Tales of a Sasquatch Research Team

It's Friday, It's Friday! Y'all know what that means, right? Time for some cussing with MiMi! I have several moments from girls camp that, well - there's no cursing at church activities! But I thought YOU would all enjoy a laugh or few at my expense.

It started out on a nice summer morning. We met at Sister H's house with all the girls and got loaded up and on our way. I was riding with one of my favorite people - Sister P. We had three darling young women also riding with us:

"E", "L", and "D"

We were about 10 minutes behind everyone because Sister P and I both had to stop back home to grab things we wanted to take but forgot to pack.We got on the freeway and headed south. We had a HORRIBLE map, and some clearly written instructions on how to get there, so generously provided by the Stake Young Women's Presidency. The instructions said to exit the freeway at exit 275, 8th North in Orem. Well, we got off on exit 275 - but it was NOT 8th North! Sister P said "I have never gone this way to get to Provo Canyon." We meandered around for a bit, and realized that this was NOT the right exit! Luckily we all enjoy each other's company and spent most of the time laughing and mocking ourselves.

We hopped back on the freeway and headed to the next exit. "Do you think this one's it?" Sister P asked. "No, I don't think so." L answered. So we passed it. And maybe the next exit too. When we finally got off the freeway someone said, "I think we went to far". We laughed more at our idiotness (real word, I promise) and I called Hubby. "We may have missed the exit. We're on Center Street". My ear was greeted with obnoxious laughter. "Uh, YEAH - you went a little too far". He steered us in the right direction.

We were hoping that we were so late that by the time we got there camp would already be set up and we wouldn't have to do any work!

So we finally made it into Provo Canyon, and were it not for the delay, we would never have had the chance to witness a REAL Sasquatch Research Team! No I am not even kidding. We come up to this car, and it has this window sticker that says Sasquatch Research Team. We're all laughing thinking what a cool, funny person. As we get closer, we realize it is not a joke. The car is covered with Big Foot paraphernalia. "Big Foot is NOT a myth - he is real!" "In Search of Sasquatch"...all sorts of other ones that I can't recall at the time.

I, being the shining example I am as a Young Women's leader say "Hey, pull up beside them - I want to see if they look like weirdos!" I felt a little bad about that. But only a little. We pulled up and D says, "They look normal. Oh, except that girl has an 'I heart Bigfoot' shirt on."

So that became our joke for the ride up. We were forming our own Sasquatch Research Team.

We had a fun week at camp. One night, I was heading down to the restroom with D (camp rules -you must always have a "buddy" with you.) It was late and dark. There was this weird locked up tiny building that looked like it used to be a bathroom, but now was barred off and padlocked. It also had a steel door behind the "cage" part, and another on the side. Earlier in the week one of my other little cuties, "S" had said she swore she saw something alive under the door. I told her that's where they kept Sasquatch locked up.

So back to D and I. We're waking down to the bathroom, and you know how you work yourselves up and scare yourselves in the woods at night? Yeah, we were doing that. We got to the building and I said "That's where Sasquatch is, S saw something moving in there". D says "SHUT UP!" I had been tossing rocks ahead of us to make sounds in the trees and had her freaked out. As we were walking past the steel door, D was ahead of me. There's just a narrow path that you can only fit single file, with the building on one side of you and the trees on the other. So as we passed I kicked the steel door hard - it made a loud boom and D screamed and jumped and then she told me she was never walking with me at night again!

D and I - she made me wear her cookie monster cap. She dared me to wear it down to devotional with the stake. She didn't think I would. She was wrong.

The next night, a few of us, including D snuck down to scare the girls that were in the bathrooms brushing their teeth. We had some good fun. As we were walking back, S was with us (S is afraid of her own shadow), D told me to kick the door again when we walked past and scare S, since it had been such a success the night before with her! So we're walking single file. D is in front, followed by S, then me, then Sister P. We get to the door. I wind up and kick the door (sideways) with my left foot as hard as I can. It's a steel door. I SWEAR it pushed back. And knocked me sideways. Into the forest. Flat on all fours. It hurt. I could not get up I was laughing so hard. Sister P nearly fell over me when I went down and barely caught herself. D and S turn around "ARE YOU OK?" they both ask, as S steps in my direction. CRUNCH. Yeah, my sunglasses were still perched on the top of my head from earlier in the day. They went flying when Sasquatch fought back. S stepped on them as she turned to check on me. It was the highlight of the trip for all who witnessed it. I am not a petite flower. I went down HARD.

I got up and dragged my bruised and dusty self back to camp. I held up my crunched sunglasses for all to see. "I was attacked by Sasquatch" was the explanation I gave.

Sister H was concerned, worried I might really be hurt. It was so sweet of her. But she's known me long enough, that she should know by now that this isn't the first time, nor will it be the last, that I do something so dumb.

I'll be sharing more on girls camp in the days to come. I want to drag it out as long as I can, because I'm sure you know by now that I am so, so sad not to be in Young Women's anymore!

Head over to MiMi's to check out more great stories!

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