Camp Ritchie ~ Day 2 ~ 2025

Ahh Wednesday, July 9th. My birthday eve and I am getting up at 5:15 in the morning to get ready for 6am rappelling.  We needed to be out at the rappelling area between 5:30 and 5:45 and I think I did a pretty good job because we wanted all the girls who signed up in harnesses and ready to go by 6am. In this photo, Ali is on the left, then Randy and then Camille. 

My assignment was to work at the bottom of the rock and help the youth staff since they had never done this position at camp before. I don't mind being at the bottom of the rock sometimes so it was a nice chill morning.

Breakfast on Wednesday morning. Everything was mostly good but my pancakes tasted a little off and I gave my sausage to Colleen because after taking it I wondered if there was onion powder in it so I decided to pass. I am trying harder to be better about not consuming onions so I don't make the allergy worse. 

Some signups at the front of the lodge inside, signups for early morning swimming across the lake (Duck Club) and rappelling. Looks like there is an archery schedule, so nice. And the yellow envelope of rattlesnake eggs was a funny prank.

Then outside the lodge by the drinking fountain there were more signups for classes in the morning such as camp choir, a kayak adventure, a craft class, CPR/First Aid, Self defense and more.

New and different way to do mornings at camp but I think overall people liked it.

I made these earrings...they just need to be shaped/trimmed.
GO KINGS 😄

 

Colleen and I took the self defense class and taught by Ryan P and that was really fun. We learned some useful skills. Will I remember them though if someone is trying to snatch me? Doubtful but it was good to learn.

Lunch on Wednesday. Cherries from my friend Denise in Galt and a yogurt because the meal was chili cheese dogs which I will not eat and I forgot to bring a second freezer meal with me but it was okay because look at all the food I have to eat here. I hate Sun Chips but any other chips I wanted had onion powder and I really wanted chips so yeah...

Worked at the top of the rock Wednesday afternoon belaying girls down and yep...dirty hands are going to happen. I always like to document it for some reason. Ha

There used to be thick canvas tents on platforms in this area - 2 of them - but then these cabins were built however nobody used them while we were there this year.

My car is the white one in the photo on the left. I got a nice close spot to the nurses cabin and it was not hard to back into it. Phew!

Then you see my view looking down from the upstairs balcony. I sleep upstairs in the nurses cabin. Its a good spot, esp when there are no ants/spiders. 

This FedEx truck made it all the way into camp! The driver was lost. Oops
There are other camps up in this area I guess and a wrong turn was made somewhere along the way

Before dinner a cabin of girls takes the flag down, some words are shared, we sing some camp songs and each group (cabin or adult staff) say a little phrase to verify that we are there. We always made something up on the spot super last minute. I think this time it was saying the color purple (of our camp shirts) in another language. It might have been French...

Closer look of the girls doing their thing

Time to eat! Adult staff did dishes (called Pearl Divers) a couple times during the week. 

I love this meal - taco salad - but seemed to be more like nachos I guess. Its soo good and I wanted to have it for dinner in Ridgecrest sometime soon.

Snickers salad! Very good also even though the Snickers pieces fall to the bottom of the giant bowl so I got mostly Granny Smith apple pieces and 2 pieces of Snickers. LOL Someone forgot to keep mixing up the dessert I guess. 

These cookies were out at lunch, there were 3 kinds to choose from but only 2 pictured here.

They were super soft and good. I may have had multiple throughout the week 😏

In the evening was campfire and featured various activities and announcements such as the clean cabin award, the golden plunger, spirit stick and YW torch.

This girl was part of youth staff and so energetic and funny!

One game this evening was the limbo

A few girls participated and the only adult that did was a woman on water staff who slept in the bed next to me upstairs in the nurses cabin. Her name was Esther and she did well!

Brooklyn reading a letter from a sister missionary serving from the stake over in Idaho

Neither photo turned out well but here they are

Different evening activities this night. The photo above was something everyone in camp gathered around after stopping at 4 stations around camp and writing a burden that they were carrying in life on a rock with a paint pen. They could write a word or draw a picture of a symbol. I stayed at 1 station with one of the adults who had some words prepared in case she needed any assistance. At the end of the activity, everyone who had written on a rock(s) placed those burdens at the foot of the artwork of Christ with the child. I'd say it was a worthwhile activity. 

This activity..I am not so sure what the purpose of it was. Each cabin (there were 3 at camp) of girls picked a tree which was located up the road outside of camp. Then they learned/practiced a song in their cabin earlier in the day, maybe on Tuesday too...how did they have time to do this? Each group sang their song to the tree that had been picked. The adults mostly stood up on the road and quietly watched/listened to the music. Everyone did a great job with their chosen songs. Afterwards we all just walked back into camp and that was that for the night.