One of the most highly anticipated moments for new campers is finding out to which cabin/bunk they have been assigned. It’s also the moment when they meet the fellow campers with whom they will spend the next several summers experiencing all of camp’s adventures. Bunk living is a very big part of the summer camp experience. Whether it’s a special bunk or cabin joke or song, or even late night storytelling, the bunk is a very intimate environment that is essential to a successful summer.
For new campers, it’s a ready environment to make those first friends at summer camp. As new friends journey through the summers, they become close friends, laughing as they enjoy all of the rites and traditions alongside one another, then old friends tearfully saying farewell to their final camp summer together, and, finally, lifelong friends who get together for reunions where they remember camp times. Essentially bunk mates become family.
Bunk mates are the first people campers look for when they step off the bus each summer, racing to each other for hugs when they find each other. They’re also the final goodbye at the end of each summer.
There is definitely something special about learning how to live and work with others in such a close-knit environment each summer. It’s a special opportunity that is as much a summer camp tradition as the campfire or the sing-along. Although everyone at camp is part of the larger camp family, the bunk/cabin environment facilitates a highly individual and very personable experience. There will always be shared camp experiences. But shared bunk memories are unique to each specific bunk/cabin. Even more importantly, being part of a bunk is a childhood experience that is specific to camp. It’s a set of memories that cannot be acquired anywhere else
Tags: camp bunks, camp facilities, camp family, camp friends, Camp Starlight
