Climb Every Mountain

218 steps...

I'll get to that in a minute...just had to put it out there for you.

So you are probably wondering why the heck this blog is titled "Climb Every Mountain", because it is certainly NOT a workout song...but it is truly the inspiration for this blog today.

Because, you see, I just had the greatest weekend ever...or at least since I was 15 years old. Because that was the last time I was at Friday Mountain Girls Camp...and this weekend I got to go back.

We had a reunion...and oh what a reunion it was!

There were about 30 of us...former campers...former counselors...and Julie...Julie Julie Julie. Julie was the camp director and one of the greatest influences on my life and that of most/all of us at the reunion.

It was amazing...and I am going to bore you to death with blogging about it...

Sadly, Friday Mountain Girls Camp closed after the 1984 session. It was a wonderful camp and for those of us blessed enough to attend it, it was heaven on earth and the greatest summers of our lives. And anyone who went to camp and loved it knows just what I mean...

So about a year ago one of the former camper/counselors has the idea to make this reunion happen...and she did it. She got together with another counselor and they planned a really magical weekend for us.

My Aunt Jane (the best person in the world) and I loaded up on Friday around noon and headed out. She was a counselor at FMGC for 2 years---how awesome is it that I got to have my aunt as a counselor where I went to camp?

Since FMGC is closed and now the property is privately owned, we bunked up at a camp in Wimberely, not too far from our camp. We arrived in time to help Sue and Tracy (yeah, I'm going to use some real names here...) set up.

And just like camp, the "campers" started to arrive. Hugs...tears...joy...

And then she walked in. "She" being...DANA...my favorite counselor EVER...

She was a goddess then...she is a goddess now. And dammit...she looked the same. Still gorgeous...

She was my cabin counselor my last year at camp. I poured my heart out to her many times. She was an awesome big sister to me even though I wasn't her sister. And I was thrilled to see that her REAL sister was there and I got to see her too. She worked in the horse lot...and we did our level best to make her and the other counselors insane...and I loved her and wished with all my heart that she had been MY big sister.

So in she walks...and I burst into tears. I haven't seen her since I tackled her in North Star Mall many years ago...I screamed her name and ran across the mall...it scared a lot of people, including her...but she loves me anyway...even if I tackle her in a mall...

And then I got a super treat...for the first time in over 30 years I got to hug Julie. And that was undescribable...so I won't even try to tell you how great that was.

And then walks in MB (her name is very distinctive so I am going to shorten it)...oh how I loved MB and how I loved to drive her nuts.

MB was a counselor my first year at camp. We really did make her crazy. And when she didn't come back the following year we speculated it was our fault. Now I know the truth---her dad made her get a "real" job.

Poor MB even had a song we made up about her...to the tune of "Little Bunny Foo Foo". I won't sing it for you because I cannot sing...and you wouldn't get it unless you were at camp in 1976.

We had a great time getting re-acquainted and seeing old friends and meeting new friends among the girls who attended camp at different years or terms than some of us.

At dinner we all told stories about how much FMGC meant to us. I would have talked all night if they let me (you all know THAT about me). I shared that going back to camp after my parents divorce was a great comfort to me and that my cabin mates helped me to get through it. I shared that I loved every minute of camp. I shared that I still display my "Most Honorable Camper" trophy (this is like "cup girl" at Mystic or "Ideal Girl" at Waldemar). And that the trophy reminds me to be good to others. And that my dad still liked the fact that I led the Eagle Drill (on horseback) and the fact that I could out shoot the best of the boys camp (we had a riflery competition)more than the fact that I was nice...oh well...

Now about that horseback stuff...I sucked.

There is no other word for it.

I am the worse horseback rider in the world.

The only thing I did worse at camp than horseback was...TENNIS...

you remember that blog...I don't need to revisit it here for you...

I was also pretty lousy at sports, archery (almost shot a few counselors)and nature. I didn't much care for nature time---the walks were long and hot and they made us pick up bugs. Needless to say I never won a nature award.

I did pretty good at swimming and gymnastics and arts and crafts.

But I rocked at riflery. I got all the way up to the standing up level. I beat the boys. I won the award. I can shoot a gun.

I also almost shot a few counselors...

It was easy...we would all do it...we would turn to the counselor and ask something WITH THE GUN IN OUR HANDS and forget to put it down. So when you are at standing or kneeling level and you turn right to look at the counselor...well, sometimes your body follows your head and then you have a gun...pointed at your counselor.

The archery "shootings" were just bad aim...this was just a lack of paying attention. I wish I had a dime for every time Tracy told one of us "put your gun down before you turn around"...I could have paid for camp in a week.

So I could stand up and hit a target and pretty much hit the bulls eye every time.

I don't know why that didn't scare off potential boyfriends...

As for the horse thing...I will start by saying that the horseback counselors were EXTREMELY patient with me. My sisters could ride...and my sister N was an amazing equestrienne...but me...Lord help me, I can't sit on a horse without falling off or at least looking very very very stupid.

It should have been in my DNA to be able to ride...but God skipped that part in the mix that is me. Just like the "can play tennis" gene and the "can hit/throw/catch a ball" gene, I didn't get the "can sit on a horse and ride" gene.

Dana, my favorite counselor ever, was a horseback counselor...I tell you that because it would have been unbearable to ride or go on the overnights if not for her.

The 2nd worst words ever for me to hear at camp: "we are going on a trail ride"...

WORST words to hear: "Goodbye...see you next summer"...

