Back to Camp Basics
Ever wondered what it would be like to go camping back in the days of Girl Scouts’ founder, Juliette Gordon Low? Campers went back in time for Evergreen Day Camp at Girl Scout Camp Evergreen. This year the camp attracted more than 50 campers in grades K-6! The camp also hosted over 20 program aides (PAs). PAs are older girls who help lead younger girls and can plan, create and execute Girl Scout activities alongside their adult mentors. At Camp Evergreen the PAs develop and plan all the program and activities for the campers!
In honor of Juliette’s spirit, campers learned basics like orienteering, flag ceremonies, knot-tying, fire-building and safety, meal planning and knife safety. During the week campers got to explore the grounds while hiking and taking walks along the creek. The campers also planted a butterfly garden, which we’re sure the local wildlife will appreciate as much as camp visitors! Of course, campers also got to sing songs around the campfire, perform skits, play games and make crafts. On Friday campers even cooked their own dinners and learned how to use a dunk bag! Girls who attended all week earned their Tenderfoot award.
Juliette’s Other Loves: Animals and Girl Scouts
Campers celebrated Juliette’s love of animals with a dog agility demonstration by Karin Haderly from Fido Beta Kappa. Dog agility is a dog sport where a person directs a dog through an obstacle course, where both time and accuracy matter. For professionals, dog agility is a competitive sport and there are national competitions. But for some pet owners, dog agility is a way of bonding with their pet and providing dogs with an engaging task to help burn off extra energy and focus their pet. Karin and her dogs showed the girls several of the events dogs learn and compete in, and the campers got a chance to try out the agility course on their own. Karin and her dogs helped the campers understand more about dog agility, as well as how to be a responsible pet owner.
To celebrate 100 years of Girl Scouting, campers buried a time capsule on-site and got mini time capsules to take home. The capsule at Camp Evergreen will be dug up on the camp’s 100th anniversary! Several girls stepped even further back in time, wearing vintage Girl Scouts uniforms for the flag ceremony. It was a great way to celebrate Girl Scouts’ history and everyone was excited to be a part of Evergreen Day Camp!
Are You Ready to Explore Evergreen?
After hearing about Evergreen Day Camp’s fun adventures, how’d you like to hang out on a bouncy bridge? 
Or maybe you’d like to get up close and personal with salmon as they make their way to spawning grounds through Mill Creek. Maybe you have a craving for camp food – waffles by morning campfire or gooey chocolate cakes in the Dutch oven? Perhaps a long hike on a lush trail sounds like the perfect escape. Many people in Washington (or even the Portland area) may not know that Girl Scout Camp Evergreen is available for community use.
Just 15 miles west of Longview on Mill Creek Road, a network of rustic bridges connects various parts of the 76-acre camp. Mill Creek meanders behind the lodge which has kitchen and dining area for 80. There are heated cabins, A-frame chalets and open-air sleeping and cooking shelters. Camp is closed October through March.
For more information about Girl Scout Camp Evergreen, contact Kate Tegeler, at (253) 798-5028. If you’d like to rent the camp for your school, non-profit or group, contact Denise Mahnke, Camp Programs & Community Guest Manager, at (425) 333-5258.