Alum Blog: What's It Like to Send Your Daughter to Camp?
There are a lot of sweet moments that come from running a 100+ year old camp, but nothing beats seeing multiple generations of Greystone girls come through the gates. By this point, we have mothers, grandmothers, and even some great-grandmothers who all share the memories and traditions of this place.
But what does it actually feel like to send your daughter to camp for the first time as an alumna? What has changed, and what has stayed the same? We asked a few alums what their experience was like, and their answers might just touch your heart. So whether you’re already packing her trunk, or are still many years away from this milestone, spend a few minutes with some moms who are in your shoes. Once a Greystone Girl, always a Greystone Girl!
Mary Doty:
I was never a camper at Greystone but I worked at camp from 2003 to 2006. I was given so many opportunities to lead, and as a leader I was always supported and nurtured by the head staff. My summers at Greystone were the happiest of my life, and I can only imagine how much fun it would have been to be a camper!
I decided to send my daughter to Greystone when I discovered that she was a girl, at her 20-week ultrasound. My husband and I started a “Greystone Savings Fund” before she was born!
Getting excited for camp last year was so much fun. My children poured over the book Greystone 100 Years and loved reading about all of the camp traditions and looking at the pictures. We took an official tour in April, before Junior Camp in May. The tour was great because it made Anna feel comfortable and excited.
We loved seeing daily pictures of Anna at camp. She had the biggest smile on her face in every picture! On Closing Day I could tell that she was really going to miss her counselors and cabinmates. The next day she cried in her room for hours because she missed camp so much. She would have happily stayed an extra week or two, but I am not ready to be away from her for that long yet! I know she will love the longer sessions as she gets older.
Greystone facilities are always getting better, but the atmosphere is still the same. As soon as I walk along Tentalow row toward the Dining Hall I feel like I am back home and nothing has changed. Greystone is more than just a wholesome environment of fun activities: it is a place where girls can be themselves and experience God’s love in an amazing way.
Sending my oldest daughter to camp has been a tremendous blessing, and something that makes me so happy. When we asked our kids about their best memories from 2021, Anna immediately said Camp Greystone. I’m excited to send her younger sister in the near future!
Katie
I came to Greystone from 1994- 2000 (June camp first year and main all the rest!) and then was a counselor in the summers of 2001 and 2002.
I’d always hoped my daughter would be interested in going to Greystone. Lucy has known for a long time that camp holds a special place in my heart and was such a big part of my life growing up. She’s seen camp pictures, heard camp stories from my sister and I, and met some of my camp friends. Camp slow songs have always been some of the lullabies we’ve sung at bedtime too!
When she started being more comfortable spending the night away from home, I knew she might be ready to give Greystone a try!
Preparing for her first summer at camp and sharing more stories was so much fun. I showed her how I tied my crazy creek around my waist (she thought I was nuts but came home and said she did it too!) and talked to her about sitting in it in the pit and during picnic dinners. We picked out pictures for her bunk and she asked about my bunkmates over the years. I definitely have a new appreciation for all the work my mom put into labeling all of my things!
Every once in awhile I got a little nervous that maybe camp wouldn’t be her thing, and it was a little bittersweet (really just for me!) dropping her off on the field and not being able to walk around camp, but as pictures started flooding in, I could tell she was having the time of her life.
I didn’t anticipate how emotional I would be picking her up on Closing Day. She was standing along the lower road with all her gear in her camp sweatshirt, and I could tell by the look in her eye what an amazing experience she had just had. She hopped in the car quietly and almost immediately started to cry- she didn’t want to leave. Our first hug in the car after camp was special – I knew we both now shared a love for this incredible spot in the mountains where God does amazing things each summer.
It was so fun to compare notes about all things camp related! Some were the same- Apple Cart, Banquet, the bread with honey and butter!!, Candy Shoppe and Crackers after EP, and some were different- being able to get ice or a snack anytime from the little stations around camp, how classes worked during summer 2020.
And it brings a smile to my face now when, out of the blue, Lucy mentions something about camp that she loved or is looking forward to next summer, or when I see a message pop up from a camp friend or she gets an old fashioned letter in the mail.
What I notice most as a mom in pictures from camp and stories Lucy tells is how joyful and comfortable her time there was. It makes me realize, in today’s world more than ever, how wonderful it is to have a place to stop and slow down, to explore and try new things, and to build relationships, with peers and with God.
Kim:
I attended Main Camp for 8 summers (1987-1994) growing up, worked on staff my skip year as a CIT in ’95, then 2 more years in college as a counselor teaching tennis 96-97. My husband and I got married at camp in 2007 and I’ve been on Jr. Camp staff for the past 7 years. This will be my daughter’s 7th summer. She’s attended all sessions but currently attends Main Camp.
There was never a question in my mind that Izzie WOULDN’T go to Greystone! My summers at Greystone were such a key part of my childhood and growing up I hoped that one day I’d have a daughter I could share it with. I started working Jr Camp in 2015 and enrolled her as a camper that year. My husband got her settled on Opening Day morning and she hit the ground running!
Logistically, preparing for her to go to camp that first year was CRAZY, but it all came together and between texts with other alumnae moms and her pen-pal’s mom, she was well prepared for her first session! My favorite thing though, is she takes the same trunk I took for many years as a camper and it makes me so happy. Greystone stickers are the new thing and my trunk is now covered in camp’s most coveted and beloved artwork!
There is definitely a comfort level as an alumna in knowing your daughter is in this amazing place (the Greystone bubble), surrounded by such incredible people, so I’ve never once worried about her “being ok” at camp. Every year when we drop her off, I am amazed at the sense of peace I feel as we drive out the gates – I feel like I am leaving her with family, she’s at our 2nd home and couldn’t be in a better place.
As she has moved onto other sessions, I eagerly await my “WALDO” updates and can see the pure happiness in her smile and laughter through the photos. They capture a moment of happiness that simply can’t be replicated in the “real world”. Throughout the year, I love hearing her camp stories- she laughs as she tells them- half of which don’t make sense- but that’s ok, because oddly enough- I completely understand what she’s trying to say! We all know camp stories are the hardest to tell – in so many ways.
I tell Izzie how lucky she is to have a shower in her cabin… after all, I had to walk uphill BOTH WAYS with mulch flapping up on the back of my legs to showers that were often cold or had little water pressure. At Candy Shoppe, you had to BUY your candy (heaven forbid you loose your shop card).
I love that she experiences the same traditions and learns the same life lessons I did as a girl. She sings the same songs after each meal, she respects the sacredness of “the clap” , we both roll our eyes at Ike, Pike and Mustard stories, and we both can belt out “Life is Precious, Life is Sweet” with all the hand motions. She got in the car on closing day this year and just cried – she didn’t have to say a word as I have been there and knew exactly the range of emotions she was feeling (and I may have cried along with her).
Buildings may be upgraded, and program may modernize and yes Carnival has taken on a life of it’s own, but the heart and soul of Greystone and her people is the same now as it was 102 years ago. Greystone has been and always will be a miracle in the mountains – a safe haven for girls to spend time learning how to be their true selves away from the pressures of the outside world. For generations they have learned to grow in their faith and love of the Lord.
The secret of Greystone has not changed over the years, it’s simply passed down to each new generation that enters her gates.