(I also hated hearing that my parents had shown up...because that meant I for sure had to leave...)

My last year I led that Eagle Horseback drill. Not because I was the best rider. I think it was because I could remember the pattern.

There will be more on this in a later blog...because the Eagle drill and Eagle cabin deserve their own blog...and I just can't bear to write about overnights on the mountain when I am so happy right now...because that was total misery for me...but not really...just in terms of "camp misery" which is all relative...

So back to the reunion...

We stayed up late watching videos/slide shows and playing games...and drinking wine and beer. Never got to do THAT with Julie and the counselors before...maybe because I was 15...

I think I went to bed at 1:30.

Got up at 7:30 and took a good walk around the camp we were staying at. Sue and Tracy, the organizers, had the genius idea to stay there because it was the ORIGINAL site of the original FMGC...except it was called "Holiday Hills"...

We had breakfast and then gathered up to go walk up some hill called "Old Baldie".

But before we left some more magic happened...Miss Annette showed up!

Miss Annette ran the horse lot. When she wasn't dealing with privledged princesses at camp, she taught ballet. She had a horse named "Odette" named after the swan in Swan Lake. I thought that was the best name ever for a horse owned by a ballet teacher.

I couldn't ride...but I could do ballet. I think that is why she put up with me.

I walked up to her and told her who I was...afraid she would not remember me but rather my sister.

Nope...sly little fox she was she knew just who I was...and did not mix me up with my sister and remembered that I showed cattle and that was my talent...not horses.

I thought I loved her all I could...but that proved that I could love her more...she's awesome...

We said our hellos and then set out on the walk. Tracy told us it was just a 1/4 mile to Old Baldie and then we would climb up (it has steps) and see a great view.

We got lost...

We went the wrong way...

About a mile in to the 1/4 mile walk (yes, you read that right) we told her that she must be leading us the wrong way. We found a lovely gentleman in a pickup truck and Cindy asked directions and somehow charmed him into letting us hitch a ride with him.

15 women in the back of a pickup truck.

A few climbed in the cab but most of us were in the bed of the truck.

We looked like a group of crazy women who were being let out of the asylum for a brief field trip.

Piled in to the bed of the truck we sang and laughed and sang some more. And held on to the truck and each other for dear life as the guy driving us seemed to forget he had women sitting in the bed of the truck...

The camp is located in a neighborhood. Those poor people...

I think some of the neighbors got worried after seeing us in the truck...because we really did look crazy...

He dropped us off at Old Baldie and that is where the 218 steps comes in...

Because to get to the top of the hill, you have to climp up 218 stone steps. At least that is what Tracy told us. I think it was more than 218...but that is what she said so that is what I will claim...

I looked at the top of the hill, not quite seeing it...even though it was pretty steep and straight up.

218 steps...

did I really want to try that?

youbetcha...

50 steps in...notsomuch...

Going through my brain is the following:
218 steps
I hate heights
I hate climbing stairs
I hate climbing down steep stairs
218 steps
I'm wearing my crazy "shape up" shoes which are NOT flat
it is very hot
218 stone steps
that's a long way...

But I started it and dammit I was going to get to the top...

about halfway up I got pretty winded...

I took a 20 second break...

I went further...took a 10 second break...

Anne encouraged me to finish...Amanda encouraged me to finish...Jane encouraged me to finish...I was almost at the top...

and I got there...

I got there...

218 steps...

I got there...

and the view was spectacular...but being there with my camp friends was priceless...and the fact that I could even get up there was...well, I can't really tell you because I might sound too full of pride in myself...

because, as those of you who read my blog know...it was a trip up the stairs that changed my life and got me to lose the weight and start working out...and that was just 20 steps...

20 steps that changed my life...

and 218 steps that I was able to climb now because I changed my life...

and yes, I plan to tell Precious and Adorable History Teacher that I climbed up 218 steps because I changed my life after not being able to climb up 20 with him...and yes, he will applaud...because I will make him...and because he is Precious and Adorable and he does what I ask him to do...

we said a prayer at the top of the hill...it was wonderful...

coming down should have been a lot easier but since I had on those shape up shoes with the curved bottom it was not...and it scared me...because I hate heights and stairs...

but the whole way down I kept saying "I just climbed up 218 steps and I did not have a heart attack"...and that felt DAMN good...and it was all the better because I did it with people I love...

6 months ago I wouldn't have even thought about it...
6 months ago I would have stayed back and not even tried to go to the hill, much less thought about climbing it...
6 months ago I wouldn't have even gone on the walk...

3 months ago I would have been intimidated and most likely given up...

but yesterday I climbed 218 steps...and it felt good...

I have way more to blog about the reunion...but right now I am tired (in a good way) and really want a nice long soak in the tub...

and I don't want to talk about returning to FMGC campsite in the same blog as climbing the steps...because going back to camp was so so so special...it deserves its own blog...especially for those of you who couldn't be there with us...

but yesterday I climbed 218 steps...

Inspiration song: "Climb Every Mountain" from "The Sound of Music".
2 reasons:
1) we had a song we called "Climb Friday Mountain" sung to the same tune
and
2) we should ALL do as the song says...climb every mountain...ford every stream...follow every rainbow...until you find your dream...

Climbing 218 steps would have been a dream for me 6 months ago...now it is a reality...

Bye Darlings...more tomorrow...and here is a link to Elizabeth's photos...they are AMAZING...

http://picasaweb.google.com/esimmons76/FMGCReunion2010#