A-Camp September 2012 Recamp #1: We Absolutely Started The Fire

Wednesday, September 12th – FIRST DAY OF CAMP

In which campers arrive at LAX via airplane and shuttle to camp, and other campers arrive at camp in vehicles, and camp begins

(photo by meredith)

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IV. Let’s Get These Bros On The Road

Katrina: I woke up at 6:30. I didn’t mean to, but I guess I was just that excited. I walked to Wolf Lounge and cut up my camp shirt all special and went back to my cabin and put on my camp outfit and felt so ready for my day.

Rachel: At breakfast, we got to reunite joyfully with those staff members who had arrived in the dark of night, and then wait for campers to start arriving!

Gabby Rivera, Snatch-22 Counselor/Writer: 7am. I’m settled into the driver’s seat of a white minivan. Laura is in the passenger seat and Carmen’s riding backseat bitch.

Carmen: I woke up thirty minutes before my own shuttle to the shuttle and, being a great shuttle captain like I am, didn’t look for water and/or coffee before shuffling into the backseat of a van. Gabby was driving and Laura was riding shotgun and I was super miserably hungover.

Gabby: Part of me fell into big sister love with Carmen because in that van ride she was vulnerable, sweet and calm. The morning does that to people and I loved seeing the side of Carmen that mostly lives in her words, the stuff behind the wild and crazy she shares when in the spotlight, the just Carmen was just so perfect. I could also share that Laura is probably the best person to have as a co-pilot. Anyone that sings The Roots to me, wins life.

Laura: If you were at OG camp or read the recap, you might remember what a horrible terrible disaster transportation was.

Gabby: The three of us were ready to not only tackle the descent down dyke mountain but also ready to wrangle the gaggle of queer kitten behbehs soon to be arriving at LAX. The first A-shuttle crew was already gathered at terminal 6. Laura was checking off names and getting ready to herd everyone out the door.

Carmen: We herded the pack of wild lesbians onto the shuttle bus, which almost came on time! I was definitely in charge of a shuttle full of people from the smoker’s circle, as well as a ton of Misfits. It was super magical.

(photo by katie o’donnell)

Gabby: I had a moment for a much needed cigarette. I lit up outside with my “spot the cute queer” eyes still on overdrive. A girl walked by green streaks in her hair, fresh kicks on her feet and one of those “I’m lost. Help me” looks on her face. “A-Camp?”, I asked. She met me halfway, confused and asking for a smoke, promising me she was 18. I hesitated and asked again if she was going to A-Camp. She had no idea what I was talking about. An actual A-Camper walked over and the three of us smoked in silence. Then the almost 18 year old girl with the green streaks said, “I don’t know what Autostraddle or A-Camp is but I just flew across the country. My parents found out I’m gay and they kicked me out of my house. I’ve got nowhere to go but my ex-girlfriend is picking me up here and that’s all I’ve got right now.”

Pause. I hugged her. What else are you supposed to do when someone tells you that? Fuck. I told her to come up the mountain with us, to be apart of happy homo camp. We smoked some more but it really didn’t click, the idea of what A-Camp meant that is. Then Laura was on the move with her crew of campers and they streamed out of the automatic doors to our left. One after the other, a slew of well-dressed queermos filtered out, past this girl. They came closer and the girl let me share her story with the group. All of the first shuttle campers encouraged her to come with us, some of them hugged her and then I think it all made sense. Like she got it and wanted to be a part of it and that we were real and it wasn’t just me, crazy at the airport; that we were a family of queers. Then out of nowhere Emily Goldsmith hands her a fistful of You Do You stickers. She tells the girl to look up Autostraddle because “We can’t wait to see you at next camp.”

In that moment, it clicked for me too. A-Camp is changing lives. It’s changing what we know is possible, is normal to do or think of in this fucked up world. So young girl, if you’re reading this then you’re on the right path and Emily spoke for all of us. I sure hope to see you at the next camp. Oh, and bring the ex too.

