I miss Camp, already.

Last night I returned home from a week at Camp McDougall. I really did not want to come home, and I am already missing Camp.

In fact, I delayed my return by turning off the highway and heading up to one of my favourite “swimming holes” for a dip. (And, to swim in water deep enough to actually swim in without grabbing handfuls of sand; the level of Lake Huron at Thessalon dropped daily, this week.)

Arriving home was disappointing; after a week of communal living, coming home to an empty apartment to unpack and eat a take-out meal just seemed, well… wrong.

Of course, you’d think not having to watch that I didn’t get caught with my elbows on the table would be relaxing, but no. And ending a meal without fifty children and staff belting out the announcement song felt strangely quiet.

I’ve written previously about my experiences at camp. While not for everyone, most young people will benefit from a week (or more) at summer camp. And not to diminish the value of day camps in any way, but there is much more benefit to be had from the experience of a “sleep-over” camp.

The communal living is an experience that is, with a few exceptions, no longer the norm in our society.

Whether a camper is an only child or one of a number of siblings, few are prepared to share living space with eight or nine other children, or sit down to a meal with a “family” of fifty.

For a week (well, six days and five nights) young people find themselves in a community where co-operation and consideration is expected, while at the same time individual accomplishments are rewarded.

This week was an “Arts Camp,” with campers participating in Drama, Music and Arts and Crafts sessions, as well as typical camp activities like “Wide Games,” Free Swim and Chapel (it is a church camp, after all).

Chapel is an important session, where campers and staff learn more about themselves and the relationships with each other. Themes vary week by week, depending on the individual volunteer Chaplains, but without any consultation, these weekly themes strike a common chord: look after yourself, look after each other, live with respect for one another and the world you live in.

It’s a theme that permeates every aspect of camp, from the time the morning wake-up bell rings until the campers are all tucked-into their beds.

Is there competition? Indeed, there is. But it is competition that is tempered with a sense of justice and fair play.

Cabins are inspected daily, and an award presented to the “Cleanest Cabin.” Aside from collecting clothes that have been strewn about and sweeping up the ubiquitous sand, campers will add decorations — drawings and crafts, rock-edged pathways leading from their steps, and other enticements to encourage the judge to pick their cabin as the daily winner.

This week the competition was used to bring two groups of campers together. A rivalry between two adjacent cabins began to get a bit too intense, and Counsellors suggested to their charges that they could co-operate to share the prize — and, in the spirit of competition “beat” the other two cabins.

Yes, they “won.” (Shh! Four cabins, five nights: there had to be a “tie.”)

The lessons learned go a long way to shaping the lives of these children. When you talk to someone who spent time at summer camp as a child, you’ll hear stories of their personal triumphs — learning to swim, or walking a slack line unaided, for instance — but you will also hear them tell of sharing and co-operating with their cabin groups or activity groups.

Camp-wide activities like ‘Capture the Flag’ combine individual and group skills, allowing all campers to shine as their team wins. Of course, the underlying message is that how you play the game is more important than simply winning.

Mealtime is another opportunity for learning. The “Jumper” bell rings fifteen minutes prior to meal time, and the assigned cabin heads into the dining hall to set the tables. During the meal, Jumpers fetch refills for the table.

When everyone is done, the jumpers clear the tables — quickly, there is competition to be “Table Number One” — and then stay behind to sweep the floor.

The activities are what keeps us busy during the day, and while there is time to relax built into the schedule, there is something to be said for having the structure of being scheduled from sunrise to sunset.
One benefit is that, overall, it is a healthier way to live.

Living alone, and especially on days where I am not working, I find that the refrigerator door opens too often.

At camp, meals and snacks are scheduled. Period. While some staff do have their own stash of snack foods for the evening, the overall benefit of regularly scheduled meals and snacks, with no opportunity for grazing between meals, actually leaves one quite satisfied.

Then there’s the exercise. No, not daily calisthenics, but real, practical exercise: I would expect that if campers and staff were given pedometers the distances recorded would be astounding.

That the Camp McDougall property consists of only two surfaces — sand and rock — contributes to the exercise value.

I have not gotten the exercise I should have over the past year. I’ve spent a lot of time behind the wheel, and very little time walking. A week at camp has wrought a significant building of my leg muscles.

I noticed after the first full day at camp that my legs were aching with the effort of walking the length of the camp in sand several times a day (I was assigned Cabin 4, the furthest from the Lodge).

By the end of the week I no longer noticed any effort. However, when on the way home I stopped in Bruce Mines to pick up a snack I did find it strange to walk on asphalt. There was no “give,” and it felt odd to not have  my toes sinking into the sand with each step.

The campers rarely walked anywhere. Whether going to the dinging hall or back to their cabins, or to the various activities, they ran. Everywhere. All the time. I got tired just watching them.

Even as we headed to Chapel — a natural amphitheatre-like rock formation — they scampered up the rock like mountain goats.

Most importantly, though, and as I have already mentioned, is the sense of community.

Campers and Counsellors are assigned to Cabin groups, but also to different activity groups, so there is less opportunity for cliques to form, and more opportunity afforded to develop new relationships.
I can’t adequately describe how it feels to watch these young people come together and build bonds of trust and friendship.

When one camper was stung by a bee, several others surrounded her, giving her hugs and asking what they could do to help her.

Bracelet-making was a very popular activity, and those who were struggling found that others who had mastered the task more than willing to patiently assist them.

In drama, the campers were introduced to improvisation. They created their own skits, and during the final presentation encouraged each other, feeding forgotten lines and guiding each other to their spots.

Whatever the activity there was co-operation and encouragement.

Yes, there were squabbles. I wouldn’t begin to suggest that this is an idyllic situation where no one ever gets on another’s nerves. But the squabbles pass quickly, and there are no hard feelings.

One other aspect of Camp deserves mention: the quietness.

Yes, thirty-odd children can make an incredible amount of noise. But when they are quiet, whether during the day or after they go to bed, there is very little noise other than the sounds of nature itself.

Occasionally there is the hum of traffic passing by on Highway 17, or the sound of a train whistle. But quite often there is no man-made sound to be heard.

I cant talk about Camp without mentioning the staff.

The staff at McDougall are, in a word, amazing. They care so much for their young charges, are incredibly creative, and are truly what makes McDougall such a special place.

If I could, I would spend the entire summer there.

The last day is always one of tearful good-byes — or, as we prefer to say, “see you next time.” Whether it is a friendship renewed at camp, or a new friendship made, these are the foundations for memories that will last a lifetime.

Camp is a great place for both children and adults.

But… that’s just my opinion.