Mailgabber – A 9th Grader Looks Backward and Forward

By Charlie Cohen

Charlie Cohen is a current camper preparing for his 9th grade summer. In this letter, he reflects on his time as a camper, and his final summer ahead.

As a Swamper sitting at the 9th-grade Council Fire, I did not imagine that I would be returning to camp for the next six summers. I soaked in the Keylog Ceremony, which as a Swamper felt endless, and I thought to myself that this summer had been fun, but it was going to be my last. I returned home the next day with a similar mindset, but my parents told me something that changed my camp life and shaped me to be who I am today.

Through my frequent and often verbose letter writing, my parents were able to see the bigger picture of my summer. Sure I was homesick at the beginning of the summer, but the following three and a half weeks had been some of the most fun I had ever had. By the time I arrived at home, I had forgotten all of the fun times with my cabin, our great overnight trip, learning photography, and the delicious MOCA treats. The emotions of the last few days of camp had been running high and had lead me to forget all of the fun. My parents remembered for me, and told me that I would be returning to camp the next summer, and each summer after that until I could honestly tell them that I loved camp. Then, if I wanted to, I could stop going. This seemed like a fair deal at that point, so I agreed to go back to camp until I loved it, then I thought I would stop going.

Last summer was my first summer going for 8 weeks and I truly loved it- it was the best summer of my life. So I won’t be going back for my last summer! Just kidding- I can hardly wait to get back one last time. I may try to break my record of 42 nights out on trail, or I may opt for a little lazier of a summer, building up to the Quetico trip I have been looking forward to for years. I know I will love it, and I know the 9th-Grade Council Fire will still seem very long to me, but I won’t want it to end.