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"In 2010, it snowed during our week of camp. It was beautiful to know that our kids were not only seeing the mountains for the first time, but also the snow."

 

"Performing in Bovard with SP Dance!"

 

"Double Dare."

 

"I loved leading my B9 cabin on nightly "pranks" around camp and watching the kids be tricksters." 

 

"Fashion show with my girls in the cabin.. so much sass"

 

"Meeting my wife while a counselor."

 

"Meeting my husband!"

 

"During my first year at camp, one of my kids was afraid to do the trust falls. In talking to him at that moment, I realized how these kids were about to change my life. Nothing else in the world mattered except getting him to trust me. I made a promise to him and to myself that I would do everything in my power to make sure that as long as I was around, he would never be hurt. It's those moments you never imagine happening to yourself as a 20 year old."

 

"Building a fort with B3"

"Any time that you got to watch a kid's first time doing something. Their first time in the mountains, their first time learning to swim, their first time riding horses--those are the best moments of camp. 

 

But my fondest memories of Troy Camp in general aren't camp--they're the yearlong events because they show amazing things to kids within their own city. As I've worked more and more with kids (and now on policy related things), there is a constant theme to show "poor kids" that success means rising above your community, going off to college, and becoming something AWAY from your community. E.g., go to the best college, become a doctor, and move to a nicer area so that you have more opportunities. While showing the larger world is incredibly important, there is not enough emphasis on success being a way to take on a challenge within your own community and improve it. I always liked yearlong events that focus on really awesome things we can do in our own neighborhood."

"Working all year with seven of the baddest 9-year-olds in Camp, The Hardy Boys. One evening we hiked across a meadow near camp and laid down on the grass to count the stars. Suddenly, as if on cue, a huge shooting star flew across the sky. You should have seen the wide eyes on their faces. Of course, I took full credit for having placed the order for the comet."

 

 

"The way the kids interact with each other and how we develop relationships with them is awesome and something they will never forget. I especially enjoy campfires and the mint lifesavers story where they spark at night (I still do it with my current students every year)."

 

 

"Empowering one of my campers to face the fear of public speaking by convincing him to tell 3 "yo momma" jokes at campfire. That's a memory that we will forever cherish."

"Troy Camp talent show!"

 

"Being Yarfredo Yarguini. "

 

"During the pinecone ceremony, one of the best dedications I heard: "this one's for Kobe." And then from Cubby's cabin "This one's for the bunnies in the bank." 

 

"The unconditional love that I received from my fellow counselors and the campers. I was blessed to be around a dedicated group of people who were interested in giving back to the community and making a difference in the world. We were a family."

 

"The time my co-counselor tried to give one of our third graders an exorcism to stop his night terrors. That's only half-exaggerated; ask me about it."

"The hot sauce story (will elaborate later)."

 

"Experiencing morning routine."

 

"Black Mountain overnight. Reprise hour with the camp Doctor and his Wife. Late night camp fires."

 

 

"One of my favorite memories from camp was a quiet moment with one of the girls in my cabin, who had a pretty big personality and could be tough to get along with. We'd spent the first part of the week working with her to get along with some of the other girls and she had been coming around and getting a lot friendlier, more willing to share, etc. I was asking her what some of the things she liked about Troy Camp were, and one comment that stuck out to me specifically was something she said about one of the quieter girls in our cabin. The camper said "____(quieter camper)_____ goes to my school, but at school, I always thought she was kind of weird, and it wasn't okay to be friends with her. But at Troy Camp, she's really cool and I found out we can be friends. I'm excited to hang out with her when we get back." 

 

It was a simple comment, but was such a nice reminder that we're not only giving individual kids a chance to be themselves and be in a safe environment at camp, but that the impact we create at camp can be so strong that the girls take it back to their communities."

"Doing the Penguin Dance in the snow at Troy Camp 2009."

 

"Being a camp counselor and creating a relationship with 8-9 year old girls. Gaining the girls' trust and being there for them the whole week, calming their fears, supporting their goals and encouraging their involvement."

 

"It was so rewarding to accompany the kids on their adventure. I remember a young boy telling me he had never been to the mountains or the beach. WOW!!!! What an eye opening conversation that was for me! Troy Camp changed me and my perspective on the world as much, if not more so, than it did the kids I had the pleasure to know that summer."

