camping with the GS troop

I helped organize a year-end camping trip for Liesl's GS troop at Nehalem Bay State Park, near Manzanita. Nine of our 11 girls could make it, and plenty of chaperones as well. For some of the girls, it was their first camping experience.

We arrived around 12 noon on Saturday and set out a lunch spread for the girls while we unpacked. And then it was off to the beach to play in the water, run up and down the dunes, pretend this and that, shriek and giggle, dig in the sand, play in the driftwood structures, and generally have an amazing afternoon.

Liesl and Nora were inseparable on Saturday, in a way they have not been since kindergarten. It was cute and sweet, but also made some other girls feel a little excluded, so we had some challenging conversations about friendship and fun and inclusion.

 

 

We returned to our campsites - we had four in a row on the beach-side of the campground, thankfully protected from the Pacific by a high dune. We set up tents, took off wet clothes, and then the girls ran around playing while we cooked dinner. Spaghetti and marinara sauce, veggie meatballs and chicken meatballs (frozen, pre-packaged), assorted veggies and fruits.

After dinner the girls went over to participate in the junior park ranger activity, making a salmon print.

 And then it was time to roast marshmellows and make s'mores, and sing happy birthday to one of the girls.

After downing a vast quantity of sugar, we raced back up and over the dune to watch the sun set over the ocean. The girls ran up and down and around, over and over -

Back in the campground, they all donned pajamas, brushed teeth, and then raced back with their flashlights shining to get into the enormous 10-person tent in which they were all sleeping. They told stories, played games, and eventually (eventually!) all fell asleep.

Morning came very early - the first girl was up at 5 in order to go to the bathroom, and that led to a cascade of other wakeups - and so we played some games and then headed back to the beach.

The girls had first breakfast of cold cereal, and second breakfasts of blueberry pancakes and sausages.

They got dressed and packed up all of their belongings - I made each girl take care of packing up her own clothes, shoes, sleeping bag, mats - and then there was a final romp around the campground and the beach while we got all of the gear packed up and away. We ate lunch and then hit the road, back to Portland. A bunch of the girls slept in the cars on the way home, and others waited until they were home to crash out into late-day naps.

Despite the overall lack of sleep and the tremendous amount of work that went into getting everyone out there, fed and housed, and back again, it was a huge success. We'll definitely have to go again next year!