Summer camp, home to memories

While it seems like spring has just barely begun, the thoughts of many families have turned toward what their kids will be doing during the summer months while school is on break.

For these families, summer camp is their saving grace.

Camp is the place where kids experience their first taste of freedom, when parents are either an afterthought as soon as the bus leaves them in the dust or their every thought as they learn how to overcome homesickness.

It's where a hike before sunrise isn't considered out of line and going for a swim at that early hour is even more intriguing. Archery and horseback riding in the middle of nature take the place of video games behind closed doors. A letter from home means so much more than texts or instant messages from the digital devices left behind.

Just the mere whiff of pine trees combined with heat, trail dust, bug spray and sweat can bring a former camper back to his days of dual-colored lanyards and songs by the campfire.

For Mariah Smith of Graton, going to "Camp Caz" (Camp Cazadero near the Russian River), was like a yearly reunion.

"I made friends from all over the state and this was the only time I got to see them," she said, noting how they managed to stay in touch all year long through pen-pal letters in preparation for the summertime slumber party.

"Late nights up gabbing, too much candy, not enough sleep, too much sun, too many crushes, and care packages from home," she said. "What more could you ask for?"

"My favorite camp memories were time away from the parents," said Tahryn Anderson of Santa Rosa, about her camp experience at Camp Troll Fjell (formerly known as Camp Norge), a Norwegian-language heritage camp in Alta, in Placer County. One of the favorite games she played at camp was when the CITs (counselors in training) led the campers on a hunt for staff leaders.

"One year as a counselor, I was hiding in some sweet-pea bushes and actually got stepped on," she said, noting that she still wasn't discovered. "My first year of camp, our group took first place, so you can imagine my ongoing enjoyment with the game."

One of the more exciting features of summer camp is going through the ranks until reaching the age where you could become a staff member. Nathalee Ghafouri of San Carlos (formerly of Sebastopol) attended Las Posadas 4-H Camp in Angwin, Napa County, as both a camper and a teen staffer. During the day, the staffers were in charge of running the camp while the adults were merely there for support. But at night, the staffers were able to relax and hang out.

"One of my favorite things to look back on were those nights that we snuck out of bed to meet in the kitchen," she admitted with a laugh. "We'd raid the pantry for marshmallows and whatever other goodies we could find, and talk about very important teenage stuff."

Now expecting her second son, Ghafouri is enthusiastic about sending both her boys to camp when they are older, and even hopes to send them to the same camp she attended.

There's a quote that reads, "From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. From the inside looking out, you can't explain it." Someone who has never gone to summer camp likely can't understand the intrigue behind getting too little sleep, giving up the comforts of home and enduring a week of hard work and too much sun.

But to those who have gone, the intrigue is as real as the mosquitoes that are more stubborn than bug spray.

Crissi Dillon is the moderator and blogger at SantaRosaMom.com, a forum for parents. You can reach her at crissi@santarosamom.com.