Destination "Michigan" Timbers Trek-Paddling

by Hannah

This July, I had the amazing opportunity to participate in a Girl Scout destinations trip. I was thrilled when I read the letter from the Timbers Girl Scout Camp that held all the information for the flight to Michigan.

I remember the ride to the airport as a blur of nerves. My stomach was churning at the thought of flying alone for the first time, even though I had next to nothing for breakfast. I guess I should have counted myself lucky that I knew at least one other person on the flight, a Girl Scout from the Hornet’s Nest council, although my so-called flying buddy ended up in first class while I was in coach.

I’ve never been a huge fan of flying, but I do have to admit to how independent I felt as an unaccompanied minor. I loved knowing that my parents trusted me enough to send me off on an airplane on my own.

My second flight, from Detroit to the Girl Scout camp in Traverse City, Michigan, was fairly short and smooth. I had the opportunity to get to know several other girls that were headed to the Timbers, and I also learned that I was not alone in my nervousness. Several of the other girls shared my fears, and I felt that we had something in common in that. We called ourselves the “36-minute friends” because that’s how long our flight was – and how long it took us to become good friends.

All the destinations at the Timbers were different. There was sailing, backpacking, “the Ultimate Challenge”, and more. But I chose none of those. No, I had chosen to go on an out-of-camp canoeing trip with six other girls. The days before our trip were a blur of packing, choosing non-perishable foods to take with us, getting our canoes ready, and finally heading off to the Pine River.

The first day of our six-day trip came to a close, and already several things had gone wrong. In that first day, one of our canoes had tipped over three times, and we accidentally canoed right past our first campsite. As if all this mayhem weren’t crazy enough, the river rules stated that we had to be off of the water by six o’clock at the latest. We hauled our canoes up on the riverbank, and spent our first night under the trees, nowhere near where we were supposed to be.

Around the third day of our trip my partner Becky and I tipped for the first time. If I were to say I learned anything that day, it would have to be teamwork. It takes a lot of team effort to chase your canoe down in freezing cold water that’s not exactly calm. We had to dump everything out of our canoe, flip it to get the river water out, and then put everything back into the canoe (all the time worrying about hypothermia) and then get back on the river. We laughed off the tip, though, and went on our way.

A few of the many things I learned on this awesome trip across Michigan would have to be patience, how to admit you were wrong, how to expect the unexpected, and most importantly, friendship. When I had to leave at four o’clock in the morning to catch my flight, I woke up my two new friends to say good-bye. I learned then that it can be hard to let go of the ones you love, even when you know you have to.

My friends and I still keep in touch, and in my heart I know that I will never forget the remarkable experience I had on my Girl Scout destinations trip.