Campfire Notes

Why Henry Blum Loves Camp!

March 29, 2019

Recently, a copy of Fast Forward magazine arrived at the Worldwide Gold Arrow Camp Headquarters (GACHQ) and we were thrilled to see that one of our campers, Henry Blum, had written an article about GAC for Fast Forward!

Ari Blum and Mead Wallace were both campers and counselors at GAC in the 1990s and early 2000s. Now Ari and Mead’s sons, Henry and Caleb, are continuing the family GAC tradition. It seems like GAC really runs in their family!

You hear from us about why camp is great, but it’s even better to hear it from a camper. That’s why we’re re-printing Henry’s article here on our blog for you to enjoy.

Gold Arrow Camp

By Henry Blum

Marin Primary & Middle School

5th Grade

Have you ever felt the urge to go outside, camp, tell stories by the campfire or go down by the water and play? If so then Gold Arrow Camp is the place for you. There are great experiences at Gold Arrow. The last time I went I discovered a love of sailing. I love the wind in my face, the spray of the water, and being outside. I chose sailing every evening during free time. Because I practiced so much, I qualified for the sailing trip to Willow. The Willow Sailing Trip is a six-mile adventure across Huntington Lake. Sailing to Willow took all day but it was a lot of fun. Now I love sailing. I started sailing on a team at home. Gold Arrow brought that out in me.

Gold Arrow is a place where you can be whoever you want to be. Your cabin mates are like your brothers. If you get homesick a counselor is right there to comfort you. At camp the counselors pick camp names. It’s fun to figure out what their real names are. The counselors are really kind. My counselors encouraged me to try new things. Sometimes you’re scared to try a new activity and then your counselors help you try it. You discover a new favorite activity.

Gold Arrow has water sports like waterskiing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding and stand up paddleboarding. Giant stand up paddleboarding gets a whole cabin of kids on two or three giant paddle boards. My cabin mostly spent giant SUP time jumping into the lake. Gold Arrow Camp is in the mountains on Lake Huntington. The lake can be cold but on hot days it feels refreshing.

The food at Gold Arrow is really good. I loved orange chicken. Around the end of every session we have a banquet with soda and very special food. And, everyone is super friendly.

That’s why I love Gold Arrow Camp.

The Magic of The Campfire

March 4, 2019

by Andy “Soy” Moeschberger

My single favorite time of day at camp is campfire. Every night each of our 31 cabins has its own campfire unless the cabin is at a social (a campfire with another cabin) or our dance. Why do I love this time of day so much? In part because I love the smell of woodsmoke. In part because it means the day is winding down and I’ll be in bed within the next 3 hours. But mostly because of the magic.

What could be so magical about a campfire? Some logs, some pine needles, a match, and some popcorn. That’s simple and fun, but it isn’t magic.

I beg to differ. I think that the time spent around a campfire is magic. It’s transformational and powerful in the way that nothing else I have experienced in my life is. When a group of 10 friends is gathered around the flickering flames under a blanket of stars they can and will share truths that are more lasting and meaningful than if they were in a game room or around a dining room table.

But why? What is it about the campfire that makes this possible? Well, maybe it isn’t magic. Maybe it’s science. According to a study from the University of Alabama, adults who were exposed to a “fire with sound condition” (a video of a fire with the sound turned on) showed lower blood pressure and increased “prosocial” behaviors (such as smiling, making eye contact and engaging in conversation). And that was a VIDEO of a campfire with an adult by themselves! The authors hypothesize that this is an evolutionary development. They believe that for ancient humans the fire provided warmth and a way to cook, and also signaled the safety of numbers. Our ancient forerunners knew that by being around the campfire they could relax. Even a millennium after we moved indoors, our minds still subconsciously know that a fire is a place where we are safe.

Children need this more than ever today. The pressures of the world increasingly weigh on young people. If they can have an opportunity to feel, like the cavemen of old, relaxed and safe, then they can begin to become their best selves. The campfire is a natural way to do that. As I tell our graduating campers at their Paddle Ceremony, the most meaningful moments of their camp careers probably occurred around a campfire. 

Many camps have only occasional campfires, or “flashlight” fires. While there are benefits to that, we know the nightly practice of an actual campfire is important. Our counselors are trained specifically on campfires. The training is far more than how to stack the logs and what the ideal marshmallow looks like. Indeed, they practice in our training how to lead a meaningful discussion around the fire. They lead campers in sharing their highs and lows of the day. They help to facilitate discussions about real life topics that campers are interested in or struggling with.

On our last night of camp, we gather for an all-camp campfire that we call Appreciation Campfire. There are songs and stories and skits. Off to the side of our amphitheater (which we call Big Campfire!), there is a campfire pit, where the logs crackle away merrily. As the night winds down, the flames grow lower and lower. At the end of the night, counselors share their appreciation for their cabins by candlelight as the last embers of the campfire glow.

That’s just a last tiny piece of magic before we go home.