Laura: Watching you all walk towards our group huddled in Terminal 6 and try to figure out if we were your people was one of the cutest things I’ve seen in all of time and seeing the tiny pride parade of queers walk to each bus was magical.

Camper Quote: “Even though the bus was pretty late and the driver may have gotten lost (we aren’t sure but he probs did) it was still great! Laura and Gaby were awesome about making sure everyone was doing well while we waited (they even brought us real food!!!!!) and then the bus was nice once we were on it… Plus I bonded hard core with my bus mates and felt like camp started as soon as I spotted the group of homos sitting by the baggage pick up :)”

photo by kelly cazinha

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V. Meanwhile, Back At Camp…

carly & mary (photo by marni)

Carrie: Wednesday morning was all about last-minute prep before campers arrived. Croce, Mollie and I decorated the Forever 21 cabin. I brought streamers and Croce brought lube. Somehow this seemed fitting.

Daniela: At some point I started working on making the three schedule boards happen. I obsessed over this for hours. Now I think of A-Camp every time I smell Sharpie markers.

Riese: Laneia and I spent most of the morning cutting and taping things in The Runaways cabin. We kinda wanted it to look like a ‘zine.

Laneia: I couldn’t stop taping stuff to the walls. They eventually had to drag us out.

runaways wall (photo by laneia)

Riese: I was pulled away from decorating because somehow the “people who need linens” list had grown between “making the linens order” and “people arriving at camp” because computers are hard, and gahhh, and so we were short on linens. Typically, this would’ve sent Robin, Marni, Alex, Laneia and I into a hot panic BUT IT DIDN’T because 1) We’re not broke! This isn’t the end of the world!, 2) Our newly-employed piratette Alex Vega was totally into exploring the San Bernadino Area all afternoon!

Alex: I spent a lot of time at two Target locations and a Bed, Bath & Beyond attempting to obtain 15 sets of sheets, covers, pillows, and towels because we thought we were going to be short on linens but it turns out we were not short at all! In fact I still have these things in my car. Just saying.

Riese: All this means is that the original number I gave was correct after all, so it was a mixed emotional situation at the end of the day, but refreshingly less expensive than anticipated! Also, this bedding will come into play later in the recamps, so stay tuned.

Carly: Wednesday morning began with Crystal and I decorating the Thundercats’ cabin until the first campers began to arrive.

Crystal: Honestly, the streamers looked terrible, they were the worst – but we had faith that our campers who would appreciate the spirit in which they were hung.

Carly preps the Thundercats (photo by Crystal)

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NEXT: Campers come to actual camp!

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Riese

Riese is the 41-year-old Co-Founder of Autostraddle.com as well as an award-winning writer, video-maker, LGBTQ+ Marketing consultant and aspiring cyber-performance artist who grew up in Michigan, lost her mind in New York and now lives in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in nine books, magazines including Marie Claire and Curve, and all over the web including Nylon, Queerty, Nerve, Bitch, Emily Books and Jezebel. She had a very popular personal blog once upon a time, and then she recapped The L Word, and then she had the idea to make this place, and now here we all are! In 2016, she was nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism. She's Jewish and has a cute dog named Carol. Follow her on twitter and instagram.

Riese has written 3185 articles for us.

184 Comments

  2. So fun to see the photobooth pics! Wooo Neverland! Are there larger versions of those pics somewhere?

  3. I just so happen to be wearing my A Camp t-shirt today because I needed to feel…I don’t know…maybe just feel something? And now I’m reading this and actually shouted RAINBOW WARS aloud and felt all excited when I thought about tug of war and stomping on people’s balloons and now I’m smiling. So, obviously my A Camp shirt (and A Camp) are magical.

  4. I hate myself for reading this. I’ll spend the next 7 to 14 days fantasizing about a camp on the other side of the world.

