Kenzie's "Special Spot"

At Camp Kintail, we are constantly reminded of the impact camp can have on the lives of young people — sometimes in small, everyday moments, and other times in extraordinary words. We recently received an email from a returning camper named Kenzie, who shared a school assignment that left us deeply moved.

Kenzie was asked to write a descriptive paragraph about a “special spot,” and they chose to write about Camp Kintail. With their permission, we’re thrilled to share their powerful words as a reminder of the joy, belonging, and growth that camp inspires year after year.

To all who are wondering - Kenzie totally aced the assignment and got a perfect mark! Congratulations Kenzie, thank you for sharing this with everyone, and we can't wait for you to join us for your fourth Kintail summer!

At Camp Kintail, the air is filled with the smell of bark, rainwater, lake moss, and freshly made food. From every point at camp, you can hear laughing children, camp songs being sung, birds chirping a beautiful melody, and the bouncing of rubber balls on the basketball court and in the gaga ball pit. When you look around, you can see dogs prancing about, little kids happily playing tag or making bracelets, people on the high ropes course, and those below cheering them on. When you go down to the beach, the lake waves crash against the surface continuously, never hitting the same spot twice. You feel the sand between your toes or the cold water brushing against your feet, the sun shining brightly and warmly all over your body, and the dance of the cool breeze coming off the water. Up on the dock, you can feel the weightless feeling of the hammocks supporting your body, almost like a silent promise not to drop you. At the nightly campfire, you can feel the warmth of the flames while singing, and as you settle into your sleeping bag for the night, you can feel the soft covers hugging you on every side. But most importantly, you can feel the love and acceptance at Camp Kintail. It is one of the most welcoming and supportive camps I have ever been to and has changed my perspective on many things. At camp, there are no grades or expectations; no one is telling me how to live or what I am doing wrong every second. When I am at camp, I feel loved and supported, whether I am good at a sport or awful at it. At camp, I know that people like me because of my personality, not my skills, and that is why I chose to write about Camp Kintail.

Best regards with very much love for camp,

Kenzie