A-Camp Recap #1: Movin’ On Up (The Mountain)

Welcome to the first of four fantastic recaps of our entire experience at the First-Ever A-Camp, which took place two hours outside of Los Angeles at Alpine Meadows in Angelus Oaks, California, from April 26th-29th.

photos by (L to R, clockwise, starting at the top) - Robin Roemer, Rachel Walker, Gabby Rivera and Gabby Rivera

The idea was to take the spirit of the website into three glorious dimensions while simultaneously creating an affordable option for queer ladies for whom other lesbian events (such as Dinah Shore) aren’t a good fit. So, we rented out a summer camp in its off-season and enjoyed a transformative weekend of fun, friendship, panels, workshops, classes, sports, entertainment, events and so forth.

These epically long monster-posts will do their best to explain and extrapolate upon the camp experience, from shitstorms to emotional revelations to glory/triumph.

photos by robin roemer

Today we are going to be re-capping all of history as well as Thursday, April 26th, which was mostly a shitstorm.

The idea here is that you’ll be on the edge of your seat wondering how everybody ended up being so happy by the end of the weekend!

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AND A DREAM WAS BORN

click for more a-camp

Riese, CEO/Executive Editor: I may’ve mentioned this already — but back on some fateful night in July 2010, I woke up at 3am and wrote “CAMP – THIS WILL BE OUR THING” on a notepad I keep by my bed for nocturnal moments of genius. The next day I pitched the idea to Alex, and she agreed (re: its genius) and we’ve been talking about it ever since, both to each other and to other team members.

Marni, Camp Co-Director: Riese had been talking about camp for months (/years) and we’d had lots of excited conversations about it, and at some point I turned to her and said, “You know I used to run a summer camp, right? I can do this.” And she said “Okay. So do it.”

Riese: I was in New York in October 2011 for a panel and that’s when I pitched the idea to Robin, Carly, Jess & Stef. Everybody agreed it was the Best Idea Ever, especially Robin, because Robin loves camp. Although they’d never met, I knew right away that Robin and Marni would make an amazing team to lead this kind of thing.

Marni: And we were off.

Riese: We’d been waiting until we had the resources and following to put together a week-long camp event, but it became increasingly clear going into the fall of 2011 that we’d never have those resources, so in December I emailed everybody and said “let’s just try it for a weekend in California,” and everybody said YES LET’S DO IT.

 

The Lead-Up

Riese: I made a spreadsheet and Marni called a shit-ton of campsites and ultimately we picked Alpine Meadows ’cause it wasn’t affiliated with any religions that hate gay people, didn’t utilize life-scarring communal showers, was Vegan/Vegetarian-friendly, was reasonably priced and had VIP cabins for people like Julie Goldman who is “a Jew first, butch second.”

Further fascinating developments included: booking plane tickets for our entire staff, freaking out about the possibility of nobody wanting to come. But then we built it, and announced it, and everybody wanted to come. We filled all the spots in two days and had an enormous waiting list. It was one of the best feelings EVER.

Marni: I’ve never organized a camp via email before — in the past I’ve been on-site, with staff, planning things and training all together. This was a group of 35 women all over the world, with school and jobs and schedules to work around. Robin and I would have weekly phone calls where we’d plan out emails and spreadsheets and deadlines. There were lots and lots of emails.

At one point I was sitting in front of my little laptop struggling with this spreadsheet, trying to juggle workshops and make the schedule more balanced, and I just said fuck it, I need to touch this with my hands. So Riese and I biked to Walgreen’s and I bought colored cue cards and painter’s tape and I converted my entire bedroom wall into a giant schedule. I haven’t taken it down yet.

marni's wall

Riese: I was handling all of the financial, registration-related and logistical elements of getting staff and campers to camp, including constructing cabin groups by a highly specific socially-engineered process that involved asking everybody to rank their affinity for AS and to certain personality adjectives like “socially anxious” and “outgoing.” I used Marni’s leftover cards and my entire floor to make this happen — the final cabins were named Forever 21, The Golden Girls, The Troubletones (original name: “Trouble”), Cherry Bomb, Rubyfruit, Little Rascals, The Sharks, The Beats, Littlefoot, Wolfpack and Hotel California. I can’t tell you how I organized them, it’s top secret.

