had at Camp Harlam, Victoria! Fun summer activities like climbing the tower and rainy day hangouts sound very exciting and full of fun! The way you describe Shabbat services really shows how special and meaningful the community is at camp, especially when everyone comes together to sing and be joyful. And Maccabia (Color War) sounds like such an exciting tradition! Tug of War, soccer, and all the competitive spirit must really add to the fun! It’s clear that Camp Harlam is your second home, and I can see why every summer is even better than the last.

Thanks for sharing this submission on what Camp Harlam means to you! If anybody else would like to check out Camp Harlam for themselves, have a look-see around their website when you click here. Come back next week to see what other stories we have ready to share and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!


- John

Hey there, Camp Crew!

Wow! We got great camp stories from you guys this year for the ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest! The energy and excitement in these submissions have been incredible and we can’t wait to showcase them all right here on the Blog. We’ve wrapped up announcing our top 10 winners, but there’s still more fun to be had!

Today, we’re featuring an awesome story from Laney C., who shared her experience at Camp Kanakuk in Branson, Missouri. Dive into her adventure and check out her story right now...

“Hi, my name is Laney C. and every summer I go to Kanakuk camp in Missouri. I look forward to coming to camp every summer to not only learn more about Christianity, and the God I believe in, but to make lasting memories and friends to last a lifetime. This summer (my 4th year) I went to one of the many Kanakuk camps called K-West. K-West is a middle school camp for kids ages 12 through 14. I am twelve years old and was assigned to Cabin 3. My counselors welcomed me with warm smiles and energy. They were a mix of fun and excitement. They put all of their energy into making sure I was getting closer to God and having fun. I learned valuable life lessons about God at camp. Kanakuk makes me a better person every year, by far making it the best camp ever! I was greeted by amazing and kind girls from my cabin; there was never any drama or gossip. All the people welcomed me happily and I truly felt like people cared about me. I have made friends that I will go to Kanakuk with next year, make more lasting memories. I matured over the 2 weeks I was there. Next year I will be going for a month! I did fun things with my friends including bluff jumping, tubing, the ropes course, pool rings, blob, and super fun slides. Kanakuk has taught me to face my fears and uplift my neighbors. During the ropes course activity, we partnered with an older group of girls; they were 14. A girl immediately pointed me out and asked to be my partner and I said yes. Her name was Zoey and she supported me throughout the rest of camp. She helped me when I was too short to reach obstacles in the ropes course. And we had the most fun ever! Me and Zoey will still remember each other even though she’s moving to the older camp. While having fun, Kanakuk has taught me so much about Christianity, that there is a God that loves us so much, that sent His only son to die for us. And that’s why we need to put as much effort as possible into our relationship with God, because of how much He loves us. Kanakuk changes kids’ lives, and if the wisdom of Kanakuk was shared to the world, it would truly make a difference.”


Hi Laney! Wow, your summer at Kanakuk sounds absolutely awesome! It’s great to hear about your time at K-West and how much you’ve grown in your faith and made lasting friendships. Sounds like the counselors in Cabin 3 and the girls you met were all so welcoming and supportive—what a special experience! Bluff jumping, tubing, and tackling the ropes course with Zoey must have been so much fun, especially with all the encouragement from your new friends. We love hearing how Kanakuk has taught you to face your fears and uplift those around you.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful camp adventure with us! If anyone else wants to check out Camp Kanakuk for themselves, check out their website by clicking here. Keep checking back for many stories to come and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!


- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Throughout the month I’ve been announcing the winners to our annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest. And, today, the time has come to reveal our grand prize winner for this year’s edition. Find out right here and right now—the winner of our $300 gift certificate is….

Marie H.!