  5. i forgot to mention this but i am sure i told much of the staff: when i was an angry little adolescent at summer camp in middle-of-nowhere pennsylvania, my camp had rainbow wars only they were called the OLYMPICS and all the colours were different countries and you had to cheer 24 hours a day including mealtimes until everyone was hoarse and miserable and you had to do awful sports all the time and when i didn’t want to do those things, the counselors screamed at me the way people being paid to take care of children should never scream at anyone. i went to that camp every summer, so after begging in the office to not have to participate, i learned that i could hide in the tack room of the camp’s stable with a kitten and a discman and read my little kurt vonnegut collection for three or four days, skulking out once in a while for mealtimes and sleeptimes. i was not very popular, so nobody ever noticed i was missing.

    i was NOT INTO THE IDEA OF RAINBOW WAR AT ALL and when i mentioned this to robin, she told me “oh, it’s going to be SUPER SCARY.”

    instead rainbow war was super fun and helped everybody band together and fight the patriarchy and smash balloons!
    AND i got to be co-counselors with morgan which is the luckiest thing anybody has ever won.

    team polite forevs.
    i miss you guys.

    • It was fun and I am not a joiner. Also, reading your horror story, I’m glad I never went to camp because I lived in Kansas and I’m sure it would have been just as awful.

      • everything else was so fun but once a summer it would get so aggressive and weird! also really, LOL at anyone who thought i was going to be prepared to be on any team but france (the black team).

  6. I love that the thundercats are preparing to dominate by doing stretches :) Also epic tug of war win, and you guys team activities in the dark with whiskey is the bomb dot com.

  7. oh god, you took a cuddle puddle picture! I think a just had a mild anxiety attack. thank god it’s a well-behaved one… (a lot, and I mean A LOT of feelings happened after the staff reading but..smokers’ circle love, yes…)

  9. The honeymoon present is the best things you guys could’ve bought with the fundraiser money. Approve 4000%. Whitney seems like the sweetest person.

    • I also approve this message. Whitney, you didn’t even tell us about this! Also, also, Becca, I miss you!

  10. oh my god I miss camp and all your shiny faces.

    Also, I’ve come to embrace the fact that I am essentially a mobile bar.

    Alsox2, can I get an Awomen about having ice this time around! Praise LJ!

    AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!

  12. You guys are the best ever and god dammit it might take me YEARS but I am going to come to A-Camp sometime and you’ll all be disappointed by the fact my hair isn’t rainbow any more but I WANT TO FEEL ALL THE QUEER LOVE so much. You’re all beautiful.

  13. So many feelings! Mel I love your face, Katie I love your photos, Mel I love your face, Laneia I love you and Riese and your initiation ceremony is the best and I tell myself the code all of time and!!!!! And reading about the before we got there, so happy that it was good and happy and not too stresful for you guys.

    THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CAMP.

    • Yeah, reading this… I’m definitely coming in May, somehow, no matter if I can afford it or not.

  15. This makes me positive that, come hell or high water, i will be at the next A-camp. It will be the perfect way to celebrate finishing my Peace Corps service/returning to the States/getting to be a full-time queer again. May cannot come soon enough.

  16. Dear Crystal,

    I had to google who Daniela Sea was due to my naiveté, but now that I’ve googled, thanks for mentioning her in the same sentence as myself. :)

    –Jill

  18. me and my cabin straddled chairs in front of riese and alex for our straddling addiction. it may not have been original, but from our viewpoint it was surreal! little rascals 4evs!

  19. Okay, I totally just cried in the university library while reading this. Thanks Team, for being awesome.

    • I totally just went into my roomates room, stole a chocolate bar and a cigarette because I have so many feelings. it’s 1.30am, she was sleeping while I was creeping.it’s a rhyme.awesome. #feelings

  20. so many feelings! also MAY MAY MAY MAY…y u so far away.
    continually checking flight rates and already told my dad I will not be at what feels like his 10th wedding (-celebration, not the actual thing) on the 25th of MAY MAY MAY MAY MAY

  22. WHO RUNNETH THE WORLD?? SNATCH!!
    I still routinely fight the urge to yell this aloud in public.

  23. The first thing I said when I walked into Wolf for registration was “I’m home!” It amazes me how fast camp becomes the norm. Readjusting to the real world takes so much time, but flying across the country and climbing up a mountain to live with queermos from the internet just feels right. The people feel right.