Robin, Camp Co-Director/Photographer: January to April is my slowest season as a photographer, so I just kept reaching out to them and offering to help with whatever needed to be done. I worked mainly on the schedule and keeping in touch with instructors and counselors and Hannah.

I’m much more comfortable having things organized and structured really far in advance, so it was hard for me to allow certain parts of A-Camp organizing to come about in an organic way, but Marni is a really wonderfully calming presence.

Marni: We were so nervous as the date approached. I started waking up at 5am every morning with unfocused anxiety, like “how are we going to organize the icebreakers???” I didn’t realize at first but Riese was doing the exact same thing. The sun wouldn’t even be up yet and we’d both be lying there staring at the ceiling. It was nervousness but at the root of it was excitement.

Riese: Per ushe, I underestimated the amount of work involved — at some point there was a situation which required buying out the campsite for the weekend to avoid sharing it with 50 Pastors who apparently wanted to “retreat” that very same weekend. Also I had a mental breakdown, but that’s to be expected.

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Getting Our Shit Together

Marni: I got the idea for the pigeonholes based on a smaller-scale version we’d had for just staff at my old camp, but wasn’t sure how I was going to realize it. I went to this place in Oakland called the “East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse” and for 10 dollars I got 200 toilet paper rolls and a dozen or so cardboard things that I thought could maybe work and I spent the next two days sitting on the floor of Riese’s bedroom painstakingly tracing the tubes and cutting circles out of each piece of cardboard, and scraping off the bits of toilet paper left on the rolls. Riese was totally grossed out and I think was a bit unconvinced that this was the most worthwhile use of my time. (It definitely was.)

pigeonholes on riese's floor

pigeonholes at camp

Robin: Our original document for camp was named after our first working title “Camp Fear,” which was named because of an email thread in which we discussed scary nighttime camp games. The document is still named “Camp Fear” and it makes me smile whenever I open Google docs. I would still like to plan a Stratego/Capture the Flag game for the next session, loosely based on the Hunger Games. Very loosely based.

Laneia, Executive Editor: I was put in charge of gathering workshop supplies, probably because I would be driving in from Phoenix and would have room for everything, but I like to think that Robin also knew how much I love making lists and buying sharpies. I cleared out my Trapper Keeper and set to work printing out spreadsheets and organizing shopping lists. I was sending emails asking “Can you clarify ‘assorted beads’ please?” and “What are your feelings on craft lace?” What I’m saying is, a childhood spent organizing office supplies swiped from my mom, cataloging doll accessories and coordinating elaborate sleepover clubs had finally, finally paid off.

all the things

Riese: I created a labyrinth driving schedule for airport transport that involved renting six 15-passenger vans from Executive Van Rental and having various counselors drive them 2.5 hours to the site. However, this plan quickly escalated into a Situation, and here’s why:

“Merging is something that I’m generally very scared of.” – Katrina

“I lost my driver’s license and debit card three weeks ago.” – Taylor

“I’m a New Yorker who doesn’t drive so… I am NOT useful behind the wheel of a car.” – Jamie

“I feel like now is a relevant time to tell you that I can’t drive.” – Grace

“I do not know how to drive.” -Carolyn

“Also did I mention that I have no driver’s license?” – Carmen

“I’d better not drive. I’d probably end up driving on the wrong side of the road.” -Crystal

“Even on a good day I probably wouldn’t have the attention span to safely drive a 15 passenger van to a place I’ve never been.” – Lizz

Therefore, I also had to book some Roadrunner Shuttles (they come with drivers!) to compensate. Soo, I’d given up on enticing any New Yorkers to drive when, much to my surprise, Gabby and Stef volunteered — with great enthusiasm! — to drive. Basically, I had a fantasy that I could make airport transportation both totally affordable and totally reliable. That turns out to be impossible. I forgot about this:

Gabby, Cherry Bomb Counselor/Writer: Working tv/film production I’ve driven a hot mess menagerie of vehicles: 15 pass vans, cube trucks, sprinter vans, sprinter-hybrid-cargo vans, Escalades, Smart Cars, golf carts etc. If it has wheels, I can pretty much handle that and I’ve got stamina for days (rim shot, please). I can drive forever on highways, side roads and sometimes even sidewalks. So at first I was super surprised that Riese didn’t have me on the camper pick-up schedule. I really wanted to drive and contribute and get right in there and meet some of you. Thankfully, Lizz asked if someone could switch with her. Enter: Gabby is driving a van now, yay!

