This is the time of year when you hear about camps. There are scout camps, sports camps, cheerleading camps, weight loss camps, boot camps, etc. All of the buzz about summer camps makes me wonder. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate to camp? I don't think I have. Well, I hate to camp and here is why...
I went camping a lot when I was a kid. My family owned property on a nearby mountain and kept a travel trailer on it all summer long. I didn't mind camping when I was a child, but as I got older, I despised it.
I was twelve or thirteen years old when I attended girl's camp. It was my first experience camping
in a tent and
without my family. The camp leaders thought it would be a wonderful idea to split up friends so the girls could become better acquainted with each other. This was a HUGE mistake as far as I was concerned. I was immediately miserable without my best friend Jill.
While most of the girls had cute, young women for their camp leaders, my group ended up with an
old lady that made us rub lotion all over our bodies before we climbed into our sleeping bags. She was convinced that our skin was going to get dry in the cool mountain air, but I am positive that it was completely the opposite. Seriously, what percentage of teenage girls have dry skin anyway? Most of us were worried about our greasy 'T Zones' and breaking out in zits.
Jill and I tried to be together as much as possible during the day, planning our classes/activities at the same time when we could. But when evening rolled around, I was stuck with a bunch of dud girls and
Old Lady Jergens.
I think Jill may have went back to girls camp in the summers following that one, but I never did. That one experience traumatized me for life.
My idea of camping nowadays is to stay at a Hilton or Marriott, but even
that is iffy with the bed bug epidemic and all. :)
