Camp Yaw Paw



 

 

Last summer, my son went to Camp Vacamas.

It was very convenient, since it was close enough for him to walk to it, although the road is dangerous because of both the volume and speed of the road that it is off of. But just to give an idea of how close it was, he truly could literally have walked there, probably in ten minutes or less, if he really wanted to.

Here's the thing: he needed some medication. I had been opposed to the idea for a long time, because I just did not like the idea of drugs tempering his behavior.

But when the school kept insisting, and then camp kept insisting, I relented, and we finally went to the hospital and got him diagnosed. He was given a prescription and, before the end of the summer, he was on meds.

These were to calm him down, because he can be quite hyper, and when he is hyper, he can be out of control! This had caused him to get in trouble with the camp earlier in the summer and, shortly after we went to the hospital to get him diagnosed, the camp kicked him out after what they deemed a second offense.

No call to either parent, let alone a meeting to discuss options. He was simply kicked out, told that Friday would be the last day. And even though there were still a few weeks left that he was supposed to attend, we now had to find a way to make sure he was watched at all times, which meant inconveniencing both of us parents, as well as my parents (his grandparents) at times, as well (not to mention some other people).

To say it was less than ideal would be an understatement.

That was a real problem that I had with Camp Vacamas, but not the only one. Because the principal of the school had wanted to talk to me, and she encouraged me to talk to my son regularly about the goings on of his day, and I was happy to oblige.

But when it came to what he did during the day at Camp Vacamas, he would seem disinterested, and would more or less dodge the question, unless I really pressed and persisted, which I often did. The impression that I got was that he was not exactly a big fan of Camp Vacamas.

So, we wanted to find a better option for him this summer. True, Camp Vacamas was very convenient in terms of location, obviously. But it was no longer an option, and so we had to find other possibilities.

One thing that we thought was a good idea some time back (can't remember when, exactly) was to have him join the Boys Scouts. The school encouraged us to engage him in social activities, since he has struggled a bit with socializing with other kids. This was one of the things that we thought, or hoped, would help.

After a few months, I could not tell if it was really helping, or if it was just further illustration of how difficult it was for him to socialize.

Then, his mom (my ex-wife) told me that there was a camp associated with the Boys Scouts that he might be able to attend. it was a bit far away, but still, could be a good option, and was fairly reasonably priced. That camp was Camp Yaw Paw.

So, with my own family helping out, we decided to go ahead and go for it.

Of course, at the time, it all seemed quite distant. Despite having been an adult for a couple of decades now, the summer seemed far enough away that it was not something that was worth stressing over too much.

Yet, of course, before we knew it, it was here!

Now, the first part of his summer, he did not go to camp. It opened in early July, but his school got out in mid- to late June, which left weeks.

But I was taking him on two trips. One to the south, which I have posted quite a few blogs about. And the other was to the north, to New England and Canada, which I am still in the process of publishing blog entries for. During the two trips, he was able to experience camping, and did a lot of swimming. Perhaps more importantly, he was able to see some new places that he had never been before. We saw palm trees, Fort Sumter, Magnolia Plantation, the Charleston Aquarium, and beautiful Savannah during our trip down south, and we saw Stephen King's House, the wilderness and mountains of Maine, the Atlantic coast, the Bay of Fundy and the Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, the Gaspésie peninsula in Quebec, before finishing the trip in Quebec City.

Traveling is something that I personally love to do, but I recognize that he is still very, very young yet. I would love to take him to Europe, but suspect that he is still at an age where castles and cathedrals and old churches and charming sidewalk cafes and restaurants along narrow, cobbled lanes would be of limited interest to him, at best. And not being a millionaire, I want to wait to take him to Europe until he reaches an age where such a trip might have more of an impact.

Still, the two trips that I was able to take him on I think were pretty good for him, and helped to make this summer special for him.

The other thing that seems to be making the summer special for him so far is Camp Yaw Paw.

