On Tuesday morning, Ashley and I woke up at 6:30AM, got ready, and headed over to the Wilcox's house. We had to wear our pink camp t-shirts (I painted mine and Ashley's, and I still wish I would've switched them around, because I liked Ashley's better than mine). When we got there at 7:30AM, all of the girls were there, chatting and yawning and sitting around. So I joined my usual group of girls. We learned how to sew these square things all pretty and colorful for orphanages so that the kids can learn their colors. An hour later, we were off in our cars (I was with Brittany Hyatt, Hillary Nielson, Kalie Madsen, Brother Nielson, Bishop Hill, and the actual Bishop Davis) for a very long, squished, tired, oh-so-exciting, five hour car trip! We just went on forever and ever, and it seemed like we never got closer. It was very hard for me to fall asleep as I was in the middle seat with no window to lean against, and I wasn't just going to curl up on the Bishop who was sitting next to me.
I survived.
We ate lunch with some other YW in the other cars on the outside of a restaurant, while letting the car with the trailer (Ashley was in that one) go on and generously letting them get a head start. We lingered longer than necessary at the restaurant, and when we got to camp about an hour 1/2 later (I think), everything in the trailer was unloaded. Jolly good.
At around 4PM, we arrived at Jackson Hole, and got to our camp site. I was in the 2nd years tent, as I was a second year even though I was the oldest and born in '94 while they are in '95. We got a nice, big tent. I instantly got insect repellent, as I have a theory that I have sugar in my blood. Mosquitoes always go for me, as some of my family members may remember from seeing me at camp outs with them all over my face (I've got a very good picture of me with them all over my face. Good memories). I was a bit obsessed over that can, and stole my tent people's sometimes when I couldn't find mine.
So, later that day, we went to a waterfall. We walked for a little bit to get there, which was a great way for my shoes to start their slow torture, biting into my heel (I also cut my big toe nail too short, and I tripped over big rocks which made it all the worse). The waterfall was so amazing. It was huge and there were lots of rocks and logs to climb all over. Heather was walking near the waterfall and slipped on some algae and fell. There was a log right in front of her which stopped her from going right into the waterfall. I noticed that if she had slipped a little to the right, she would've gone straight into the waterfall. We climbed up a little bit and took some pictures. It was fun!
We had dinner that night and played some games, then had our devotional. We then went to sleep (at least I did).
The second day was the best! We woke up early and rented some life jackets, rafts, and oars. Jill Grahm, while we were there, came speeding toward us while honking. We all got really excited because Jill came. She is so much fun! We got into groups of who would be in which raft (everyone wanted Jill or Jenny to be in their raft), then went down to the river. We all got in our rafts, and started rafting. I had so much fun! I was rowing for most of it, and we went on all of these rapids and we were splashing and having war with the other girls' rafts. I jumped out two times with some other girls. The water was freezing. It took your breath away when you jumped in, and I didn't stay in for more than ten seconds.
We were on for a long time, when we came to the two largest rapids. Big Kahuna and Lunch Counter. Lunch Counter was the craziest. I looked back at the other raft after we got off of the rapid, and saw that they had just barely come of of Lunch Counter too, and Jill Grahm and Jen Davis had fallen out. The people in the raft were yelling at Jill to get the oar, but she was so far away from the oar that they left her to go get it. We picked up Jen in our raft, then went to get Jill from a shore that she floated to because her raft had left her. We got her in, then caught up with Jill's raft. They had stopped, so we had Jill duck down and we yelled "Did you get Jill?" They answered no, so we said "You didn't?! She's still back there?!" We pretended to freak out and act all concerned, and they were all freaking out too. It was funny. We then showed them Jill, so they relaxed and took her and Jen back. Apparently they were stopping because they were trying to turn around or something.
After we were done rafting (which took about 1 1/2 hours), we went up this hill into a parking lot and waited there for the leaders to pick us up. Everyone sat down and started talking. I layed down on the asphalt, used my life jacket as a pillow, and fell asleep. When I woke up, we left. The girls said we were there for thirty minutes.
We went to some place with picnic tables and had lunch for a while. We got warm and cooled off, and we were having second thoughts about going rafting again because we were so warm now, and the water was ice cold. We went again anyway.
The second time was the best. I was in a raft with Ashley and Brother Wilcox, the Bishop, and some others. The water was still really cold, but you could tell it was a bit better. There was a raft with some people we don't even know in it, and we had a huge water fight with them. We got them all really good. There were more rapids than last time, and it was just altogether more fun than the time before. This one lasted 1 1/2 hours too. I was so sad when it ended.
That night, we did skits. It was so funny! In my group, our theme was you rock (ROCK ON-Recognizing our Celestial Knowledge of Nature was our camp theme, so you rock, we rock, I rock were the themes). We have 10 random things we had to use. So in my group, a girl named Janie wore a wig and was named Pebble. She went around to all of us asking if we're her mom. Each of us would say what we were according to our items. I.E.: "No I'm just a mormon" "No I'm just a tree" "No I'm just a clown" and I had a barbie and a car, so I said "No I'm just a hit and run driver". While I said it, I would hit the barbie with the car so that it would go flying. She then came to Jill and said like to everyone else "Hi, my name is Pebble, are you my mother?" Jill would look up and Janie would say "You rock? Me pebble, You rock?". Then, all of us would say "Huh? Oohhh!" And then they were reunited. Jill came up with that. It was so funny! The leaders did one too which I recorded.
