Monthly Archives: March 2019

“I honestly cannot put into words how special camp is.”

One of the things we pride ourselves on is our ability to create a true family at Trail’s End.  We tell our campers and staff that “you are never just passing through.” Whether you are a lifer who started as a Buddy or Ranger, or you spent a single summer at TEC as a counselor, when you enter our gates you are forever part of the Trail’s End family.

Meet Lindsay Darrow.

She came to camp in 2008 as an Upper Buddy and never left, returning summer after summer and ultimately completing her camper years as a Leadership Trainee in 2015. We were then fortunate enough to have Lindsay work for two summers as a Trail’s End counselor.

Lindsay had to make the challenging decision not return to TEC this upcoming summer to pursue other opportunities. When she realized she would not be able to spend the summer in Beach Lake, PA, Lindsay sent us a message reflecting on the TEC experience and how her summers at Trail’s End Camp have deeply impacted her life.  

She was kind enough to let us share her thoughts with you.

“The girls that I worked with and camp have taught me so many things and so many life lessons and I will always be grateful for the impact Trail’s End has on me. I honestly cannot put into words how special camp is – I’m sure you’ve heard that a million times before. It’s given me my best friends, my bridesmaids, my fake little sisters and memories that I will remember forever. I hope one day I can return to camp because every day I think about 18405.

Trail’s End will always hold a special place in my heart because it is a part of who I am. Little did I know in 2008 when I hopped off the Livingston 1 bus as an Upper Buddy how lucky I was to be able to call Trail’s End my home and how much this place would mean to me. Thank you for introducing me to Emily Wexler and Sydney Kayne in 2008, Jess Ehrlich in 2009, Samantha Kramer in 2010, Faye Sheffield in 2012 and Molly Shapiro in 2018. All of these people and more have come into my life and will forever be my lifelong friends because of Trail’s End.

Not only have the people I met impacted me, but the place has as well. There is something magical in the air that makes everyone happy, be their true self, and never feel judged. I have never been so comfortable around complete strangers in my entire life and Trail’s End has taught me to be myself and to embrace my weird, fun, silly side but also my serious, “normal” side. There are no words to describe how thankful I am for this special place in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania.

Trail’s End has not only impacted my life but my family’s. You have given my sister her best friends and a place that she can be herself also. I have never seen her smile as much ever in my entire life than I do at camp. I remember her first Visiting Day when you guys had to pull her off the tree sideways because she wouldn’t let go of my parents. I also remember having to do that same thing to her in 2017 when she was an LT. Trail’s End is the place she feels the most comfortable and is the happiest I have ever seen her. My parents always tell us when we got off that camp bus we had that Trail’s End smile, the smile that was pure, genuine, and full of happiness. I hope that every camper and counselor realize how lucky they are to be a part of something bigger than themselves and a part of our secret club because it is not common that people have something this special to them.

Once again, thank you for everything that you and Trail’s End have done for me, my sister and my parents. I wouldn’t be the person I am today and I really truly am forever grateful for finding a place that is more than just a summer camp, but an experience of a lifetime.

I’ll see you soon!

Lindsay Darrow”


Thank you to Lindsay for reaching out to share how much Trail’s End Camp means to her (and the many others that have spent a summer or more in Beach Lake – 18405).

If there is anything you would like to share about your time at Trail’s End Camp, send an email to marc@trailsendcamp.com. We love hearing from our campers and staff, both old and new!

 

Better For Having Been