Going this trip helped me tremendously. I needed a transition before college.  Getting to meet people from my college ahead of  time and developing my skills has booted my confidence.  I can’t wait to go to college and meet the rest of my fellow students.  I can tell them about my trip instead of just saying I had a great summer. After this trip, I plan to show my leadership skills more and continue to speak up and be noticed.  I am ready for any challenge Butler has to offer me.

The hike was very different from others.  But I thought Eric was very cool, he was very laid back which made the hike very interesting.  My very favorite part of the hike was to see the overlook at buzzard rock, it was so nice.  Besides the wind, and the fact that it was super cold.  Also the first day of hiking we hiked 11 miles.  Wow! J  That was a crazy day I thought would never end.  I got so upset I started saying things I do normally say.  I was also hungry which make it really bad.  Then the hills seem like it would never end – longest 2 miles in history.  I about died.  LOL  One more thing before I go, I thought this trip made me think about life, and how I can achieve my goals mentally in the future.  I just was to say Thanks Eric!  PS  Your really amazing Can’t believe I hiked 22 mile!

“I was excited for Camptown.  Hiking, camping, whitewater rafting.  I’ve been hiking and camping since I was eight.  When I was 12 we (me and my grandpa) was on a camping trip.  My grandpa had a massive heart attack.  I then vowed to never go camping gain.  But then I went to Camptown.  By going on this trip, it reminded me how good I am at camping and how fun it was.  On Monday, I automatically got picked for leader.  Everybody just wanted me to be their leader.  So I was the leader.  We started at the twin arches and ended at Jake’s Place.  On the way there, I felt like I was hiking with my grandpa again.  I moved throughout the line, front, back, middle, checking to make sure everyone was okay.  On Tuesday, I was scout.  I ran ahead of the group to check out any obstacles.  If I did see any obstacles, I went back to the group and warned them to be careful.  Even when I wasn’t leader or scout, I still solved problems.  Such as there was one time where we came upon a huge trunk that blocked the trail.  The whole group just stood there not knowing what to do because of Poison Ivy was there too.  But, I figured if I climbed onto the trunk smashed down the poison ivy so we could get by.  On Thursday, after rafting, Brandon told me about the youth group and I thought maybe this shouldn’t be my last time camping.”

“It (Camptown) showed me how to cope with people who drive me nuts, but the most important thing is it showed me how to be a good leader and root people on and the feeling you have when people say you did a great job and things like that.”

“Camptown taught me how to trust God when there is trouble and how to deal with it.”

“I learned the mindset you should have throughout life. Don’t give up and do what is right.”