    • Whaat. Are you gonna be a traitor and not request Jetpack/purple for next camp?

      (I know a little bit about being a traitor. SORRY BOMB GIRLS.)

      • Hah! Though I love to mix and mingle… I will forever be bleeding purple (as Rachel would put it) and a Jetpack at heart.

  25. This makes me feel like I’m back on the mountain. And I miss it so fucking badly. I NEED NEXT MAY TO GET HERE ASAP.

  26. I think Robin is a genius because the rainbow wars clearly brought us all together. Just read the comments on every single post since camp! I can’t wait to see what the next wars will be like :) It will be hard to switch up the teams though! Purple team will forever be my people :)

    *hunger salute!*

  27. I was having such an awful day… it’s getting cold here and all I want to do is hibernate, but this recap made everything so much better! I miss camp like crazy.

    Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve wanted to be thrown up in the air by a parachute. I got to do this during the color wars, and it was basically the best thing ever. Even though my feet went way over my head, I wasn’t scared at all, because a cluster of lovely people were there to catch me. (This is probably a metaphor for camp as a whole.) Seriously, you make dreams come true.

    • Alex! I’m emotional from reading this and also thinking about how the parachute made your butt wet.

  28. AHHhhhhhhh all the feelings. Also, Mary and Grace, you need to get in on our weekly(ish) Little Rascals gchat

  29. Tonight I passed the derby assessment I thought the time off for A-Camp might cause me to fail, and now I am fully mins passed and I belong in that community of awesome (50% queer) women that is starting to feel like a family, and then I come home and there is a recap of my other community of awesome (~100% queer) women that felt like a family too.

    Today is a really good day, you guys, is what I’m saying.

    And booking September A-Camp in the depths of despair as something to look forward to / cling on to was an excellent decision, because sometimes it is six months after the world fell apart and you can’t believe how well everything has worked out. And I miss camp all the time.

  30. I can’t wait till next A-Camp. I am still playing catch up with the school and work that I missed but it was so incredibly worth it. You are all so beautiful, I can’t stand it. I had soooo much fun.

  31. ENDURANCE SPOONING
    I love how Marika is asleep in that photo. Is there a way to get a larger one?

    Alice got me my rose <3

    • I’m not asleep, I’m just extremely relaxed. If we had moved that giant spoon train to a giant bed I would have been totally out.

      remember when we repositioned and Shannon fell asleep on my boobs, though?

      TEAM GIANT SPOON REPRESENT

        • Yes, Alice is magic. I can’t believe you had to ask. Also, yay a picture of my spare embroidery hoop made it onto the site. I was like “Do I really want to be that girl who brings the extra embroidery hoop and sewing supplies to camp?” Obviously it was a good decision.

          Science Bitches! and Dolly Parton quotes make the sewing circle go round.

  32. Marni became my idol that first night at the parachute station. I’m so glad I’m not the only one who spent my childhood looking forward to the next game of Cat&Mouse (top&bottom). Because Canada. <3

  34. Idk how to feel about having two pictures of me on the internets in which I cuddle/spoon people…proud, I suppose. Two years ago, I would have never dreamed that I would be doing this kinda thing. AS, you are the magic I needed in my life.

    SAVING $2 A DAY FOR THE NEXT CAMP!

  35. Lately, I think of life as Pre-A-Camp and Post-A-Camp.
    I wish I could put into beautiful words what this queertopia in the mountains meant to me, but I can’t, so I’m glad you can.
    A-Camp was full of love of all kinds, where you could cuddle for the fun of it and TRULY be yourself.
    After camp, I understood the true meaning of “You Do You,” and I did.
    A week after I came home from camp, with my new-found queer support, I came out to my homophobic dad.
    I love you, A-Camp, and every single person I got to share this experience with.

