×
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
FresYes!

FresYes!

The people, the places and the lifestyle of Fresno and Clovis!

  • Home
  • Real Estate
    • Fresno / Clovis Market Data
    • FresYes Realty
    • FresYes Ag
    • Tesoro Viejo Homes
    • Listings
    • What would your home sell for?
    • Home Sale Calculator
    • Affordability Calculator
    • Mortgage Calculator
  • Latest Stories
    • Fresno Flavor
    • Submit/Suggest A Story
  • Jump To
    • Food & Bev
    • Neighborhoods
      • Bullard Area
      • Downtown Fresno
      • Fig Garden
      • Historic Fresno High
      • Northeast Fresno
      • Northwest Fresno
      • Old Town Clovis
      • Northeast Clovis
      • Fort Washington / River Park
      • Sunnyside
      • Tower District
      • Tesoro Viejo
  • About
    • Our Beliefs
    • Meet our Staff
  • Store
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Outdoors / Fitness / Why summer camps are important

Why summer camps are important

April 6, 2015 by Mark Sasser Leave a Comment

506
SHARES
FacebookSubscribe

10300152_10202712810556244_2005983526777416776_n

It came to me recently that my outdoors life all started for me back in summer between the 5th and 6th grade while spending a couple of weeks up at Sequoia Lake for YMCA camp.

The year before my Grandpa Buck had passed away and with him went nearly every chance I held for becoming an outdoorsman. Learning to read a map, fishing, living outdoors, learning to hunt to feed my family all were lost to me with my grandpa’s passing and while I didn’t know it at the time it was all still right there at the ready because of a twist of fate that lead my parents to send me to camp for a week.

My Dad you see was an adrenaline junkie, not a woodsman. If it had wheels and even better yet wheels and an engine my dad was the MAN, period. He was a fast as sin motocross racer with wild eyes and nerves of steel nick named the Wild Man for his racing style. Before that he was both Bo and Luke Duke in his cars running around the countryside for sure up to no good.

My mother on the other hand was a small town girl who was not a fan of my grandfathers hunting for one and to tell her to she was sleeping in the dirt was a declaration of war. That last part may be a little far-fetched but while she would camp in a tent over night that was about it. She preferred our comfy home and being poolside than out in the woods with the bugs and the bears.

That year as summer came and both my parents working full-time, our family still dealing with the loss of my grandpa and me in no way being allowed to just stay home by myself my parents asked if I wanted to go to camp for not 1 week as was the norm but two. I can remember thinking 2 weeks at camp seemed like forever and I was all in.

That trip was the one where I went from a kid who got sent away to one who went away and let me tell you that is huge difference to a 10-year-old.

Instead of being forced into arts and crafts I found every outdoors option I could.

I went fishing and caught a rainbow trout for the first time ever.

We went for an over night walk…..aka as backpacking to the adult group.

I learned archery, swam across the lake, learned to make fire, learned to orienteer, learned not to kill what I don’t expect to eat, learned about the trees, rocks and streams.

I became a 10-year-old expert in 2 weeks.

File0017

 

Fast forward 35 years to the present day and I look at my life outdoors and see an outdoorsman my grandfather would be proud of for sure. I’ve hunted the Sierra alone in the high mountains for so many days I’ve lost count. I’ve learned to only take what I need to feed my family, learned to survive on 3 days food for over a week, been face to face with monster bears and stayed calm enough we both walked away to live another day and I’ve seen places most Americans only see in photo’s.

I see an outdoorsman and father the YMCA would be proud of if they knew how much my time in their camps shaped my life.

But most of all when I see my children out in the woods learning for themselves all my wife and I know combined I see an outdoorsman that I am proud of.

While I have always wanted to have my grandfather look down on me and smile it was 2 weeks at summer camp that taught me the lessons he didn’t get the chance to on his own.

If you have a child who even remotely enjoys the outdoors think about a summer camp. You could just change the entire shape of their life.

188652_1002838026072_5933_n

 

For more information on YMCA Summer camps visit them online at www.campsequoialake.org or find them on Facebook as YMCA Camp Sequoia Lake.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Mark Sasser
Mark Sasser
Outdoor Writer at FresYes.com
Having been born and raised in the Valley and spending his complete adult life exploring the outdoors gives Mark a unique look at what we all see each day. From cycling to backpacking, solo or with friends, Fresno proper to the mountains above can at any time be where Mark is found living his life outdoors.
Mark Sasser
Latest posts by Mark Sasser (see all)
  • Invitation to the Ball - November 6, 2015
  • Sportsman’s Warehouse, the New Kid In Town - July 20, 2015
  • The Freewheel Project - July 13, 2015
506
SHARES
FacebookSubscribe

Filed Under: Outdoors / Fitness Tagged With: best summer ever, camp, family fun, fishing, Fresyes, hunting, kids, outdoors, sailing, summer, YMCA

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get the FresYes Insider Newsletter!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Fresno Flavor: Amalgamation

SEE THEM ALL

Who is FresYes?

Fresyes.com was started by me, Jason Farris. Yes, I'm in real estate. I think that real estate is so much more than buying and selling homes. It's all about the lifestyle, it's about community. Here in the Fresno / Clovis area we have such a wonderful sense of community. I wanted a place that best reflects the people, the places and the lifestyle that we call home. Fresyes.com is that place. We have fabulous authors who share what makes this community of ours so special. I also write here, and not always about real estate. You can find all my posts HERE

Call Us!

559 286-0055

Market Stats

Fresno / Clovis Market Data

Search Fresyes!

Look what’s happening on Twitter

Favorite Tweets by @FresYes

Recent Posts

  • Your Donation, Their Future — F.A.R.A.F. Summer Drive
  • 5 Things I Overheard in Fresno This Week (That Made Me Smile, Cringe, or Think)
  • Fresno Datebook: Local Ideas for Fun Nights Out
  • Where to Swim & Splash in Fresno, 2025 Edition
  • Tick Off These 10 Local Must-Dos Before Summer Ends in Fresno & Clovis
5 questions
FresYes | 8469 N. Millbrook Ave #106 Fresno, CA 93720 | Phone: 559-286-0055 | CADRE #01999186
Media
...another Custom Wordpress Website by Mike Mueller Hi!