Camp Linden

The crunching of gravel beneath the tires of the truck echoed as we pulled into the parking lot of the camp. It had only taken us maybe five minutes or less to drive here. I never knew that their were camping grounds practically in my backyard. Camp Linden is nestled between the woods and rivers in Deerfield Township, Michigan. It is a camp dedicated to the Girl Scouts of America and they have various programs throughout the year, although they have considerably less during the winter. My troop visited Camp Linden many times while I has a Girl Scout, but my first time there was for the Daddy-Daughter weekend that the camp called "My Guy and I". After checking in, we were told which campsite we would be staying in ("Holy Oaks") and which path to start on in order to follow signs all the way there. We passed the main dining hall, Hunter Lodge, and the sports field. We walked across the Donkey Bridge, a low, winding, wooden path along the wet marshes along the lake. Finally, at the top of the hill, we reached our campsite. Wooden platforms with canvas' forming tents above them lined the main path through the site. Eat tent contained four to six uncomfortable beds with mosquito nets draped over top of them. The site had its own water pump, latrine, and campfire pit.

I have a lot of fond memories of Camp Linden, especially the times I would go to spend time with my dad. I remember the campfire songs we would learn, the crafts that would be taking place all over the camp that we attended, and the people we would meet. I remember making the walk all the way to the infamous Monkey Bridge, a thin walkway that arched over a fast-paced river way in the back of the camp, so many people never saw it. The first time we went there, we passed an old Red Oak tree that was so big, we couldn't touch each others fingers if we both wrapped our arms around it. When we finally reached the bridge, we saw a Blue Racer snake eat a Blue Gill whole. I stared in awe as the snake's mouth go wider and wider just so he could swallow the fish. Reaching the back border of the camp, we reached a road and realized that it ran right by our house. We really were close to home. On our trek back through the forest of tall pines, we heard some snapping, and turned just into time to see a tree fall over for no apparent reason. It's something my dad and I still talk about sometimes.

I still have some of the memorabilia from my time at Camp Linden with my dad. One time, we made recycled paper out of old newspapers. Another time, we folded sheets of copper into a cylinder, and punched out words and shapes into the metal. After places a candle inside, the words and shapes would be projected onto the walls. Spending time at Camp Linden was just another way that I grew up in and around nature. It is probably one of the many reasons why nature is a big part of my life and where I feel the most comfortable.