Camp Conowingo
From BunzWiki
| This article needs to be wikified. |
Located one hour north of [Baltimore] and covering more than 600 acres of [woodland] in [Cecil County, Maryland], Camp Conowingo is the [home base] for the [Girl Scout camp] offered by the [Girl Scouts of Central Maryland]. It is also a popular destination for [Girl Scout] troops from the area. Conowingo overlooks the [Susquehanna River] and is accredited by the [American Camping Association].
Camping Areas
There are eight standard [camping] units at Conowingo, which can be rented from April 1st through the last week in May, and from September 1st until October 31st. All of the units have an [open air] kitchen shelter with [running water] and a [hygiene station] with a series of [spigot]s. No [cooking] equipment is supplied and all units have a set of [latrine]s as well as a [campfire] circle.
- Trailing Pine has room for 28 campers in four [Yurt]s.
- Laughing Waters has room for 32 campers in four [teepee|Tipi]s, two [covered wagon]s, and a small one-room [log cabin].
- Whispering Glen has room for 30 campers in five "glen shelters."
- Fallen Timber has room for 28 campers in seven platform [tent]s.
- Rocky Ridge has room for 36 campers in six glen shelters.
- Bald Eagle has room for 36 campers, who may use nine [cabin]s or the [winterized] lodge.
- LaFayette has room for 28 campers in seven platform tents.
- Heritage has room for 28 campers in seven cabins.
There are also three [lodge]s available from September 1st to the end of May. Thirty-six campers may stay at the Bald Eagle Lodge or the [Friendship Circle]s Lodge, and the Pax Tu Lodge holds 28 campers. The Hemlock Knoll area is also available for [primitive]-style camping - there is room for 40 campers but groups must provide all of their own tents and [equipment]. The Bell Manor program center is currently closed for [renovations].
<P>
Camp Life
For the summer camp, all [girl scout camp counselors|counselors] are carefully trained and at least one per unit is over 21 years old; most have [CPR] training as well. Meals at the [dining hall], while [institutional] cooking, are carefully planned to be [nutritious]. All [medication]s must be turned over to the camp's health supervisor. All girls may use the [swimming pool], in fact the [shower] facilities there are the only ones at camp. Campers are evaluated for swimming ability at the start of their session. Level 1 swimmers may play in the three-foot section of the pool; Level 2 swimmers may play up to the eight-foot section of the pool including the [water slide], and Level 3 swimmers may use the entire pool, including the twelve-foot well for the [diving board]. All girls have daily [chore]s, or "kapers" - these include cleaning the latrines, setting tables, and the like. Another daily activity is "Me Time," a [quiet] period generally after lunch that girls may use to write letters home, read, or talk quietly with their tentmates. A [trading post] is available at the camp, offering t-shirts, stuffed animals, and similar [souvenir]s. Campers must turn in their [spending money] at the beginning of the session, and the camp's [business manager] keeps track of their purchases. All camp sessions include a variety of [activities], including [arts and crafts], [hiking], and other programs. Some sessions also allow for [horseback riding] at the camp's [stable]s.
<P>
Personal Recollections
I don't quite remember how many times I went to Conowingo, but I know I attended [summer camp] there for many years and went several times with my own [troop]. I know the trip always took forever (it wasn't more than ninety minutes), whether I was part of a [carpool] when the troop went or if I took the [bus] service that stopped at a few locations in the area before heading to camp. I have a few specific [memories] from summer camp, and a few that are more hazy. I remember the flag ceremonies every day behind the dining hall on the [Shadowbrook] side of camp, and I remember failing to learn [tennis] on the courts behind the flag area, and unsuccessfully trying to stitch together a leather wallet using plastic cord. When I was there - this would be the late 1980s and very early 1990s - Pax Tu was the [infirmary], fortunately I don't think I ever ended up there; also there was no [trading post] that I recall. Most of the Shadowbrook units - I remember staying at Laughing Waters and Whispering Glen - were platform tents at the time, the "yurts" and those are all new additions. I attended one session (they called it "Splash About") that was supposed to be largely swimming-based, but I can't remember if I participated in the [polar bear swim]. I remembering [singing silly songs] during the walk from Shadowbrook over to the Chimney Trail side of camp (where the stables are - one year I attended a horseback riding session, I think we stayed in the Bald Eagle unit). There's an old [chimney] that is the only surviving part of a house that once stood along the trail; nobody seemed to know much about it but we told [ghost stories] about hearing the cries of a long-dead baby that had been stuffed into the chimney to keep it alive when the house was attacked (nobody ever said who was attacking or why). I don't know much about the Bell Manor building, except that we told more ghost stories about the old [manor] and its [plantation]. My mother would probably say I enjoyed camp except for the several times I was miserably [homesick], but I have only good memories.
<P>
Sources
http://www.gscm.org/Program/CampLocations/conowingo.htm
http://www.gscm.org/Program/ResidentCamp/ResidentCampRight.htm
