Girls' Camp at Boy Scout Camp Browning

Girls' camp. UGH!! It is such a big job that takes a lot of effort to find a place, get camp directors called, get organized for it and carry through with it. As YW leaders it sounded exhausting and as a non-camper I was totally dreading it. But, after months of planning and preparing, we pulled it off.

Boy Scout Camp Browning was our destination up by Camp Kiesel a ways past Camp Atoka where I went to girls' camp when I was young. Beautiful country where we were--with a bonus of it NOT being in bear country. I didn't believe the BSA rangers because all the other girls' camps we've gone to in this ward have been in bear country where one of the leaders one year actually came upon a real live bear. SCARY!

Our rangers warned us repeatedly to keep our snacks in sturdy plastic containers or the squirrels would get into everything. I thought "squirrels" was code word for "bears" and they were saying "squirrels" so the campers wouldn't be so afraid of bears. Not until it was pointed out there were no bear-proof trash cans did I relax a bit and finally believed we were not in bear country. WHEW!! (By the way, one small food container got all chewed up by squirrels but the little critters left everything else alone.)

Some of us leaders might not have been super excited for camp, but all the YW were very excited about it!

We were very thankful the truck with the trailer hauling all our camp supplies had been able to make it up the steep hills to our campground. The camp calls this cardiac hill. I heard others referring to it as heart-attack hill and that was the name I liked best.

Our camp was at the top of heart-attack hill and everything we did required walking down the steep hill. What I always think when I am walking or biking down a hill is "what goes down must eventually go back up."

The road stopped at the flagpole area and from there we took a trail into a thicket of trees and came upon our campground.

What a blessed sight to see all our stuff had been carried down the path and deposited into our campground.

 There was a beautiful view of the water close to where the tents were set up.

This is the tent that was home sweet home for Phyllis Stock and me. It had a little leaning problem. I slept on the left on that nice, gigantic, comfy cot high up off the wooden slats. Phyllis had a low, smaller cot. So glad we didn't have another person in with us because I was hogging up more than my third of the room inside and my face would have been in the canvas when sleeping if we would have had to squish.

After we all got our stuff situated in our tents, we divided into two groups and went off to our various areas for the fun to begin. This is the group I was in and spent most of my time with during the days. They are all harnessed up for rappelling down a cliff.

 Top of the cliff. One needs to be brave to go over the edge.

 It was so hot and sunny at the top of the cliff. I walked down to the bottom and found a little bit of shade where I sat with Jamie Jensen (our YW president) as we watched our groups.

The left cliff was where the rappelling was going on and the right cliff was where Jamie's group was rock climbing.

Taking a break for lunch. One of the best things about this camp was the camp provided all the meals and did all the cooking. We took our turns cleaning up, but it was so worth it to not have to worry about the meals.

Afternoon group I missed because Jamie and I took one of the YW home when she got sick. Our group did canoeing and cliff jumping into the water. Jamie's group did that later in the afternoon and she said the water was so beautiful where they went that she felt like she was in Alaska.

When I got back, my group went to the shooting range and shot pistols and rifles.

One of the girls found a slithery snake in that area and had the girls all freaked out about it. She found another snake at the knife and tomahawk throwing area as well.

Our late afternoon activity was walking over the bridge that was under construction to get to the archery range where there were different kinds of targets set up in two different areas.

Girls gathered around for the evening campfire program put on by the rangers at the upper fire pit and then sat around the fire at our own fire pit.

They are eagerly anticipating the marshmallows and the Starburst candies which they love to roast over the fire.

 Breakfast the next morning.

The rangers gathered by the flagpole for the flag ceremony and some morning instruction.

My group participated in a morning cooperation activity where all the girls had to get from one post to the next post and a third post and finally to the last post all together using only two boards.

They did a trust fall. Both these activities were supposed to show the girls how they needed to all work together to help each other.

Then they harnessed the girls up to be ready for the COPE (Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience) course. There needed to be two belayers anchoring each person up high.

Some of the girls and leaders were scared right to death and were begging their belayers to keep the rope tight or they were convinced they were going to fall.

We got the biggest kick out of two of our girls who are superb gymnasts. Little Beehive Marissa let go of the rope and walked across the log balancing all by herself.

Laurel Natalie surprised us all by leaping into the air in a high split. We were clapping and cheering and I yelled at her to do it again because I wanted to get a picture. Here is the perfect shot of her second leap into the air.

This is the killer part of heart-attack hill where Jamie is demonstrating how much effort it is taking for her to get up the hill. Notice the other two campers lower down the steep hill all bent over catching their breath.

My group's afternoon activity was rock climbing. All the leaders in our group (me, Phyllis, Tiffany Foutz and Kim Thompson) got comfortably settled in the shade to watch the girls. They did all the activities with the girls. Not me--I was the photographer.

The last thing I needed to have happen was for my heart to go out of rhythm scaling the rock wall.

Singing activity with the rangers by the flagpole. The camp director told us that our group of girls and the other ward's group of girls were so fun and how happy he was that we leaders were not ornery and overly demanding about everything. I guess he had been scared about the weeks of girls' camp during the summer and he was happily surprised it had been so pleasant. That made us happy to hear those positive words.

Some brave YW and leaders decided to go in the water for the polar bear plunge. Once in the freezing water, they needed to recite the whole YW theme before they could get back out again.

After lunch some of the Laurels decided to do a pudding eating contest. Katy wins!

Crafting project table in the campsite.

Bishop Cowley joined us for the last 24 hours of the camp.

Girls braiding each others' hair.

YW values activity where the rangers took us to a meadow and broke the girls up into small groups where they went from ranger to ranger and talked about one of the values at each ranger's station.

The activity got us in a spiritual frame of mind and was a perfect lead-in to our campfire testimony meeting.

 Breakfast on the last morning.

Everyone got their stuff packed up and hauled down the path and in a big pile by the lodge all ready for loading when the trailer arrived for pick-up.

 The Laurel leaders gave out camp awards.

Emily Farr and Tiffany Foutz were awesome camp directors from our ward. Love their new t-shirts!

We posed for a group shot before heading down heart attack hill for the last time.

 One last look at the beautiful area where we had been staying.

 Through the Camp Browning archway and back to the cars to make the drive home.

All in all, we pronounced it a smashing success! The girls were kind of sad we were only going to be there two nights. After all the high adventure activities they participated in those two very long days and nights, they were exhausted by the time they got back to their homes.

I am happy to say everyone survived and there was a feeling of love, togetherness and bonding the whole time. No bickering, no fighting, no negativity at all.

Even I have to say once I got there it wasn't all that bad. I went. I conquered. I returned. I have the huge cold sore on my lip to prove it. Somehow I keep thinking I wish I had come home with a cute, pink Camp Browning t-shirt for my souvenir instead of the sun blister. Next time... Next time...