As I stepped off of the Hotard bus that smelt like burnt gas, filled with thirty or so annoying girls, I looked out into the open field. I soon realized I was going to enjoy it; I was going to enjoy summer camp. After the long, disgusting eight hour drive from Covington up to the beautiful mountains of Mentone, Alabama, I felt calm and at ease. I was ready to explore.

My days at summer camp started way back when I was about nine years old. Camp was the only thing I looked forward too throughout summer. They were the best two weeks of the year, where I get to escape from reality and just be a kid. No one judges you up there, you don't have to worry about how you look or act because it's all girls, and honestly, we just want to hangout and have fun. This camp isn't like your average summer camp. Yes, we have a river and a swimming pool along with the wooden cabins and campfires songs, but there is something more. We build everlasting friendships. The ones that bring tears to your eyes when you have to say goodbye at the end of the two weeks. Or the ones that you'll still text and snapchat every day reminiscing on the memories you shared up until you go back next year. As we grew older we would always joke about how we didn't want to go back because we were too old and we had better things to do, but somehow we would always find our way back.

A in the life of a camper was no ordinary day. We would wake up bright and early to this loud, obnoxious bell. It was placed in the very center of the camp for everyone to be able to hear. The daily routine consisted of many different challenges. Starting with flag raising in the early morning up until standing by the blazing campfire circle at night. In the middle of the day we would go to our activities which were usually: archery, ropes course, canoeing, outdoor living skills, and sports. Snack time was probably my favorite part of the day. They would open the snack shop after our first activity and my friends and I would get the cookies and crime ice cream bar. Considering we camped in the middle of July, this ice cream bar was pure luxury during the middle of the day.

Once we had our snack we would walk back to our cabin, Arapaho. Being in this cabin made you feel superior. This meant you were the oldest girls in the camp and you had to set the standards for all of the other campers. For my entire camp experience I camped with my friends: Maggie, Baily, and Hope. Of course, I always got stuck with the top bunk, which was the worst. Climbing up the raggedy stairs always made me feel as if the entire bunk was going to collapse. The room was always a complete mess, filled with dirty clothes, sand, and mashed up food from the night before. The only reason our room would ever look the slightest bit decent was because we were forced to clean it every morning or else we wouldn't get breakfast.

Speaking of breakfast, we literally ate the same foods over and over again for the entire two weeks. Nothing beats the flakey biscuits or the soggy sausages along with the chunky grits we had every day. Other than the breakfast, I can speak great words about the lunches and dinners. My favorite food, by far, was the bread rolls, which contained over 699 calories but that didn't stop us form eating about six per meal. It's safe to say that by the time we made it back home we had gained over ten lbs!

Being involved in a tribe is what completes the camp experience. I know the word tribe sounds weird for a summer camp but we had them. There are the Shawnees, the red tribe, Pawnees, the green tribe, and Chippawas the blue tribe. I have loved being a part of my Pawnee tribe so much. I’ve made some great friends from all age groups because of my tribe. Each summer, we enjoy many of the same customs and traditions that make camp so memorable. On the very first night of the two weeks we begin with opening campfire ceremony which kickoffs the tribes traditions. As we gather around the first campfire with our tribes that we choose to be a part of we feel the bonds of friendships growing stronger. Each tribe gets the opportunity to stand up in front of everyone and sing their traditional tribe song. This song and the entire tribe itself is led by what we call the tribe leaders. Luckily, I was able to be a tribe leader twice! Two years ago I was the Warrior of my tribe, the Pawnees, and this past year that I went to camp I was the chief of my tribe which was a huge honor. It was something that I wanted ever since I had started going to camp. I had always looked up to my tribe leaders when I was younger, and I couldn't wait to have little girls looking up to me. If it weren't for the tribe games and competition throughout the two weeks, camp would be nothing.

Along with the tribe games that take place there is also this really fun scavenger hunt, well, I guess scavenger hunt isn't really the correct term considering we only looked for one thing. This "thing" was not just any thing. It was...the buffalo rattle. The word itself sounds discussing but it's really just a dirty brown stick that sounds like a maracha when you shake it. The key behind this hunt is that if you find the buffalo rattle, which is hidden somewhere throughout camp, then you and your tribe were to receive ten tribe points. Crazy thing is, I found this silly old stick two years ago. I was walking around camp looking for the rattle, just like I always did, sweating from head to toe, and on the verge of giving up. When all of the sudden, possibly the last place I would have ever looked, appeared to be the buffalo rattle. It was positioned right beside this light pole behind the tennis courts just beneath a few rocks, barely sticking but just enough for me to pick it up. As tradition, I sprinted towards the bell, screaming all of my Pawnee chants making sure everyone knew that I had found the buffalo rattle. I'm sure to anyone reading this thinks this is an absurd tradition, but this, as a matter of fact, was probably the great moment of my life. I had accomplished so etching for my tribe, and all of my hard work had payed off. The feeling is completely indescribably. It was insane having people taking pictures and wishing me congratulations for the rest of the week. This is the kind of high-spirited and friendly competition I live for when I go to camp.

Those two weeks that seemed never ending eventually came to an end. Everyone's moods began to change from extreme happiness to bitter sadness. No one wanted to leave camp, but we knew we would see each other next summer. Over the years I have made some extraordinary memories that I will hold in my heart forever.