Shalom

I attended 3 different girls camp as a young woman because of my dad- he moved us around often. The first was with the girls in Arizona (cabins with bunks- like those in The Parent Trap), then Nevada (tents in the dusty dirt and pine) and then in Utah (A-frame cabins in the woods). I loved girls camp- all six years! But I was most enchanted by Utah. Traveling east of Fairview in San Pete County is Camp Mia Shalom. In the valley below a ridge, a small lake is nestled between the North and South cabins. Further up the road, cabins have been built in the Wilderness area. Around the valley are well marked hiking trails, beaver dams, streams and meadows. The area is lush and green and it found a place in my childhood dreams along with the orchards of Utah County. It has been almost twenty years since I last went to Shalom as a young girl. When I arrived, I felt the same as when Dave and I took the kids to Disneyland after not going since my childhood (exciting, nostalgic, in love, giddy, joyful).

This year I was able to go to Mia Shalom as a leader. Here are some of the highlights:

The Girls

We have (in my opinion) the greatest group of girls. It doesn't matter if you are the youngest or the oldest because they all get along and treat each other with kindness and have a lot of fun.

Sunrise Hike

A few girls sacrificed their sleep to take a morning hike. As I reach back in the corners of my mind I can't seem to find a sure memory of a previous sunrise hike that I've gone on. Maybe I have done one and can't remember or maybe I planned to but it never happened...in any case, I was eager to go on this hike. We had a little devotional at sunrise by a couple of the girls.

My chosen spot to watch for the sun.

Janice, Tosha, Kandra, Mannon, Brenna, Teal, Frankie and Kaerlig

Janice, Terri and Kaerlig

Hiking

I was eager to join the 2nd year girls on their hike up the ridge. One thing I'd like to get more of in my life is hiking.

Bear claw marks are etched into the Aspen.

View of the ridge with the Lone Pine in the middle.

The Lone Pine. I have affection for this tree.

Kaerlig and Carol

Marshmallow War

This game consists of teams and each member has a paper bag full of large marshmallows in flour which are used to pelt at each other. (The purpose of the flour is to leave a mark of course.)

Karly, Kandra and Frankie

Hilary and Kaerlig

Canoeing in the Lake

Taylor (one of our leaders) and I raced nearly everyone out there from one end of the lake to the other and I am convinced that if we went to a private all boys school we would have kicked some trash- that's how good we were :)

Campfires

I'm mesmerized by campfires. I like to stay up late into the night starring at and stirring up coals. The night sky was also filled with a billion stars. Sometimes the weather at Shalom can be stormy but we had beautiful clears skies all week.

While at girls camp I thought about my years as a young woman- the uncertainty and turmoil of my life found a sturdy place to balance and get my bearings through the church and the program that they have for girls. I've heard my brothers and husband joke about how girls camp isn't "real camping"- that we just sing songs and make crafts. Maybe it isn't like scout camp -I don't really know- but I know that it is special and valuable. I thought about my daughter and I have hopes that she will get to enjoy what I have- and I'd love to be there with her if that was at all possible.