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Tuesday, April 24th 

Riese: I jam-packed our tiny rental car to the absolute brim and drove down from San Francisco alone, where I spent the entire trip talking to myself, imagining that I was talking to campers on the first night. Then I listed to “We are Young” (the Glee cast version) on repeat for an hour and started crying about my dream coming true and how much I loved everybody and was so excited, and then I talked to myself some more about that.

Robin: Marni, Riese, Taylor, Carly and I stayed in a hotel room together on Tuesday night. We were all anxious and nervous, but extremely excited for the new experience. At one point, I looked around the room to see Riese and Carly on their laptops, Marni organizing her folders of notes, maps, and schedules and Taylor taking photographs, and it reminded me of what it felt like to be present at those very early Autostraddle meetings many years ago.

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Wednesday, April 25th

I. Nobody Said It Was Easy / No One Ever Said It Would Be So Hard

wednesday morning in the hotel (photo by taylor)

Riese: Alright, SO. It’s about 1 PM on Wednesday and we’re waiting for Rachel/Emily/Stef/Crystal/Carolyn to arrive from being in the air.

We were moments away from departure — and the girls are arriving — when we got  a super-unexpected call from the good (read: terrible) people at Roadrunner Shuttles, who were thrilled (read: totally unphased) to inform us that there was “a computer glitch” and our shuttles (3 for Thursday, 1 for Sunday — although I’d planned on booking three for Sunday, I just hadn’t decided the times yet) would cost $140 more, EACH. They already cost between $250-$350 dollars each, so this was a serious issue.

Me: So what you’re saying is your business made a mistake, and now my business has to pay for your mistake?
“Karen”: Or I could cancel the reservations, ma’am.
Me: But I have no choice! I’m literally hours away from losing internet access and I have 116 women I’ve gotta move from the airport to a campsite 2.5 hours away in 24 hours! What I want is to have shuttles at the price I reserved them for, that’s what I want.
“Karen”: We can’t do that, ma’am.
Me: ARGHHH!!!

Robin called to yell at them some more and Karen made up three different stories to avoid putting her on the line with a supervisor who did/didn’t exist and was/wasn’t in a meeting. We ended up canceling half the shuttles we’d booked, and reserving more vans for Autostraddle drivers to compensate.

Then I frantically attempted to devise a new plan for Thursday during the time I’d set aside to organize Sunday (this quickly became evident on Sunday.) Amid this stress I LEFT TINKERBELL IN THE HOTEL ROOM!

Then we made the drive to camp. It was a really beautiful day.

driving to camp (photo by taylor)

Laneia: By the time we left for California, I was 85% certain that I’d thought of everything we’d all ever need forever — even the stuff that wasn’t on the lists! I was wrong, of course, but the back of Megan’s SUV definitely looked like I’d succeeded. We stopped at the Cabazon Dinosaurs and I hyperventilated a lot.

from phoenix to angelus oaks

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II. Preparing For You

Riese: The drive up the mountain to camp is alternately like a nature movie and a horror movie. Within a few minutes of our arrival, Laneia & Megan showed up, as did Alex.

Alex, Autostraddle Co-Founder/Design Director: We spent Wednesday night putting together the gift bags and finishing the pigeon hole mail boxes. This night was awesome because I got to reunite with my fellow staff members/writers, many I haven’t seen in more than a year and many I hadn’t even met yet. The night was exhausting but the anticipation was high… finally Camp was happening.

stef with the gift bags

Riese: I was so excited and nervous about everything, like my gut was tied up in star-shaped knots.

