Girls Camp at Seneca Lake Near Fayette

Yesterday we returned from a couple of days at Girls' Camp. It was a great opportunity for us to experience this church camp that we heard so much about on our first mission.  Many youth, church and family groups have built memories here.  During the summer, four missionary couples keep things running. Here are some things we learned:

• It covers 196 acres.
• It sits on the shores of Seneca Lake (one of the finger lakes) which provides swimming, kayaking and canoeing opportunities.
• It services 7 stakes and currently has 5 stake groups that use it for girls camp each summer.
• It provides private camping areas for scout outings, YSA groups, father and sons outings, and families who just want to camp.
• There are 10 identical cabins each housing about 16 on bunks - 4 cabins in the upper camp area, and 6 cabins in the lower.
• There is a large enclosed dining hall (pictured below) with seating for 200 plus for dining, conferencing, and other activities.
• There is an outdoor amphitheater with benches seating about 180.  (We were caught in a downpour there our first night and had to run for shelter.)

Here are some of our pictures:

Our view (Elder Ellsworth walking to the water front)

We "roughed it" in this bunk house.
The view above is from the rocking chair on the porch.

Our "latrine" 

Our bunk 

Where we spent some free time 

Our dining hall (not really . . . we ate with the girls at the dining hall) 

Outdoor eating

As you can see, the property also provides a spacious 5-bedroom guest house (4000 square feet) available for rent.  This is used for family reunions, RS retreats, and other such gatherings. The missionary couple serving at the camp offered it to us to use for our two nights there.  They were so good to us!

The flagpole where days began and ended. 

The large dining hall.  The back side had doors that rolled up to open the entire length
of the hall to the outdoors and to a grand view of Seneca Lake. There was a fire ring there as well.

We had the opportunity to be taken on a golf cart tour by the sister missionary who helps run the camp (they finish their 2 years in February) around the property, up and down small pathways, across open fields (corn and soybean), over small bridges, and through the woods (mud flying as we went).  It was great to get a behind-the-scenes peak of this magnificent camp!

Some readers may wonder why we were at girls camp.  We spent time there with:

• 4 YSA's (serving as YCL's or kitchen help) (Megan, Summer, Kim, Crystal)
• 4 Early-morning seminary teachers (McLaws, Dennis, Allen, Kimball)
• 4 Branch members who attended camp (Devonee, Eliza, Danae, Alicia)
• Dozens of seminary students in all parts of the stake who we are getting to know & love

Elder Ellsworth also helped out in various ways as priesthood help. It was a great couple of days!