Camp Susque

A few weeks ago I went to Girls Survivor Week at Camp Susque. Below are some of my journal entries from the week that I spent there.

Day 2
Sunday, June 24, 2011
Right now it is 5:26 AM Camp Susque time. In real time it is 6:26 AM.
Yesterday was spent trying to get to know the people that I am bunking with. There are 11 of us including our counselor, Miss Anne. Things are a bit crowded.

With the tent flaps open there was a nice cool breeze going through.

This morning all 30 of us Hawks (girls grades 9-11) went for a walk upstream and a swim in the creek. After swimming we cooked breakfast over a campfire. There was sausage, french toast, and fried potatoes. It was really good!
This afternoon we went on a hike up Rattlesnake Mountain. There was a beautiful view at the top.

Miss Anne and I (below)

Sliding down the mountain.

Catching our breath at the bottom.

Waiting outside of Hemlock Hall for our supper.

Eating inside Hemlock Hall

Chapel in the pines.

Day 3
Monday, July 25, 2011
Today we started our activity classes. These will be running from Monday through Friday. Yesterday we were allowed to request 2 activity classes. I chose riflery and pottery. In riflery class we just learned the safety rules and in pottery we filled molds with plaster. I chose a mold with 2 owls.
We slept at Eagles Nest in hammocks. We made Susque Stew and smores over the campfire. It was so much fun!

Susque Stew

The hammocks were a bit uncomfortable and I was sure that I would fall out during the night, but thankfully I didn't.

Day 4
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Today we went on a creek walk up through the gorge. We had a picnic lunch, went swimming, and took LOTS of pictures.

We went to the observatory tonight. There were so many of us that we had to go in shifts. I was a part of the last shift, so my friends and I had to wait for an hour before it was our turn. It was a beautiful clear night. We saw dozens of shooting stars, the Milkyway, the Big Dipper, the North Star, satellites, and countless other stars! When we were led inside the observatory, one of the counselors pointed out an area in the sky that looked as if it had no stars. Then we were allowed to look at the same area through the telescope. WOW! I could hardly see any part of the night sky because it was coated with millions of stars!

Day 5
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Today was fairly normal: showers, chapel, breakfast, flag raising, devotions, riflery, pottery, midday madness (game time), lunch, rest period. After supper, we grabbed our sleeping bags and went on a 1/2-hour hike up to the plateau where we spent the night in the woods under the stars. Before we went to sleep we held devotions around the campfire and sang. It was interesting sleeping out in the woods with 30 girls. You are guaranteed to hear a scream every 5 minutes because one of them has spotted a harmless bug on a sleeping bag.

Playing ninja during the afternoon.

Day 6
Thursday, July 28, 2011

Enjoying a snack before devotions.

Pastor Joe leading devotions.

Eating ice cream bars and drinking soda during the hot afternoon. I got a frozen peppermint patty along with a chocolate eclair ice cream bar.

OFT (organized free time)

The pond.

Hemlock Hall.

Tonight was dress up night. For supper we were served spaghetti, meatballs, and bread sticks.

Day 7
Friday, July 29, 2011
Today is my last full day here! We watched the dance class perform and the launching of the homemade rockets made by the 10-year-olds.

Mud sliding.

Tonight we had our survivor themed dinner. We had to go on a scavenger hunt to find our dinner and each cabin group was competing against one another. At each station, you were required to complete a task before you could get your next clue. Some of the activities were: carrying your counselor across "eel infested waters" (the volleyball court), getting all 11 of us to stand on a 2 1/2-ft square platform, and crossing the creek to find the "secret location".

A blurry picture of our tent group.

I had a wonderful time!