  38. I really love that Grace and I tricked everyone into thinking the lighting at the campfire was somehow magically installed by the two of us.

    Alpine installed it. Sorry everyone.

    OMG I WANT TO GO BAAAAACK! THUNDERCATS, HOOOO!

    • THUNDERCATS! This recamp made me miss you all and camp so much more, which I didn’t think was possible.

      • This is exactly why I woke up and had those meetings, I was inspired by your genius pranking abilities and was trying to find a way to streamline the awesome…I mean clearly from night one we had that on lockdown, but you can never be overprepared. THUNDERCATS! (HOOOOOO)

  39. i didn’t even know that the rachel walker photobomb was the thing missing from my life, but it was. thank you, rachel walker. how can i ever thank you enough.

  41. Y’know… I’ve missed people and places in my life, but not the way I miss A-Camp. There was just something about this simple life where people got along, you were fed at such and such time, people discussed stuff, and so on and so forth. These feelings are coming back hard.

  42. “I was ushering campers to their cabins and trying my best not to grab them and scream WE’RE SO GLAD YOU’RE HERE WE LOVE YOU. Instead I just carried their luggage.”

    MEGAN I really wish you had done that.

  43. I’m emotionally spent and this is just Day 1!!

    Also, how could I let myself miss Digger saying “fuck me with a strapon?” Life fail.

    • She also said “pull my hair.”

      Purple/Jetpack won that story-building session. Just for the record. #teampurplepride

    • I would like to clarify that nobody “made” me say “fuck me with a strap on”…I volunteered! The “pull my hair” was my homage to Lizz. And it was all so very worth it if only for the look on Riese’s face. Thank you and goodnight.

  45. the first day i didn’t know ANYONE. now i have 14 fucking friends i could talk to any time i needed them. BOOM DONE GOODBYE.

  46. the honeymoon gift was the sweetest thing. recaps make me so happy, it’s almost like being back at camp. 227 days y’all

  48. I think I have the same hoodie as from the “marni and robin greet the crowd” photo on page 5. My wardrobe is ~*Autostraddle Approved*~ :3

  49. i have so many feelings i can’t even begin to process. i am so in love with my THUNDERCATS (HOOOOOOO) cabin i can’t even start, and i want to hug Carly and Crystal so hard i might burst. Also, my big dumb face appeared so many times in this recap i want to die. Robin! If you see this, please send me a larger version of the photo of me photo-bombing the Misfits, because it looks like it might be magical. I’m the giant blonde mess in the tiny picture of the rainbow war photobooth collage!

    YOU GUYS I WANT TO BE AT CAMP FOREVER OMG

  50. SARA MEDD you were the best with the gift bags.
    Did you get Lina’s and my “Du hast wunderschöne Augen”-note? Because you saying that to me was so amazing, I just had to blush and giggle stupidly.

  51. Oh god, our cabin photobooth picture is adorable.

    I have to admit, I lost balloon tag almost immediately because I was paralyzed with fear/laughter.

  52. I’d like to take note of how hilarious the “Sanctus Cacas Fert” motto is and vote that mAy Camp t-shirts have that printed on them!!!!

    • I want it on a coffee mug. And a shirt. And on the waist band of some boy shorts.

      For now I’ll just have to content myself with my bad ass bear shirt. Which is solid consolation.

      • oh my god the waistband of boy shorts!! This would be the most amazing. So jealous you have it on a shirt.

  53. The sentiment of going to A-Camp again is captured in this: “It feels like going home.” It’s so, so, so true, and I hope everyone gets to experience this feeling at least once in their life.

  54. it is 2 am. I am currently 38 dollars in the negative at the moment. HOWEVER! I am determined to be able to go A camp this fall. Bound and determined.

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