Last month, GSWPA Troop 30487 of Erie County set off for a weekend fall camping trip to Camp Skymeadow in Armstong County. The group of eleven girls and their leaders arrived for their first camping trip at this GSWPA camp on a Friday evening and stayed through Sunday morning.
The group took full advantage of their time at Camp Skymeadow with activities like hiking, archery, building and cooking over a fire, and canoeing, which was a new experience for most of the girls.
Their troop leaders, Leanne, Angela, and Molly, said they knew the activity was beyond the comfort zone of some of the girls, a few of which made it clear ahead of time that they wouldn't go out on the water.
"Of course we would never force them," said Leanne, "but the instructor was really wonderful and walked them through each step."
With the great instructions and watching their friends out on the water, the confidence in them started to grow, and soon the whole group was in canoes learning about canoe safety, practicing switching spots with one another, and racing across the pond with their new paddle skills.
All of these experiences, including debuting a new recipe for Campfire S'mores in a Cone (A tip from the girls—add peanut butter!), made truly wonderful camping memories for the Girl Scouts and their leaders.
The troop even used Camp Skymeadow lodging as a way to help their girls get to the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium that weekend to join their sister Girl Scouts for Girl Scout Day, which reduced their usual drive to Pittsburgh from over two hours to a mere 50 minutes!
"Our weekend was filled with amazing memories, and I had a fun and awesome time," said GSWPA Cadette Emma P.
"Camp Skymeadow has many enjoyable features," said Elizabeth K., GSWPA Cadette. "From canoeing to archery, they know how to keep Girl Scouts entertained!"
Start planning your next camping trip at a GSWPA camp using the resources and online reservation system on the left side of the GSWPA camp page at gswpa.org/camp.
