Memories of Camp
Our Pine Needle Fortress
How much fun was camp when you were a kid? My best friend and I spoke for hours about this last night, all the memories and good times. It was two weeks out of every year that I looked forward to with growing excitement. Thought I might share some memories….hopefully you will be prodded to do the same…
* * *
We used to be packed off on an old steam train exactly like the one in Harry Potter. All of us would crowd into our compartments which had 3 bunk beds lining each wall and a small basin near the large window that looked out at the passing scenery whilst munching on all sorts of goodies that had been hurriedly purchased from small stalls lining the dirty platforms. There was no time for tears, barely enough for hugs and kisses…no this was business….no parents, no school, no chores…just fun for two weeks! And like in Harry Potter we would soon be chugging our way to a land of magic…the magical land of C.S Lewis and Narnia (well actually it was a small mining town called Shurugwi in the middle of nowhere but the camp always centred around the themes of Lewis’ ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ books). For those magical two weeks we took over the empty halls of the local boarding school and every night the councellors would read us the great tales of Narnia as we lay in our beds and drifted to sleep.
* * *
* * *
The day that we were due to go down the mine everyone was beside themselves with excitement. A steep ascent in a rickety old train up the mountainside took us to the mine entrance where we all got kitted out in our overalls and headlamps. In groups of about ten we took turns to climb into the metal carts that were then attached to great steel ropes and slowly we were lowered down into the dark depths of the earth. At first we could see from the light that filtered in from above but as we sunk lower we had to turn on our lamps. With heads turning this way and that the damp rock face in front of us came alive in spurts of light and dark. Finally at the bottom we climbed out and when everyone was down there we were shown through the tunnels. It feels weird to know that you are so far underground. We lucky enough to witness them do some blasting. Hidden in an alcove along one of the tunnels we clung to each other and waited for the sound of the explosion, feeling the ground rumble along with the blast.
* * *
The last night of camp was always sad. Even back then at the age of 11 or 12 heading back to reality was no fun at all. The afternoon was spent wandering through a dirt forest track which opened up into a small watering hole. The water was crystal clear and cool, lined with huge lily pads and purple flowers. As the day turned to night massive bon fires were made under the trees where we would sit and look up at the dark starry sky while telling stories and sharing laughs. Dinner always consisted of a ball of dough which was rolled out between your fingers and wrapped around a tree branch and then cooked over the fire to make a bread roll and a sausage. Then we would bite the tops of oranges off and scoop out the juicy flesh, filling the shell with sticky chocolate cake mix before wrapping them in foil and burying them in the coals to cook a delicious orange-chocolate cake.
Ah how I miss those days.....I could go on
Do you have camp memories that make you siiiigggghhh? Did you like camp? What did you do? Where did you go?
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
Yes, I used to love camps and my kids did too, until the youngest thought she had gone to too many.
Nice bringing back those memories.
katyzzz
Movies and Life
What a great story. At the risk of sounding like I had a deprived childhood (and I didn't), I never went to camp. We lived in Britain and Europe where camps weren't prevalent-at that time any way. I think they are great ideas though...
Byeee
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
ah yes this was a magical time. The councellors used to dress up in full gear and roam aruond the place...often at lunch time we would be sent scattering around the hall as some scary creature would come running into the place...one day day they captured the lunch lady and we had to spend the afternoon trying to find her....it was great!
Hiya Tracy,
Yeah this was the nice camp! lol it wasn`t part of school. School camp was Survival Camp....my word how different. We would arrive in the middle of the bush and be given two pieces of canvass to make our tents, spend the day out in the sun dragging huge branches into dry river beds to help with soil erosion, take all day hikes through the bush with only a bottle of water learning about bush survival....this was a different kind of great.....excellent fun all the same! One day you will have to go on camp.....
ash