by Lee-Anna Sangster – Camper in the late 80’s into the 90’s; Staff 1998-2001
I started as a camper in the late 80s and stayed with Camp Big Canoe as a camper, then skills, then CIT, then staff until my last summer in 2001. I grew up at camp. And as a city kid with working parents, I often went to camp for up to three sessions a summer. Quite happily, you could say that I lived there.
I have so many warm and wonderful memories of adventures and games, out-trips and challenges, beautiful friendships and genuinely special people. Despite all the activities and friends and busyness of camp though, one of the things I cherish most when I look back at those years is that camp was also a place where I spent time being still. Just looking, feeling, and taking it all in. There is an incredible peace in the place itself: Hart Lake.
Whether you’re watching clouds or stars or friends performing songs; quietly paddling through the morning mist on the lake; watching the crackling campfire on the beach; staring out at the glimmering lake from chapel; drifting off to sleep to the sounds of the night forest; or any of the myriad of special moments that happen there, you can always feel the power of the beautiful natural setting that surrounds you.
Nothing compares to the sudden flutter in your stomach when the bus turns and you finally pull onto the camp road; you know in your heart that you’ve arrived at a very special place. So much calm, so much peace, so much fun, so much Hart Lake.
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