Hey Girl Scouts!

I’m Erin Huerter, Outreach Specialist for Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska and the new council blogger. I have been with the council for almost 4 years now and I am thrilled to have the new responsibility of blogging about Girl Scouting all over Nebraska! I will cover many people and events around the state, so don’t be surprised if I come calling because it’s YOU out there, in Girl Scout land that I plan to write about :)

This last weekend I had the pleasure of taking the Skinner Magnet Juniors to Camp Crossed Arrows for their very first camping experience.

Like most first time experiences, they were hesitant and didn’t know if they would have a good time or not; probably because, like many of you, first time experiences tend to come with incorrect expectations. The Skinner troop was probably thinking that camping with Girl Scouts looked like this:

Which, it did at one time! But now it looks more like this:

My troop ^ :0)

We did most of the normal “camp stuff” that troops do when they go to camp –crafts, hikes, sang songs, stayed up too late and ate a lot of snacks! But we also discovered that the giant hill at Camp Crossed Arrows was a great hill for rolling down, which seemed to be a favorite among the troop. The simple things!

One of my favorite activities was our campfire ceremony.

We used candles instead of flashlights and it was really an awesome ceremony. Everyone got to take their candle with them to remind them of the ceremony and the trip!

By the end of the weekend, the consensus was “It’s not like I thought it was going to be. It was a lot better!”  Which made me happy!

Here are some of the highlights of our excursion:

What a view/perfect hill to roll down!

Florence G. Schlesinger Troop House – this is where we did our crafts and ate.

Making our craft – want to make one too?! Click here.

Sunset from the troop house and fire bell

The beginning of our night hike – at the Elkhorn River – so cool :)

S’MORES! This was our treat after the ceremony. It was a moonless night so it was really dark!

I had my hair in braided pigtails for the trip but the girls insisted that they re-braid them!

The weekend got me thinking about all of the amazing first time experiences that Girl Scouts provides for all of you and I want to hear about it! Click here to send me photos and stories of a “first-time” opportunity you were given through your Girl Scout experiences thus far. I am excited to hear how many different experiences we can come up with!

Yours in Girl Scouting,
Erin

Quote of the Day:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. - Maya Angelou.