Awesome!!! Congratulations, Marie. You’re our grand prize winner!!! Marie wrote in to tell us about an interesting camping experience she had joining a youth troop. Read her account of a dark and hungry outing right here on today’s Blog post:

Ruffled

“‘Just bring yourself,’ she said. ‘We've already got all the food we need for the trip.’ She'd invited me to join her son's youth troop on an overnight in the mountains, one I've never been to, and I jumped at the chance. After all, it wasn't more than a 90-minute drive from my apartment and I've been working too many hours, so time with family in the outdoors with a chance to see the natural world through the eyes of a troop of 8-year-olds sounded incredibly appealing. Bonus: They had the food bases covered.

‘Okay, I'll bring chips,’ I said, finalized the campground details and hung up.

Three hours later, I was on the highway headed to camp.

Four hours later, driving.

Five hours later, tent pitched, I decided to walk around and await the troops.

Six hours later, slight concern but traffic happens. Enjoying the scrub jays.

Seven hours later, anxiety level rising, no troop yet. Rush hour must be worse than expected.

Eight, nine hours later, same, amplified. It's dark, no troop, just me, my Coleman tent, one bottle of water. Just that and a bag of chips.

I stopped counting hours. I'm on a mountain, cell phones didn't really exist yet and there's not much else to do but wait. I'm not driving back down A pitch-black mountain road. Besides, if they show up and I'm not here, they'd worry about me. Wouldn't they?

Sometime that night, stomach growling, I tear open the Ruffles bag. The salt makes me thirsty, the grease makes me just a bit queasy, as does the slight anxiety over where my party might be. I listen to crickets, remove the tent fly so I can see the stars. Eventually my thirsty queasy self falls asleep.

I hear the voices before I'm fully awake calling to one another, young voices, excited, an older voice giving directions. I can smell the campfire, hear them talking about potatoes, bacon. I'm salivating and it's no dream. In a nearby campground, a troop of Boy Scouts is going to town on breakfast burritos and fruit. Yes, I'm tucked in my tiny tent listening intently to every word. So hungry. My mouth still feels slick from the potato chip grease, I'm dehydrated to a ridiculous degree and haven't eaten real food for too many hours.

What would they think if a disheveled young woman walked up to a boy she didn't know and offered money to buy a burrito? Would it send him screaming for help? Would I get arrested? Would they pity me, feed me, raise their eyebrows, and then have to ration their own portions?

Hour 22: I pack my gear, start the drive down the mountain. Stop at the first place I find on the way home that sells food.

Hour 48: All is well. The troop—not the burrito-makers—ran into road closures, traffic delays, decided to camp closer to home. In the frenzy of rearrangements, they forgot I was tagging along. Even if they hadn't, how would they have reached me? All resolved.

But to this day, I can only eat Ruffles in small amounts, and I always pack my food and water first, no matter what!”

 

Wow, what an unforgettable adventure! This spontaneous trip really took a turn for the worse when you’re just waiting the whole time along with nothing but your Ruffles! It’s amazing how you turned a situation like that into a funny, memorable story—I could practically feel your hunger and hear those crickets in the dark. The part about hearing Boy Scouts enjoying their breakfast while you were starving is pretty funny, but too bad you couldn’t go get one of their burritos!

Thank you so much for sharing this unique camping experience with us—it’s a great reminder to always be prepared for any situation! That concludes our big prize winners, but stay tuned each week when we publish our participants’ submissions so you can catch all the great entries we received this year. As always, thanks for reading.

 

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

The Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest is in full swing, and we’re excited to announce more winners and share their amazing stories on the blog. Today, we’re thrilled to reveal our second $200 gift certificate winner!

Congratulations to Leandra L.!

Leandra is our Second Place Winner, scoring a $200 gift certificate to our camping gear shop! She shared her fun story of attending Camp Hickory in Illinois. Check out her full entry here:

 

