The Meaning of MoWo

Camp Mosey Wood, set in the beautiful Pocono Mountains, is a place where the fun never stops and nothing ever dries.  Ten summers of my life were spent within the camp bubble, hiding away from the outside world, finding peace in nature.  So many people have come into my life through camp, and I couldn't imagine life without those chapters.  Now that "I" has become "we", I figured it was time to introduce my other half to the joys of MoWo.  The best (...and only) time to do that was family camp.

After the long car ride filled with way too much traffic, we finally saw that old sign welcoming us to camp.  Driving up the road felt like coming home.  As we drove through camp, I was bubbling over with excitement.  There were so many things to show Shawn, so many stories to share.  How was I going to start explaining the magic of camp...and where?  Deerwood seemed like a good place to start since I had spent most of my time in that unit.

We hiked up to Deerwood and settled into tent #1, home indeed.  Rolling tent flaps is like riding a bike...something you never forget.  The familiar scent of damp forest and canvas filled my nose.  It was a smell I hadn't realized I'd been missing.  After unpacking we headed down the road back toward central camp, all the while pointing out different sights to Shawn.  "This is Pathfinder...that's Stonewood...oh, and that's where we had a code V!"  We wandered around for awhile before ending up in the dining hall.  It was there that we met up with some friends, the Laudenslager family and my old college friend, Dave (small world!).  Reunions are wonderful, especially at camp.  The opening meeting came with more reunions of old staff friends and the weekend schedule.  We headed back to Deerwood early to get a good night's sleep for all the fun that awaited us the next day.  I had forgotten how peaceful sleeping at camp is; the night breeze carrying the whispers of creatures in the dark, the slight chill of mountain air against your face while the rest of your body is snug in the sleeping bag, the crazy-loud noise of the bed springs whenever you move an inch.  

A cool, damp morning followed and we reluctantly left our warm sleeping bags for the promise of a warm breakfast.  Camp food is always worth leaving your sleeping bag.  We decided to start our weekend off with a hike, the Yellow Trail.  Don't ask me why, maybe we needed a little punishment right off the bat.  If that doesn't make sense to you, then you have never hiked the Yellow Trail.  You always get lost, end of story.  Just lost enough that you start to worry.  It didn't take long to find the trail again, crisis averted.  The end of the trail brought us to Jacob's Ladder, a rock outcrop just beyond Deerwood.  We climbed around for a bit, looked for the cache and admired the chalk work on the stone.  Enjoying the tranquility of the woods, we sat in silence.  Hiking back to central camp, we decided to head to the archery range to find our inner Katniss.  Who knew Shawn was such a good shot?! 

The remaining time before lunch was spent shooting round after round.  We set off for lunch with a couple of bull's eyes under our belts, feeling pretty badass.  At lunch we caught up with the Laudenslagers and made plans for the afternoon.  Swimming was next on the agenda, but the cool air made us rethink that plan.  Sophia didn't seem to have a problem with that.  She splashed away in the chilly, lake water, but knowing her mom, she's probably half fish!  I didn't make it past my thighs and Shawn barely got his feet wet.  After that failed attempt at swimming, we headed over to the boathouse.  I must have thought the water would be warmer over at boating because I suited up for my first try at stand up paddle boarding (or SUPing for you hip folks).  And try I did, and by try, I mean fell...a lot.  SUPing was a lot harder than I thought it would be and let me tell you, the water was NOT warmer over there.  After a long struggle, I managed to stand up a couple times.  I'm pretty sure Shawn was laughing on the dock.  And go figure, Shawn stood up on his first try; SUPing must be his thing!

Smiling and a little damp, we headed back to Deerwood for rest hour.  Having fun is hard work!  Dinner quickly came around and we made our way to the dining hall.  Another surprise visitor showed up, Oz!  Dinner was delicious, of course, but hardly the end of our day.  Climbing wall was up and running in the pavilion.  Shawn got a chance to test his fear of heights...on a smallish scale, and he did so well!  

I think it's safe to say, we both slept well that night.  We awoke to another cool, damp morning; this time it was a little harder to leave the warmth of our sleeping bags.  But there was breakfast somewhere, so we ventured off.  The rain held off so far and we hoped for a bit longer too.  After breakfast, we made our way to high ropes.  I definitely didn't miss the hill up to the course.  It's a steep one!  We made quick work of gearing up and off he went.  It was time for him to face his fear on a much larger scale.  I had no idea that I was dating Spiderman!  He completed the high ropes course in record time and only "kinda" screamed like a girl on the swing (just kidding, it was a very manly roar...followed by "weeeeeeee!").  By the time family camp rolls around next year, he'll be ready for the dueling ziplines! Once back on solid ground, we left high ropes and headed down to Trexler for some good old arts & crafts.  Lunch was next, and soon we would have to say goodbye to camp for awhile.   

After lunch we said our goodbyes and left with the promise of next year.  We took one last walk out to Chapel for a little reflection.  The overcast sky hid the sun and seemed to echo my mood.  We were leaving this place shortly, for time had passed too quickly.  My only wish (for my invisible wood cookie) was that I had shown Shawn the magic of this place.  How you can escape the distractions of the outside world and find peace within yourself.  

Family camp had been a wonderful way to share a place so dear to my heart with the one that now holds it close.  The weekend there was just a tiny taste of the adventures that camp may hold.  But Mosey Wood has not always been fun for me.  At times it has scared me, challenged me and taught me new things about myself and life.  Camp has taught me how to be strong when I am afraid, how to challenge myself and love who I am, how to make sisters with total strangers.  Camp has taught me that it's okay to be out there on the loose, for not all who wander are lost.  Camp has taught me to always have stars in my eyes, that love is the greatest magic there is and that our lives are made up of little chapters.  I hope that everyone has their own "camp"; a place that shapes who you are, challenges your way of thinking, where you can grow as a person.  And I hope Mosey Wood can continue being that place for me (and hopefully my future children) for another 75 years!