Last year was my first year going to a camp in Michigan: excamps.

Excamps, known as experience camps, are week-long camps that you can go to when you have lost a loved one such as a parent, sibling or any other type of guardian. 

This year was my last year as a camper and I will be moving onto the next level.

The camp I went to in Michigan started their first-year program last year for L.I.T’s, also known as leaders in training. We got this opportunity because we were the oldest age of campers there.

We were all freshly learning the ropes though, and didn’t really know what to expect.

At our first campfire, we got sweatshirts with our names etched in them. A project for both boy and girl L.I.T’s was assigned to us to make concrete stepping stones. We got to design it the way we wanted and have it be meaningful.

At the last ceremony we got to show the younger campers, staff and our parents what we made.

Before going off to camp, we put together a theme for the week.

This year we decided on ‘Wild West’ as our theme. Most of the campers will already know what the theme is but there isn’t really anything throughout the week that showcases the theme until the evening of the banquet, which is on the last night but the anticipation from the campers is skyrocketing. We decorated each of the boys’ and girls’ dining halls with cowboy-themed table favors, balloons, a photo backdrop and all! 

There’s a few other activities that we have throughout the week while being at camp like a silent disco, college league games and a talent show.

As an L.I.T, you get a few more extra surprises than the rest of the campers…But the only way to find out is by becoming one.

Moving up to the next level as an L.I.T is such a bittersweet feeling. Mainly because it’s your official last year as being a “camper” and you will never get that experience back again in a camper position.

After your second year of being an L.I.T, you are now qualified to come back to camp as a “junior counselor.”

When I came to camp, that’s all that was on my mind. Though, I still made the best out of it and had a ton of fun.

I had a different perspective from others; Last year was my first year at camp but I was already older so I had never experienced it as being a “young camper” but at the same time, it’s relieving to not be at that type of camp so young when you know the sole reason why you’re there.  

It’s truly heartbreaking when you see kids there so young but are filled with joy when they step foot at camp.

A few new things we got to partake in this year as being L.I.T 2’s was being a leader with some of the younger kids like sitting with them at lunch, which was the most exciting and heartwarming thing to do. 

Another thing we got to do is pass down L.I.T. hoodies to the first year ones. 

Lastly, the L.I.T. 2 girls and boys came together to write a song to sing in front of all the other campers as almost a “parting gift” since it was our final year there before we move onto the next level. We had written our song to “Love Story” by Taylor Swift because we felt that it would be sentimental and the campers would know the tune.

Though it makes me sad to think about only being able to come back as a junior counselor and not enjoy it as a camper, I will be so happy to come back and get a new feel for being a support system for younger campers and give them that space to be themselves, grieve and have fun all in one.

Until next year, Lake of the Woods.