"My first summer at camp, at our first dinner, one of my campers ran out of the dining hall with Friction to go throw up because she had been so excited by the food she ate too many french fries. I expected her to come back homesick and sad, but she walked back with a huge smile on her face and quite loudly and proudly told everyone that she had just thrown up all over the place but was feeling great. She was once a silly 4th grader who wanted to become a professional wrestler and now is in her freshman year of high school and doing amazingly well. Just this summer we talked about that story and couldn't stop laughing :) "

"I was calming down a freshman co-ed counselor who thought her camper was bleeding from the mouth or had cancer when all she had was a baby tooth that needed pulling out. I grabbed the tooth, pulled it loose and handed it to the child and the counselor nearly fainted right there in the quad while lined up waiting to go into breakfast! And I was only a sophomore, I hadn't even started in the clinic yet on real live patients. Come to think of it, I never got paid for that extraction either..."

 

"Pinecone dedication as a cabin counselor! My G7 girls dedicated our pinecone to Otis because they were thankful that he had created Troy Camp."

 

"When I was dance leader, I taught the waltz to 5th grade boys and girls who resisted at first but enjoyed the routine afterwards."

"I had never gone to summer camp before, so I was nervous that I wasn't doing a good job as a first-time cabin counselor. I tried all week to make sure all my kids were having a great time, but at night I would lie in bed wondering if it was enough. The last night of camp, my co-counselor (Peek-a-Boo) and I gathered our kids around and told them how lucky we were to be their cabin counselors and such an amazing week they gave us. One camper started crying and soon the majority of the cabin was bawling and hugging us. That was the moment I realized the deep impact Troy Camp has on these kids and the real connections that counselors can establish with their campers."

"The day you can get 5th grade boys dancing, with not a single complaint or whine is always a highlight."

 

"There was a camper in my cabin my first year who was very homesick. He was very quiet and reluctant to engage in any activities. We tried everything we could to make him feel comfortable, but nothing was working. Then, on Thursday night, the night of the dance, something clicked and he started dancing like crazy. Everyone cheered him on because we knew how shy and homesick he was all week. The next year he came to pretty much every event and was one of the most involved campers from my cabin in the yearlong programming.

 

My other favorite memory was having my B1 Blues brothers dress up in their wayfarers, rock out with their instruments, and sing some Elvis Presley. All the boys got into it-even the quiet ones! It was so much fun."

"Getting covered head to toe with chocolate pudding with my fellow counselors at camp." 

 

"Helping campers conquer their fears."

 

"2002: Camping out on the basketball court after the dance. 

2003: Staying up all night to watch over campers at my first Outcamp. 

2004: My co-counselor, Webster, telling our kids they better not have lost anything because we didn't want to have to do the ""Grey Squirrel"" dance to get it back, followed by camper Octavio looking us straight in the eye and announcing, "I lost my dignity."

2005: On our last afternoon with our cabin, hike leaders Shaggy and Crush led B9 on a three-hour intensive hike that included rock climbing. It was Visitors' Day so we were joined by some great old friends and able to say the perfect goodbye to Idyllwild Pines."

"Breaking my foot playing freeze tag."

 

"Seeing inner-city kids experience the great outdoors, letting down inhibitions, singing camp songs, and taking pride in themselves and each other."

 

"The year the outhouse blew up in "Wilderness Camp" ! The years my Dad, Dr. Boyd, was our camp doctor, and the follow up tutoring with a couple of the campers...a year long experience."

 

"My second year at camp, our cabins were broken into on the last night of camp when we were at the Pine Cone Dedication. As a member of E-board, I was actively involved with the police reports and helping counselors as we went through their cabins. It was a pretty tragic sight, the cabins were torn apart with all the campers belongings strewn across the floor. Despite the sadness of the situation, it created a special bond for all the campers who spent the night in the arts and crafts hut, and the counselors who faced that tragedy head on, picked themselves up and created the best night at camp I've ever experienced. We never talked about it much the following year, but it brought us closer as a team than any other year. It really sunk in that I was part of a really special group of people."