The next day, we woke up early, too, and went to some rope's course place. I was in Jill's car with the same girl's and Bishop Davis. We were just driving along for a long time, singing, talking, laughing, doing our abnormal things, when (and I'm not exactly sure how this goes) Kalie said, "Is it really this far?" and Jill said something or other, and Hillary said "We passed it a long time ago. Jill stopped the car really fast and shouted "Hillary!". So we turned around and drove for fifteen minutes until we got there. I saw it the first time too. But, you know how I am, I didn't really think anything of it. I was in my happy place.
We got there and all of the girls were playing football and volleyball. This guy gave us all these harness things and rabbit ears (things that hook on to our harness and wire so we won't fall. Smart thinking), then showed us what to do. We were to climb up this really tall rope ladder, where each of the things to climb was as tall as you, walk across a wire, walk across a criss crossing wire, across a long log, another wire, flat rope ladder thing, across another one, jump to a platform, and go down a zip line. This is all thirty feet in the air. I'll have pictures later.
So I was all confident and everything and excited. I watched all of the girl's go and stood around, jealous of those that were up there. But it took forever. It was so hot and everyone wished they were back river rafting again. My turn didn't come for a while. I hadn't had any water, and everyone else had all of the chairs. I was waiting for a long time, just standing and I was getting dehydrated. It was finally my turn, but I didn't have butt straps to my harness thing, so I had to get another one and had to wait longer. Great. So I stood around longer. I was getting so upset. I was hot and tired and I didn't even care if I went on anymore. I wanted to go.
After a long time, I finally got to go on. Everyone had a hard time with the ladder because they had to swing their legs up onto it for every time they climbed up one. I didn't really have trouble because of my arm strength, so I just climbed it like a rope. It still wore me out. The first wire to get across was awkward. The second one was all criss crossy, and I got pretty far across that one until I didn't know what to do. I trusted that the rabbit ears wouldn't let me fall, but I still got scared. So, instead of freaking out like an idiot, I simply just sat down on the wire. I stared at the ground and sat there, feeling upset and helpless. But, Stacy Grahm (Jill's daughter) ran to help me like an angel. I stood up and did what she said, and Lo and Behold! I made it across. The rest of it was still, I wouldn't say scary, but maybe uneasy for me. I was so happy to get on that zip line and zoom away from there and wave at the boys playing basketball with their shirts off as I went by. I think I might do it again if I get the chance, but with less confidence.
Some hours after we got back, we went swimming at a hot springs pool made in 1933. When I first got into the pool, I just slipped in off the edge. It's usually not that deep on the edge. As I slid in, I heard someone say "Celeste, I wouldn't do th.." before I slipped in and sank. It was 8 feet deep. I got in and thought, "Oh dear, I'm not stopping", so I sped back up to the top. Really, what pool does that? That was annoying. The water was so warm, and I could've stayed in there forever. I annoyed people as usual by splashing them and being my usual unusual self.
We had fajitas that night!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That night, the leaders blindfolded us and put us in chairs. They turned on music about Christ, and we sat there listening to it as they put a baby doll, hay, sacrament cups, and bread in our hands throughout four songs. They then put a crown of thorns on our head, and they shoved it on, so it hurt, then did it to the next person. They then had a big needle and pushed it hard into our palm which hurt too. After we did that, during a song, they had us take our blindfolds off and there was a picture of Christ on the bishop's laptop right in front of us. After that, we had testimony meeting. It was really cold all during it and I was shaking. After I bore my testimony, I was shaking uncontrollably and I don't think it was just from cold. Not everyone bore it this year like last year, but it was still wonderful.
The next day, we packed up, gave out awards, and went home. I got the award for best photographer because on the first day when we headed back from the waterfall, we saw a deer, and I took some pictures and one was perfect. Ashley got "Most Love able". We also revealed Secret Sisters the night before, and the person who had me, had me last year too, which was beyond cool. I was so surprised. She's Alyssa Lawson. 
The ride home was so fun, because I was in Jill's car. Her daughter was doing Jill's makeup while Jill was driving, we were shouting at people, throwing things, playing games, talking, sleeping, and laughing our heads off. That was sweet.
I was so relieved to be home though. I showered and had Mexican food, and came home to a room that Hannah had messed up. That was a shame, because I cleaned it before I left so I could come home to a clean room. It's a bit destroyed now because I threw my camp stuff all over when I got back anyway. It's amazing how that bag just multiplied into many disastrous things.
I got sun burnt though. I put on sunscreen, but the 70 SPF is probably just $1 lotion squeezed into that tube. A spot on my back if all peely and flaky, and my face looks horrible. Makeup saved me the shame of showing my horrible face at church though, but I probably looked fake. Whatever.
I'm sad camp passed so quickly, and a week ago, I was just about to go to camp. I already can't wait until next year, lol (laugh out loud for you oldies =D).
Kalie Madsen