Stef, Wolfpack Counselor: Meeting up with everyone from Auto staff was surreal and beautiful; some were friends I’d known and adored for years, while others were people who had previously existed (to me, at least) only as avatars. I was familiar with everyone in one sense or another and it was really exciting for us to all be in the same room.

Laneia: Riese, Rachel and I wrote little notes for each camper while everyone else did the hard work. We talked about how it felt like a tv reunion special, with people from the original cast and the new kids. I kept looking up at the other girls and getting super overwhelmed with everything. At one point Robin said, “Can you believe this?! It’s like, who signed off on this idea? Who gave us permission to do this?”

marni & carly test walkie-talkies

Emily, Sharks Counselor: I had been awake for about 20 hours after two hours of sleep and two plane rides. We had our first staff meeting at around midnight and the excitement was still palpable, even though we were all exhausted. I was really tired and my eyeballs fell out.

Laneia: Riese had us quiz her with the campers’ names because she’d accidentally memorized them all, which is impressive but not necessarily surprising, if you know Riese.

first meeting (photo by taylor)

Riese: Most importantly, Marni got in touch with somebody at the hotel who said they had Tinkerbell and we could get her tomorrow!

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NEXT: We actually talk about camp actually happening, almost!

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256 Comments

  1. Ever since I heard about a-camp I’ve wanted to go… Every post makes me want that more and more because where I live the only time there’s a group of us is the 12 hrs that our pride fest goes on and let’s be honest what’s more awesome than being around a group of smart happy women who like women

  2. YOU GUYS. I’m on Autostraddle like 34 times a day, ERRDAY. And for once I was NOT on Autostraddle for TWO WHOLE WEEKS because I was away, and that’s when talk about camp and registration happened.

    My heart. It breaks.

    Now I check AS about 87 times a day in anticipation for A-Camp 2.0. It looked so magical!

  3. I’m only halfway through but I had to stop and comment just to say that “So Thursday morning I drove to the Canadian Consulate to collect these brightly-colored plastic buzzers for lesbian jeopardy” is the best sentence I have ever read. Also, I am totally coming to A-Camp next time.

  4. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read all about Camp, just because it’d make me more sad that I wasn’t there, but it turns out that I do want to read all about it after all. Thanks for posting this! It sounds like it was amazing, and you haven’t even finished the weekend yet.
    Next time…

    • Same! I was like awwww this post is just going to make me sad, I’m probably not going to read past the first few sentences.. And then there were all those pictures.. and that intrigue.. and I was totally hooked.

      I definitely NEED to go next time.

  5. I was planning a trip to New York this summer (and was gonna ask if any local Straddlers could show me round) but I might just save the money and try for A Camp 2.0 instead. It sounds like it would totally be worth the jetlag. (also I’ve always been curious about summer camps. We don’t really have them in england)

  6. I’m thinking back to when I was a little closeted gaybie nervously watching “If These Walls Could Talk 2” and “But I’m a Cheerleader.” My hand tightly clasping the remote, ready to change the channel at the slightest movement or noise. Wondering if I could ever talk to anyone about being gay or ever have gay friends. I never would have dreamt that something like this would ever exist and is now something I could potentially go to…that is incredibly overwhelming.

    Not to beat a dead horse, but A-Camp: East Coast Edition would be epic.

  7. Our drive up with Rachel was pretty great. I was sitting in a van full of extremely attractive ladies, and we had the experience of going through Croce’s CDs together. The “Farm Mix” was.. interesting, to say the least. Also, the Lion King and of course, Ani.

