With temperatures hovering around a hundred degrees in our area for too many days, a trip to the mountains this week was a welcome reprieve. I drove to Sapphire, NC to meet daughter Tara for camp pick-up of granddaughter Virginia at Camp Merrie-Woode. I enjoyed the entire experience, including the five-hour drive up and back listening to an audible tape, time alone with Tara including dinner, and seeing camp through Virginia’s eyes. The weather was perfect, cool, and crisp with no humidity. The majesty of the mountains reminded me of how small we really are, as are our problems. A more frequent trip to the mountains could do wonders for my soul.

 Our family knows Camp Merrie-Woode well. Daughter Tara was a camper there when she was about the same age as Virginia (11.) Virginia’s older sister Mary Grace, now in college at UGA, was a camper at Merrie-Woode in 2019. (Before Merrie-Woode, Mary Grace and Elsie went to Camp Seafarer on the coast of NC for several years.)  All three granddaughters, Mary Grace, Elsie, and Virginia were registered for Camp Merrie-Woode in 2020, but COVID intervened. Mary Grace is interested in being a counselor at Merrie-Woode next year, and Virginia wants to return to Camp Merrie-Woode for a longer camp experience.

The surrounding areas of Cashiers and Highlands are a shopping mecca, and I allowed time in my travels to browse the shops. I was interested in seeing how items in stores compared to Raleigh and Southport. I was surprised to see puzzles that are priced at $24.95 in my store in Southport and priced at $30 in Highlands! While I enjoyed the shopping experience, I only purchased tea and coffee!

Camp Merrie-Woode had not changed from what I remembered. It is such a peaceful place, nestled in the mountains, feeling far removed from the hectic lives we too often live. The campers are not allowed to have any devices. Like most children her age, Virginia enjoys her iPad, and whether she brought it was one of Virginia’s first questions of her mother. Tara had brought it, knowing the 6.5-hour drive back home would be a more pleasant experience with the company of the device.

One of the highlights of the visit was seeing Tara’s name on the ceiling of her cabin, where it has been since she was a camper there. Mary Grace’s name is on a plaque to be added to her cabin, and Virginia’s name will also be added to that same cabin since she was in the same cabin as Mary Grace.  

As one who loves traditions, Camp Merrie-Woode is a tradition that provides continuity in our family. I am still in awe of how fast the years pass, and it was surreal to be at CMW, remembering Tara being there, then her daughters.

Too often our lives are filled with experiences that are transitory. Camp Merrie-Woode has become a permanent part of our family’s history.