“My camp started on June 17 and it ended on June 21. It was a great camp experience because it’s a church camp and we had so much fun. At camp I made a lot of friends and we had fun activities. The food was great and the worship services too. If you go to a church camp or this church camp even you’ll probably have a great time. The counselors are nice. Bathrooms are good. There are senior cabins. The seniors are Seventh grade and up and then juniors are sixth grade to third grade. The staff there at the camp nice. This was a great lakes region camp so only the churches in the Great Lakes region who signed up with the church were allowed to go. This camp took place at the campground camp Hickory in Illinois. There were some wildlife, but they didn’t harm us just deer and things. We had field rec and a lot of other activities. The seniors went to bed at around 12 also, I was a senior this year. And I believe that juniors went to bed at about 10. We all woke up at around seven because breakfast was at eight. We also had to clean our cabins every morning and if you won cleanest cabin, you got bragging rights and cabin points and if you got dirtiest cabin, your cabin would have to walk around with a toilet seat on their head and they have to clean up after every meal. You got cabin points by doing good things participating in the activities and volunteering to clean up, but it has to be the whole cabin but also, some individual people in the cabin can help get you cabin points as well. Either way this camp experience is super fun and I will continue going for my fifth year next year.”

 

Awesome, Leandra! Sounds like you had an incredible time at Camp Hickory! It’s really great to hear how much fun you had making new friends, enjoying great food, and participating in exciting activities like field rec. How cool that you got to be in the senior cabins this year and stay up until midnight—what a fun perk! The cleanest cabin competition is a good idea—hope you didn’t end up with a toilet seat on your head! Glad to hear the wildlife was friendly too.

Thank you so much for sharing your fantastic experience at the Camp Hickory with us, Leandra. We can’t wait to hear about your fifth year next summer! Anybody else interested in attending the Camp Hickory can check out the website by clicking here. Come back on Monday when we announce our Grand Prize Winner for the Share Your Camp Story Contest and, as always, thanks for reading!

 

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

It’s the Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest! We’re in full swing for this year, announcing our lucky winners and sharing their stories right here on the Blog. Today, I’m announcing our first $200 gift certificate winner! Today’s winner is….

Sadie S.!

Congratulations, Sadie! You won a $200 gift certificate to our one-stop camping gear shop! Sadie gives us her story of her time at Camp Harlam this summer in Kunkletown, Pennsylvania. Read about it in her Contest entry right here:

 Click here for an enlarged view of Sadie's Letter.

“Camp means so much to me in many different ways. I meet new friends, do lots of fun activities, and try new things. Each one of those things makes camp more and more special.

My first reason why camp is so special to me is that I make new friends. Every year, we don’t end up in the same exact bunk as the previous year which lets us make a new friend. Some of the people that I became friends with, I had no idea that they would be my friends. Even if some of my friends aren’t in my bunk, I still can hang out with them. Meeting new friends makes camp more memorable each year.

Secondly reason Camp Harlam means so much to me is that there are many fun activities. All of the activities are so fun and help me become braver or more happy when they get completed. I love the zipline. Sometimes, the process getting up it makes me braver when I am up there and waiting to zipline down! Also, when climbing the tower, people get scared that they will fall. It is actually really fun when you are climbing it if you focus on the fact that you are attached to it so you can’t fall off that. You are getting higher and higher each step and that your bunkmates might even be cheering you on. At services, we all come together as one camp to sing prayers and some songs. We make the prayers more fun to sing by adding claps to it in between some words. The activities at camp never make me bored. They always make me excited.

My last reason why camp means so much to me is that I try new things. I try new foods that I thought that I didn’t like until I tried it at camp. I also tried new things when we went to Dorney Park as a camp. I went on new rides that I was scared to go on. Camp is about trying new things!

Camp Harlam is so memorable and makes me look forward to the summer!”

Camp Harlam sounds totally awesome, Sadie! Making new friends every year sounds like such a special part of your camp experience. It’s great to hear that you’re pushing your limits with activities like the zipline and climbing the tower! It's awesome how you also enjoy camp services, adding claps to the prayers and coming together with everyone. Trying new foods and taking on the rides at Dorney Park shows just how much camp helps you grow and step out of your comfort zone.

Thanks for sharing your amazing camp journey with us, Sadie! If anyone else wants to check out the great time to be had at Camp Harlam, check out their website by clicking right here. Check back in with us tomorrow for our second place winner and, as always, thanks for reading!

 

- John