  8. if i wasn’t at work right now i’m pretty sure i would be crying, hyperventilating, and flailing my arms all at once because i am overwhelmed by SO MANY FEELINGS.

    first of all, SCARY NIGHTTIME GAMES MUST HAPPEN next time!

    secondly, the debilitating heartache that i’ve been living with since april 29 had finally started to dull a little bit until this happened and now it hurts just as bad again because I MISS YOU FUCKERS SO DAMN MUCH. september cannot come quickly enough!

    also not only does riese know my name she knows that piper (the name i go by) is actually my middle name and she knows what my real first name is which is a privilege usually reserved for my family, best friends, and people like college professors, so i hope you know how special you are riese. also i am waiting impatiently to hear about tinkerbell.

    i think it’s hilarious that you almost named our cabin trouble because it’s kind of accurate. and crystal i appreciated your warning talk and definitely took it into consideration when i thought about how much whiskey to put in my first drink. :)

    also i just remembered this, when the announcement about camp first happened in february i flipped a shit and immediately reserved my spot before doing anything like looking at a calendar, my bank account, or plane ticket prices. i knew from the start that camp was going to be something really really special that i could not miss if it was at all possible. even when my logical side was thinking that maybe this isn’t the best idea and my friends were like “how are you going to afford this?” the idea of not going never really crossed my mind. it was like my intuition knew how important and amazing camp was going to be and it just shut the logic up long enough for me to solidify my plans. i can’t really remember what point i was trying to make with this besides a-camp is unique and life changing and really special and important and i am still so, so thankful to the staff for making it happen.

    wow i wrote a lot i just love you guys so much ok i’m going back to work now

  9. I can honestly say Im really happly for everyone else. At first I thought reading this would be like watching a stranger open a present but it wasn’t, I wasn’t jealous or anything. It was like watching the Oscars when someone actually cool wins, like Charlie Chalplins lifetime achievement award…you should watch this, you will cry. I’m super excited that there in an entire camp of fun rad people. Congrats to everyone involved. You are awesome.

  10. to the readers who didn’t go the last camp,

    reading your comments makes me so so excited for the next one! we learned so much that weekend — about ourselves and these people and real life masquerading as dreams and how to get to meals on time — and then we learned another round of lessons after the fact and WE JUST CAN’T WAIT to put all the things into practice.

    i was worried that publishing this recap would make some people think that camp sounded like a huge letdown, like they were glad they didn’t go. it’s like telling everyone about your rad slumber party where you watched ‘dirty dancing’ and all the doritos and prank called your cousin and the people you tell are like LAME, LANEIA. THAT’S LAME.

    so anyway i’m glad to see that some of you still want to come to the next camp even though you know i’ll probably be doing a lot of silent affirmations/chanting re: overcoming severe anxiety so i can say hi to you!

    and i will say hi to you. i’m totally gonna be all up in your shit next time.

  11. AH IM AT WORK AND I FEEL LIKE CRYING

    good thing i work for a theater company and we’re all extremely emotive/gay/gaymotive

    thoughts:
    1) when i introduced myself to Riese at the airport she said “shilpa…joshi, right?” and i was so blown away i just mumbled something and walked away. ALSO BECAUSE SHE PRONOUNCED IT RIGHT. holy shit no one in my life that has just read my name can pronounce it right the first time, unless they’re indian i suppose.
    2) IS TINKERBELL OKAY
    3) those pigeonholes were fucking GREAT
    4) one of the Alpine staffers drove an SUV of the canadian sharks + me to santa monica and that woman BEASTED down those mountains roads like…..holy shit, we were careening around hairpin bends and all about to hyperventilate when she was like, you know i drive up and down this mountain twice a day, right? then we all calmed down and enjoyed the coolest view of Big Bear ever

    campcampcampcampcampcampcamp :D

  12. This was so amazing. You guys put so much work in, and now you’re putting more work in re-capping how amazing it was so that we can all squeal in delight from our computers across the fucking country- nay, across the globe?! I LOVE YOU GUYS

    And for my part I wanna say that the altitude totally didn’t affect my drinking. Troubletones for life.

  13. I have been looking forward to hearing about A camp very much, and one of the things I have been most looking forward to: how to pronounce your name Laneia. Is now the time? Can the mystery finally be revealed?