"The first year I was a camp counselor, it snowed at Forest Home and our boys went crazy. We made a snowman with our cabin and decorated him to be a part of our cabin. It really showed how Troy Camp is all about fun - a lot of the activities had to change because of the snow, but everyone was having a good time."

"The legacy of creating the Junior Counselor program - 40 + years of friendships."

 

"Leading campers on the overnight hike!"

 

"Overnight camp out with first time campers. Campfire stories. Mess hall assemblies before eating."

 

"Watching my kids perform their first FAME dance battle."

 

"Reading The Lorax to all of Outcamp with a gorgeous view as we waited for dinner to be delivered when I was Camp Director in 2011."

"So many favorites, but the legend of Baby Gaga is definitely up there."

"When my cabin, G4, taught me how to step at Camp 2010."

 

"One of my campers was unable to run to the bathroom so he used it right outside the cabin at 3 in the morning."

 

"Even though it's not a counselor one, my all-time favorite would have to be the day it rained on Lake Day. My girls showed me simultaneously that they were perfectly capable of entertaining themselves and having a great time without too much fuss and planning, but also that everything we do at camp meant a lot to them and they absorb EVERYTHING. They reenacted a day of camp, each of them pretending to be the wackies and other "famous" counselors and proceeded to go through double dare, eyewitness news, role call, and lead songs. Jess Rodriguez and I were practically in tears from laughter as we watched them, and it was such a beautiful moment to see them all get along as good friends after some previous troubles with cliques earlier in the week."

 

"My first year of camp, during cabin time with my girls we decided to stay in our cabin, play music and dance around, which was an absolute blast. The smiles, joy, and laughter we all experienced in those moments was what made me realize that what Troy Camp provides these kids is extremely powerful. At camp, we do not directly alter the kids' lives or change some of their saddening living situations. Instead, we teach them that that laughter can heal the deepest wounds, joy can make the dark world appear brighter, and dreams sown in hope, nurtured with hard work, and watered with dedication can grow into the most beautiful realities. That is amazing."

 

"I was the nature hike leader for at least a couple years, and my campers in my cabin my senior year really liked the hikes. So we would get up a little early and have mini-hikes before breakfast. These morning mini hikes were one of my favorite times, because it was an emergent activity that my campers asked to do above and beyond the rest of the scheduled events.

 

I also really enjoyed hanging out with a particular counselor, Slinky. She was the photographer and one of the arts and craft leaders... And is now my wife :-D"

"My Favorite Camp Memory was when my girls rode the horses. I almost wanted to cry with them and wanted them to get off the horse, especially Krystina, my little one. But T-Pain, my co-counselor, told me to just let them go and so we did. We followed the river path to take pictures as they passed. When I saw them again they had the happiest faces ever. Their worries were all gone and replaced with joys and laughter. It was a great moment."

 

"Teaching one of the kids how to swim!"

 

"Teaching campers AND counselors how to swim." 

 

"When Jason from B3 pooped his pants on my lap and lied to me about it."

 

"I took B1 to the creek during cabin time on our last full day. Brandon had been begging to go back to the creek for the last couple days, and our cabin along with a couple others were just relaxing for an hour. He found a worm and declared that spot "worm central" and found pyrite, and proceeded to explain to everyone what it was. The kids were more animated and interested just sitting around the creek looking for worms and pyrite for that hour than they were from the rest of the organized activities throughout the week."

 

"Seeing kids, many who had never been out of the urban setting, experience nature and the outdoors of a camp in the mountains. Also the continuing contact with the campers through activities during the year." 

 

"The life-long friends that I made. Being instrumental in the development of the year-round/follow-up program and the Junior Counselor program. Creating a Troy Camp slide show."

"Walking back to the cabin at night, after a long day, everyone was tired and the girls stopped as they noticed the sky! They had never been outside of LA and the city lights, so they had never seen the stars before. It was magical to see their innocent, amazed and joyous eyes as they saw the stars in the night sky for the first time :)"

 

"In an effort to scare the G8 girls, we lifted a window panel from the ground and put it back in its place. The girls screamed. Later we found out we ended up trapping a bat against the window." 

