Camping with Camptown

Posted on September 24, 2012June 14, 2022 by Matt Todd

This past weekend, I learned about an amazing organization called Camptown. Their mission “is to challenge, mentor, and teach youth about life through outdoor adventure and nature programs that help build confidence, character, and hope.” Because of Camptown, I was able to spend Saturday and Sunday at Fort Harrison State Park. While we were there, I sensed something come back alive in me. We’ve camped as a family before, but it’s been rather sporadic and inconsistent.

I realized while Aiden and I were tucked in our sleeping bags with sock hats on our heads that I have really missed camping. I camped all the time with Scouts – weekend camping trips, Summer Camp, backpacking through Philmont – but that died off once I was in college. We’d go camping on occasion, but nothing like what I’d done before. And it trailed off even more after the kids were born. I mean…it makes sense. Little kids + camping = not really my idea of fun. It’s funny though. Camptown changed my ideas about that!

Here’s just a few things we did while we were there:

Aiden fished and fished and fished some more. He didn’t catch anything, but I didn’t see anyone catch anything while we were there.
He grabbed some minnow-like fish out of the water, just for fun.
He also skipped rocks to his heart’s content. We talked about silly things like what it would be like to have an Olympic rock skipping event and what kind of superhero he’d be (I think we finally agreed on The Amazing Eggbert. Or something like that).
We toured a warcraft museum. Twice.
Met some really neat families from the Indianapolis area. Many of whom have never been camping before.
Pet live snakes. Yes. Even me. I did it. Longtime readers know how big of a deal this is.
Learned about all kinds of ways you can spruce up Foil Dinners. I’ve always known these dinners to be made with ground beef. The thought of using smoked sausage, chicken, or even breakfast sausage had never occurred to me!
Learned about making Banana Boats in addition to s’mores.
Aiden played football with some younger boys. He’s such a great big brother to younger boys. I think it’s because he’s living out his dream. He’s been begging us to adopt a boy since about a month after Mihret came home.
Learned some pretty cool things about the night sky thanks to a DNR representative.
Other than a chilly nose, neither one of us got cold while sleeping. Even though it got down to 40 degrees that night. I’ll count that as a win
Toasted bagels on a grill. Again, another duh moment for me. I’d never thought of that!
Walked through a creek while hunting for wildlife
Picked up crayfish barehanded

I loved watching families discover what it’s like to camp. It was very similar to the cool feeling that I’d have when teaching new Scouts at Summer Camp and you could see that something finally clicked in their minds. You could see that they really started loving camping for the first time. It’s such a neat experience.

I’m sold on Camptown’s mission. In fact, I’ve already offered my services as a volunteer in whatever capacity they could use me. I’m kind of feeling like I was made for something like this.

There’s a way you can help them too. And it doesn’t cost you a thing. I just found out today that they’re eligible for a huge grant. With this money, they’ll be able to make wilderness experiences available for 1,200 elementary-age students in urban schools. That’s amazing! But they need your vote! Can you do me a huge favor and go vote for them? If you have any questions about the process, feel free to ask me!

So what are you waiting for?

Vote Vote Vote!

Please.

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Matt Todd

Howdy. I'm Matt. My wife, Christy, and I have four kids and two dogs, I'm passionate about orphan care. I'm a die-hard fan of the Evansville Aces, the Indiana Hoosiers, and Star Wars. I'm trying to live life by the Todd family motto: "It behooves us to live!"