  14. Looking at everyone smiling in the campfire photo made me cry. I can’t even express how much hope this website has given me over the past year. Thank you for the recap — I was really hoping you guys would write something for everyone who wasn’t able to attend. I’m going to make an A-Camp savings piggy bank for the next one in the fall. I’m nervous about it already! <3

  15. This recap is so great, it made me laugh like a fool and almost cry in public. I love you guys SO FUCKING MUCH. I’m really gonna try and hug you all next time, or at lest say words to your faces. I can’t wait for September!!!!!!!!!

  16. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this.

    At first I thought there wouldn’t be a recap and camp would be an elusive place that only people who experienced it could understand. How silly of me to doubt Autostraddle.

    This all sounds like fun so far, I can’t wait to get the the parts where everything goes right and people start…having fun.

    Also curious about the personal messages…what a cute idea!

  17. Omg this recap made me so happy! I’ve been re-living camp in my head pretty much every day since it happened, and this just makes it better.

    A month ago I never would have thought that I’d give SO MUCH consideration to skipping a week of grad school to go to A-Camp 2.0. (But seriously I might do it.)

  18. Do ya’ll remember when Lizz did a victory lap around the Terminal 3 baggage claim because one of the campers was wearing boots that she had recommended in a post? That was a special moment.

    • I KNOW RIGHT? did you see the one where they had to delay their wedding by two hours because of RR, or the one where the 85-year-old grandmother twisted her ankle ’cause the driver wouldn’t pull up closer to the curb? that was amazing.

  19. Stef’s description of Rachel’s quotes sound exactly like her–always knows exactly what to say <3.

    This makes me really wish I could have gone to camp, and also makes me Chistraddler-sick (it's like homesick, but for gays). Is that weird?

  20. I want this. As a die hard camp fan with tons o’ camping experience, I must experience this. Please bring to the East Coast (Boston, ahem) this fall! I’ll volunteer to drive Boston straddlers if it’s any help!

  21. I just want to say that this sounds pretty much like the best thing that has ever happened. I recently have come out and autostraddle has been a huge part in that. I’m happy that now I don’t have to hide or close down the links anymore when someone walks by. You guys are an amazing group of women who have made life significantly better for a number of people who you will never meet but will be forever grateful. I just want to say that if 2.0 happens I will be there with bells on to meet the people who have changed my life and made me feel more comfortable in my own skin.

  22. this is beautiful and amazing and i can’t wait to read the rest

    there were lots of hilarious moments but for some reason jess’s paragraph about picking up the wrong human at the airport sent me over the edge

    like, i am lying on my bed giggling like a maniac
    i just can’t get over the image
    i’m laughing by myself at my computer screen

    also jess and i had a really nice brief conversation in the cheder ochel (obsessed with the hebrew writing all over camp) about being feminine and having our parents doubt our queerness because we liked to paint our nails and we have long hair so maybe i just really love jess

    but for serious guys i’m still laughing

    in conclusion a camp was the best, i am seriously doubtful about having time off/money to go to camp in september but in my heart i know i have to make it happen because it was too important and too special to not happen again

    like the thought of camp happening and me not being at it physically hurts my heart

    you know?

    • Yes, that’s exactly how I’m feeling right now. A-Camp 1.0 was not exactly a financially responsible decision for me, but I can’t imagine not going to the next one.

      Also, this:

      Everyone looked so good even though they probably just traveled across the country and drove up the side of Killer Mountain on a spare tire.

      and this:

      As soon as the first bushy tailed little darlings rolled out of what looked like a kidnapper’s van, it was clear that everything would be basically absolutely perfect from there on out.

      right in a row had me cracking up for about five minutes straight. Driving up Killer Mountain on a spare tire in a kidnapper’s van is an exactly perfect description of the crazy transportation situation on Thursday.

  23. This recap is giving me so many feelings I can’t even write them logically. So I’ll just say that despite the crazy traffic/exhaustion/social anxiety compounded by my vanmates being so witty and talkative and funny on the ride up the mountain, it was totally worth it because A-Camp was a life-changing experience!
    I can’t wait to relive the rest of it with everyone.
    And go to the next one, even if I have to sell a kidney to do it.

  24. I was one of the fashionably late arrivals, so reading this entire post made me feel like I missed out on A LOT of stuff. As Gabby put it, I missed one day of rapture.

