We are having a busy couple of weeks out in nature with lots of youth. Last week, Brandt went with the Teachers and Priests to the Unitahs for High Adventure. (more from Brandt) This week, Blythe and I were at girl’s camp, and Kent went to Moab for Deacon Adventure with Aaron Oyler, Jake Thornock, Dane Runia, and a bunch of boys.
As with Youth Conference, I did much planning for girl's camp. We were supposed to be able to go to Heber Valley Camp this year, but due to Covid, it still isn’t open, so we had to fend for ourselves. Fortunately, Jeri Covey is the second counselor in the young women’s presidency, and she volunteered the use of the Covey cabin for camp. It is enormous, with ten bedrooms, lots of beds and couches to sleep on, and plenty of room for meals and activities. I made sure we ate well, with an afternoon snack each day and a tasty dessert each evening. Our theme was Righteous League, and how we can be superheroes. The plan was for activities, crafts, and games on Wednesday, a day at the lake on Thursday, and a trip to the temple on Friday.
For some weeks, Blythe has said she was not going to camp. In her words, “It sounds like DEATH!” She felt that much time having to associate with people, even girls she really likes, would just be too much for her. I assured her that she would be able to take time to be on her own if she felt a need to be alone. But it was still a no-go on Monday.
I went shopping with Mandy Ficker on Monday evening and returned home with tales of how cool the cabin was. I mentioned that there was a swing set, I was going to have my own room, and that the whole setting was beautiful. Blythe began to waffle. Then, on Tuesday, I casually brought up that there was archery equipment and a target. That was enough to tip the scales, and Blythe agreed that she could go and might actually survive. We spent Tuesday evening (after canoeing) packing and getting all her stuff together.
Here is a report from Blythe about Wednesday.
We got settled in and explored. I slept in a room with Elizabeth, Ellie and Lizzie. Then we played a bunch of dorky superhero games. We mostly just hung around and talked. I took a nap and did some reading, so missed some of the other activities.
I stayed at the cabin on Wednesday and Thursday night, helping with dinner and desserts. I gave a slightly too-long fireside about the temple and the power that comes from being in God’s house and being endowed. It went okay. I hit it out of the park, however, with Wednesday’s dessert—caramel apples with a variety of toppings.
Thursday, after a delicious French toast breakfast, everyone went to Deer Creek for boating. It was a fun though exhausting day and everyone came home hungry because practically no one ate lunch. Here is more from Blythe.
Some girls did surfing on the boats, but not me. I was in the Crisler's boat. I sat in the front of the boat with my friends and sang along to the songs they were blasting. There were some people whose boat engine had stopped working, and we towed them back to shore, getting extra bonus points in Heaven.
Ryan and Elizabeth Elder came up to do Thursday’s fireside. The bishop spoke about the hero’s journey and making sure we stay on the path back to Heavenly Father. We had dutch oven peach cobbler and apple and berry crisps for our dessert. The girls interacted downstairs while the adults talked and laughed upstairs.
We were able to attend the temple on Friday morning. It has been so long since Blythe was there, like clear back in February 2020, and I was so happy to be there with her. We both cried happy tears as we felt the Spirit. It was a wonderful conclusion to a fun and uplifting few days.
While we were up at Sundance in the cooler mountain temperatures, Kent was down in Moab, roasting in the 100+ degree heat. Here is Kent's report.
We were there with six deacons and five leaders. It was 106. Aaron Oyler, Brian Bushman, Kent, Dane Runia, and Jack Thornock. First day we set up camp along the Colorado River which was quite low. There was no one in camp until the next day. We went on a hike up a canyon about 2 1/2 miles each way, but it seemed like 15 miles because it was so hot. It was a nice hike up to a little tiny waterfall and a bit cooler because we were out of the sun, but still hot. There were some scantily clad young women on the trail at the waterfall we came to, but the boys were much more interested in the crawdads they saw. Dane treated us all to dinner at Milt's. We picked up mountain bikes for the next day. (Hike was up Powerhouse)
That night, the kids were riding all around the campground which was rather flat. About 11pm, Grant Seamons, one of the more responsible boys, yelled out to Everett Bushman, "I'm going to bed." His response, "Why would you ever want to do that?" They did, eventually, go to bed, with the sound of frogs croaking in the background.
The next day, we went to Slick Rock, with lots of trails all over the rugged terrain. The boys did great, even though it was hotter than blazes. We had one accident. Just about as we finished the circuit, Luke Thornock was forced off the trail by an incoming biker and hit his knee hard. They thought it might be broken, so Jake took him home, with Chris Jensen arriving to fill in the gap and be with Gary.
The last morning, before we left, we hiked to Corona Arch, the trailhead of which was right across the road from our campsite. It was a pretty hike. It was hot, hot the whole time, but the boys didn't seem to mind. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and in the end, Luke's knee was not broken.
This is a great report. What fun summer camping adventures!
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