Yes I come to camp ALL the way from California!

Families who are considering Clearwater for their daughter quite often ask, “where do your campers come from?” And yes, we do have campers who come to camp all the way from California. In fact, we have campers who travel much further to come to camp than from California. See the map below to get an idea of where our campers come from.

We want to share with you one camper’s experience who travels to camp “all the way” from California. You’ll read about that below. This post was originally featured in our April 2017 Burgee (Clearwater’s e-newsletter).

My name is Katie and I’m 14 years old. As someone from the bright lights of Los Angeles, the idea of going all the way to Wisconsin for camp was a little daunting. But after exploring the Clearwater Camp website I decided to give it a try. Of course I was excited, nervous, and anxious all at once when I first went to camp, but those feelings were soon dismissed when I was welcomed by an amazing group of people and found myself a second home as a Clearwater daughter.

That summer passed faster than I could blink and I simply could not wait to come back to be with some of my closest friends.

That was almost two years ago. I am now looking forward to my third year at camp. Some of the people I have met through camp are now life long friends that I talk with throughout the year and many other friendships flourish by simply spending time together at camp.

I am often asked why I travel all the way from California to attend camp. The answer is simple: It is a special place and I just love it there. Over the years it has become my second home. It is also a nice break from the congested life I have in Los Angeles. In Wisconsin I can literally see a beautiful lake from the window of my cozy cabin, while in LA I would have to drive hours to see something that does not even come close to the beauty of Tomahawk Lake. Also the people are some of the nicest that I have ever met. Within my first week at camp I was already completely used to life at camp and not to mention, I had a small army of new friends.

As it is now April, I can’t wait for July when I can finally be reunited with my friends from camp. Every year camp completely changes me as a person and as a friend. I have found myself a new and better person because of camp. Clearwater is truly a place where one can be their best self and thats why I go every year!