 

"In addition to making lots of great friends and having fun with the kids, my favorite memory has to be be meeting my now husband (BTF).  I still remember the first time I saw him in my first TC meeting when I joined sophomore year and thought he was cute! Now, 14 years later we are married and are expecting our first baby this February! So yes, big thanks to Troy Camp!"

"Pinecone dedication, each and every time."

 

"HV cup creation. "'Ohhh ahhh you wish you were a 5th grader.' "

 

"My first slice of sweet potato pie, wrapped in foil, given to me by a camper's mom."

"Talking with camper Wolverine about his family situation while waiting for the bus to pick us up. He was crying because he didn't want to go home. It touched my heart and made me realize all the more the important opportunities that Troy Camp offers to kids from the inner city."

 

"Hmm, over 30 years ago...I remember we were so pressed for funds and then we received $10,000 from Songfest. Back then that was such a relief! We were able to find a great location, wonderful counselors and everything fell into place. No one was injured and we returned with everyone with no incidents! One thing we did was the night before we left for camp, we were able to get the student center for the evening and the camp staff spent the night and had time to go over all the last minute details. At camp, we had these late night debriefs where we would go over the day and what would happen the next day. Those were great not just for the work we did but the bonding of the staff."

"I was G4 cabin counselor along with Stencil and we admittedly had a challenging start to the week. After countless heart-to-heart conversations and team building exercises, Stencil and I knew we were a real family once the girls started playing "Troy Camp" in the cabin during Free Time. The girls took turns role-playing Wacky Counselors and Campers, sang camp songs, created their own songs, and laughed until our bellies ached. It was such a simple but intimate moment that really showed me how what we as Counselors say and do for our Campers is appreciated and impactful."

 

"My first year at camp, I had a child who only spoke Spanish. I was concerned that he would have a difficult time at camp and that I would need to work hard to include him. Long story short, he came out of his shell in ways I couldn't have imagined. He went from crying and homesick on the first night to one of the most out-going "dancers" at the end of camp dance. He was dancing with counselors and pushing his peers to join him."

"My first TC event. I knew that day would be the beginning of something remarkable."

 

"Being a counselor for B-10 Woflpack and Firemen!"​

"Having my own cabin was definitely one of my most memorable years, and having them all call me mom nom. Just seeing how much they looked up to me was so inspiring and made me want to be a better person in general."

 

"I remember catching two campers (boy and girl) in one sleeping bag at our movie night. I was with a fellow counselor and we shined a flashlight on them. To this day, I still remember the look of shock that they had been caught. Thank goodness their clothes were on! I remember countless song sessions at 7 am in the breakfast line when I was in a bad mood because I'm not a morning person, and hanging out in the counselor cabin when the kids were asleep and just bonding with our staff. Such a great time in my life!"

 

"Being with our cabin kids at meal time and 'story time around the fire.' Sharing thoughts, stories, and experiences really brought us together and gave all of us a window into each others' lives."

"Salmon waking everyone up with Ben Lee's 'Catch My Disease' at camp."

"What's Your Favorite Camp Memory?"

 

We found your responses to be completely representative of Troy Camp as a whole: warm and fuzzy, thoughtful and humorous, eye-opening and adventurous, and sometimes a little gross!

"The campfire performances by the cabins. Late nights playing games and laughing uncontrollably with the staff in the lodge after the campers went to sleep. Yet probably the greatest memory is having shared the Troy Camp experience with my friend (then the executive director) who is now my husband :)"

"B-10 'Secret' Missions."

 

"The joy of seeing my kids playing in the woods." 

"Sleeping under the stars with my first cabin. Also the time when four counselors peed their pants." 

"I was given the job of Mule Skinner, several memorable events. First, packing 27 half gallons of red mountain wine to take on the overnight to skunk cabbage meadow, I didn't imbibe back then. Next, having to kick the mule back into a standing position after securing the load and taking much care to be gentle with the animal. Next, finding a place to hide all the wine, in streams, etc. Next, having the campers discover the hidden wine as they ran around the meadow. Next, having the mules break the tie up line and go back down the hill to the stables. Finally, riding one of a herd of loose horses, bareback with only a neck rope, no halter or bridle, with Margie Buckingham, in canvas boat shoes, and having at least one of the horses take off with us. This was the summer of 1969."

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