Yo Wonderful Folks Of The Internet,
It’s the season of gratitude and we’ve been reflecting. Unsurprisingly, we’re really thankful for camp and have been for a long time.
As young people, summer camp played an outsized role in our lives. As kids, two weeks of summer camp would create a school year’s worth of inside jokes and memories. As teenagers, we worked the entire summer as counselors. In nine weeks we learned responsibility, teamwork, work-ethic, creativity, problem-solving skills and compassion that a myriad of coaches, teachers and parents spent years trying to instill in us. Summer camp possessed an undeniable magic: the way time slowed down in the woods, how a new and supportive environment allowed us to try new things and be different versions of ourselves.
When we decided to start a summer camp for adults there was worry mixed in with all the excitement. Were we going to mess up camp, one of the best parts of our past? Would it even work? Is camp just for kids?
We knew that the individual elements of camp would be fun. Sports, capture the flag, archery, arts and crafts, dancing are all things that adults do every day. We didn’t know if the playful parts of camp, the costumes and skits and sing alongs and camp games (Quidditch anyone?) would still work. We didn’t know if the magic of cabin living, fireside conversations, meeting a bunch of new people and trying lot’s of new things in a short period of time would still work.
Our first group of campers back in 2015 very quickly proved that you don’t have to be a kid to be playful. You don’t have to be young for a long weekend to feel timeless and you don’t have to be a child to pick up painting or archery or dance or canoeing for the first time.
That first summer and every summer since has been a reminder that when we put effort and intention into having a lot of fun, we’re not grown-ass adults acting like kids, we’re grown-ass adults acting like humans.
We’re grateful to all of the campers who have made Camp Bonfire a place to meet new people, try things out of our comfort zones and be our radiant selves. It’s a yearly lesson in how to be a better person. We also want to give a big thanks to the best damn staff in adult camping: our counselors, crew, and work exchange are shimmering sparks of joy. You give your time, creativity, energy, and enthusiasm generously.
And thanks to everyone who has told someone about Camp Bonfire, whether you’ve attended or not. Summer camp only works with other amazing people and for the last three summers we’ve been surrounded by truly amazing people from every corner of the country, ranging in age from 21-75 who are excited to create a fun-loving and joyful community in the woods.
We hope to see you around the bonfire next summer.
Until then, many thanks and marshmallows,
Jacob & Ben
Co-Founders