    Crystal, drinking at high altitude = more bang for your buck! I feel like I didn’t overdo it, hell, we even played soccer on Saturday morning!

    Katrina, you’re not alone. Apparently “People are afraid to merge on freeways in Los Angeles.”

  25. These recaps prove yet again how absolutely fucking amazing everyone involved with A-Camp is (AS staff and campers alike).

    I am having trouble finding the words to express just how awesome A-Camp was. And this recap is making me miss it so much. I want A-Camp to be real life 24/7/365.25.

    Also, I am saving for a bunch of stuff right now and am not sure if going to A-Camp 2.0 is the best decision financially. But not going just isn’t an option for my heart, ya know?

  26. This is so fun to read and relive!! I’m so excited about the next camp, its going to be perfect! Also, I can’t wait to actually go around and talk to people this time. I only was able to visit half of the cabins!! Really really looking forward to seeing all of you in September!!

  27. Reading this makes me desperately wanna go. I’m not sure I can afford it, and I’ve never been out of my country before, and so I’ve never flown, but hnnng, I really REALLY want to go – so will have to look into it anyways. XD

    • You were an awesome co-pilot. I was at the back of the van so I don’t know what co-piloting actually entailed BUT WE WERE IN AWE OF YOUR NAVIGATIONAL SKILLS – it would’ve been very bad if we’d gone up the wrong mountain after everything.

      (P.S. Am very pleased with myself for finding the right Kate, when you told me your username on the last day I was convinced I’d never be able to remember it/find you again.)

  28. The first reactions and reviews about A-camp were so jubilant that it really surprises me that there were so many transportation- and startup-issues. This only makes the exciting reviews more awesome: despite some struggles at the beginning, everybody still feels this was the best camp of their lives. That’s a real accomplisment!

    • I was on one of the first shuttles you launched. You called my name and I said something about how I could wait for another if need be.You cut me off, white knuckle gripping your clip-board and said sternly “You are on THIS shuttle.” I think I pee’d a little and nodded. But as I quickly walked towards the door I mumbled something about how “if I had my rifle..mumble mumble.” But damn I had a new respect for you!

  29. For a second this felt like being back at camp. I didn’t know that staff persons cried at the opening campfire, but this information breaks my heart into tiny, beating love pieces.

    Also, I’m still coming to terms with the fact that RIESE BERNARD, CEO OF AMAZING and BRILLIANT IDEAS/VISIONS, knows who I am….!

  30. Reading this made me feel SO MANY FEELINGS because I wasn’t there/about not being there. But ChicagoStraddle represent! I actually haven’t completely forgiven Amy/Rachel/Laurie for the Harto pics and texts. I will be at the next A Camp if I have to sell my belongings, cats, and future unborn children. I WILL. Can I be in Tinkerbell’s cabin?

  31. Yay! I will never get sick of talking about camp ever.

    Can “I Wanna Gay Baby” be our official campfire song? We can send out the lyrics ahead of time and boom sing-a-long.

    Also if you want, some of us ‘straddlers are profresh event planners. Maybe we can get like some sponsored booze and shiz? I’ll have to get my thoughts together and e-mail about this. Basically I’m pretty sure Jenner and I can make free things happen.

  32. Those pidgeonholes are the cutest and most amazing thing ever. I suggested a ‘have some way to leave each other notes’ type of thing in the comments on the original A Camp announcement post but I’m glad and really not surprised that you guys were onto it already.. and look at how adorable they are!

    I hope that everyone got some compliments, encouragement, quotes and numbers etc. ;)

  33. Reading this while my father sleeps in the bed next to me in a shitty hotel room and trying not to laugh too loudly but it’s not working. You guys are the best! I wish Riese, Robin, Marnie, and everyone else were in charge of making my whole life just as funny and wonderful and at times disorganized as camp. Love you guys.

  34. OMG! Emily is that a venezuelan flag in your picture?? *.*
    A-Camp sounds really, really, really amazing… I think I’d have to go to the 3rd one… There’ll a 3rd one, right?? :-O

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