Hi Girl Scouts! Maddy here, writing to share the experience the Press Corps of Girl Scouts of River Valleys had during an exciting and classic Girl Scout experience.
As summer came to a close, the Press Corps went camping for the very first time! Some girls in the group were camping experts, and some (like me) had no experience at all, but in the spirit of Girl Scouts River Valleys’ Every Girl in a Tent movement, we were all ready and willing to help each other through the exciting new adventure.
The trip started with plenty of new learning opportunities; the Press Corps hunted down the water spout to haul a big jug of water back to camp, we learned how to put up tents quickly thanks to our expert campers Nora, Megan T., and Ella, and we learned a handy trick of stuffing kindling in a paper bag to use as a simple firestarter! And then, of course, it was time for food. Here’s Nora’s take on the meals of the day and a fun outdoor activity we tried called “plein air painting” or “open air painting”.
While we camped we ate a lot of good food. I had hotdogs for breakfast after we had them for dinner the night before. The same morning we made pancakes, but I added the hotdog part. For lunch we had sandwiches, both peanut butter & jelly and lunch meat, which was really good. If you go camping, you can eat some of the same stuff we had, or you can make your own plans.
We also went for a hike to find a good place to paint. We walked through trees, and when we came across a stream with surrounding marshland, we stopped. It took us some time, but everyone painted something and all the paintings were different. Some of the paintings weren’t even of the space around us, but were straight from the artist's head. We all had fun while camping and look forward to going back.
Thanks, Nora! After a surprisingly restful night’s sleep (the sound of night creatures rustling about was more relaxing than I’d expected!) we enjoyed our last few hours at the campsite. Then came the important task of cleaning up. Megan W. had done vital work with the Leave No Trace program for her Silver Award project, so she educated us about how to best respect our campsite. I learned not to start any new firepits, because the heat from a campfire kills bacteria in the soil way below the surface! Just one firepit is more than enough.
The hardest part of the entire trip was leaving, but we left with memories, new paintings, and full bellies. I think the Press Corps as a whole can agree that was the best possible way to leave our Every Girl In a Tent experience.
Written by: Ella T., Maddy D., Megan T., Nora L.
