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So, I live in Michigan, but I live in southeast Michigan which means heavy population, auto-industry, rust-belt type of environment. Lots of people and cars, not a lot of woods.
However, Michigan has "Up North" which to residents is anything north of Flint, but to most everyone else is the Upper Peninsula. It's like camp all year long.

So I went on vacation last week (hence the lack of replies) Up North and went hiking, and the the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and I tried to track a porcupine (I found his tree, but not him) and the whole time I just kept thinking about how awesome it would be to bring those experiences to camp; or to find something cool and bring it back to show the campers. 26 days can't go by fast enough!

Ah 35 days until I leave... So far away but so close.... I cant wait to leave.

You are a counselor when you try to fill out your pre camp paperwork right away

39 days!! Too early to start packing?

Maybe too early to pack but its never too early to do some camp shopping

I'm packing for camp now, but that is only because if I pack for camp now everything else I own can get packed up and moved into storage until I'm out of camp and have a new apartment!

You know you're a counsellor when you wonder if it is too early to start packing 2 months before you leave.

You know you are a counselor when you get excited to do camp shopping becuse that means camp is close

umm I was pretty much packed 2 months before I left because I have a very limited budget and needed to know what I needed so I had time/money to buy it.

When half (or more) of your room is decorated with camp stuff!

what, you mean not everyone has signed canoe paddles lining their walls?

And group photos..... and camp photos as the wall paper on their computer.....

and on their families computers (mums lappy has a camp photo as wall paper!)

When you have decided that best way for someone you have never met before to identify you in a crowded train station is to wear a hoody with either your camp name on it or S'more people!

Ha I was going to wear my Guider hoodie.... since all my GS t's are at my parents house now!

I might wear that or something chenoa!

When you have cabin/camp photos in your room from 10 years ago

When you take a nalgene with you to the cinema

You test your nalgene to see if it will hold diet cola for an afternoon!

The design on your thermal coffee mug is the camp map!

hehe - i just assumed that it would - although the pouring in might make it go a bit flat!

I think the lid will hold. It's far more watertight than the coffee mug!


.... you can tell how old a map is by the changes in the units... and you use and old one to reminisce about the old times.

... You puzzle yourself over looking at a camp map from 2003, a camp map from 2006, and a camp map from 2008/2009 that have things spelled ENTIRELY different!
(seriously, is it Bug lake, Bugs lake, or Buggs lake??)

Though it doesnt even matter to me, because all three of them were terrible to use to try and navigate camp (they are great if you're driving through camp, but terrible if you hike) that I used yahoo maps and google maps and made my own!

When you own at least one stuffed animal with a camp name on it - I have 3 all with different camp names and one of them glows in the dark!

You rearranged the trading post even though you weren't working there and found more stuff to buy.......

When you have worked in trading post!

When you have over the course of 2 years made about 50 CIT, Intern, Ranger and staff ties and tied them into friendship knots!

When you figured out a way to not spend crazy amounts of money, and still get a lot of camp memorabilia. I buy a staff hoodie, a camp t-shirt, and tie-dye one of my white shirts that was for Sunday and Friday (we wore blues and whites as "dress up" uniform) towards the end of the summer. I am trying to get camp to order white shirts with the camp desgin on them to sell in the TP so I can just tie-dye that, thus making 1 camp t-shirt and 1 hoodie per summer instead of 2 t-shirts and a hoodie! It hasn't worked yet. I think the campers would enjoy it too, and the parents!

When you have never worked the job at camp that puts you in the TP every Sunday (arts and crafts and kitchen, I believe) and yet you have worked the TP!

When you are already talking to camps for summer 2010 and you still have 1 month until summer 09!

When you wish the month until camp 2009 would only be 1 day