Dear Camp Arrowhead

Dear Camp Arrowhead,

It's summer time again, and I'm sure you are gearing up for the incoming campers. You are training the counselors, clearing the trails and getting the cabins and unit houses in shape. The campers are eagerly anticipating receiving their packing lists, buying new camping gear and figuring out how to smuggle in the contraband you have asked them not to bring. I know these things because I have been on both sides, camper and counselor.

My memories of summers will always involve camp. The excitement of meeting my fellow campers, comparing who is the "cool" counselor and trying to guess their real names, night-owl swims in pool, pixie parties, campfires, and all of the other elements that make camp magical.

And then I had the privilege of being a counselor for a summer. I loved the friendships of my co-counselors, learning the secrets of camp that I yearned to discover as a camper, and, most importantly, seeing the girls fall in love with camp as I did. To hear them sing the songs I learned when I was a camper made my heart smile. To hear them 15 times in a row wilted that smile a bit, but that's beside the point.

But now I am in Boston and you, for some reason, are still in Washington. I would love nothing more than to drop everything and join you for another season of songs, crafts, games and sunshine. I will come back to you someday, my beloved Camp Arrowhead. Until then, please continue to inspire hundreds of girls to dream and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. Oh, and please sing a round of "The Donut Shop" just for me.