Camp Yaw Paw is, to my understanding, over 100 years old, although I did not actually see tons of information on it's history when I tried on a search engine earlier (think it was Google). But I saw a t-shirt from, I believe, 2010, that suggested that the camp was celebrating it's centennial (although not necessarily at it's present location, as I understand it).

There is a theme for this camp, and the theme is Pokemon. Everything the kids do revolves around that, although one of the kids (or camp staff, for that matter) would surely be better qualified than I am to explain precisely how that works.

As it turns out, my son absolutely loves it!

Here, he is truly in the middle of the woods. The long, bumpy road up here is surrounded by steep, wooded hills, and with streams visible along the way. It is beautiful and pristine greenery that most would not associate with New Jersey. It's the kind of tucked away place that you probably would never know existed, unless you specifically knew about it. I myself have gone for many years to nearby Ramapo Reservation for hiking, and yet I never knew about this campsite. The road takes maybe about ten or so minutes to traverse (you do not want to go to fast, because it is narrow, and filled with potholes).

When he gets home, he is usually pretty excited about the camp. I usually ask about it, but sometimes, he begins to talk about his day there on his own, so excited he is! And that, of course, pleases me to no end!

Again, I cannot emphasize enough just how deep in the woods you are. I am not sure that there is a more isolated camp in New Jersey - at least not northern New Jersey! There is virtually no chance of cars in the road while the kids are up there.

There are plenty of activities, too! He loves archery, but there is also shooting, swimming, fishing, and educational walks with nature guides!

Pretty cool stuff, and exactly what I wanted for him from a camp!

Also, they offer the parents an outdoor barbecue on Thursday evenings, and I have gone to a few so far. I love the food, because nothing says summer (to me) like cooked burgers from the grill, and corn on the cob!

We go under a kind of permanent canopy, and this is where you get your food, and then are meant to sit and socialize with the other parents there.

Not far away is the Trading Post, where they offer some merchandise, such as t-shirts and pictures of your child in his group. My son started the first week in Den 3, but he has since moved to Den 7.

After roughly an hour, you go down by the lakeside, where they set up two large campfires simultaneously, and then try to entertain you for a good hour or so, while it gets dark.

They do several skits, and some of them are quite funny! In a number of cases, they take aim at one another, with staff making fun of other staff, but in a way that not only makes sense to the audience, but which makes everyone laugh. The kids from the dens that are present are part of it, too. My son, who refused to participate the first time around was an active participant this time around (see pictures below).

The skit is essentially about someone wanting to build a candy shop, and using three of the kids as walls to this imaginary candy shop. The boys have to keep repeating the word "wall" to remind everyone that they are supposed to be a wall. My son was one of the walls. But there is also a door, a window, a pretty picture, a counter, a cash register, and perhaps some other things that I am forgetting. One of the camp counselors is usually selected to be the welcome mat (he has to yell out welcome when all of the visitors to the candy store walk over him to get inside). And finally, there are three table (also counselors) selected, and they bend over, so that their backs serve as tables. When the first customer comes in (a child) he asks for three glasses of water, and these are naturally placed on the three tables. When the kid inquires as to where all of the candy is, everyone leaves all at once, except for the three tables, still bent down and with the glasses of water on their backs precariously balanced. The store owner says, "I have three suckers right there!" and, of course, the glasses of water go down the backs of the three "suckers".

Good, clean fun, and the kids really seem to love it!

So, it seems that this story has a happy ending! My son loves Camp Yaw Paw, and he wants to come back next summer! And I'm very pleased that he seems so happy with it!

What more can you ask from a camp?

This is the banner that my son and his den made early in the summer, and it is hanging from the ceiling of the big canopy like a championship banner, where the kids eat their lunch during the days, and the parents, staff, and kids eat during the barbecue evenings. Pretty cool!

 

 

 

 

 

 My son enjoying his meal at the dining hall.

 

 

 

 

 

My son, at the first barbecue that we attended!