Every year, various members of my extended family and family friends head into the Bob Marshall Wilderness for a week. Affectionately dubbed “Hunting Camp,” the week is spent clearing trail in the Great Bear Wilderness, which my uncle later uses to take people hunting. This year, I decided to tag along for my second time. I woke up early Wednesday morning, and a three hour drive and a nine mile hike later I had arrived at camp.

The Camp

The camp is made up of a food tent, a sleeping tent, a fire pit, a bathroom, a horse pasture and a small creek. Every morning, breakfast is made by our designated chefs; my sister Julia, age 15, my cousin Hanna, age 17 and our family friend Annie, age 16. We then change our clothes, pack our lunches and head out to work. At the end of the day, we come back to camp, the chefs cook dinner, we swim in the creek, read, play various games and and relax until bedtime. We play a lot of card games and the last night we played a version of capture the flag, in which we used bows and arrows that were made from the trees and beargrass around camp. For the week, camp is home and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

The food tent, where we eat breakfast and dinner, and where a few people sleep.

In line for breakfast, the table set with wildflowers that were picked near camp.

Hanna makes bacon for breakfast on a very small stove.

The sleeping tent, which contains 10 beds. It’s completely open to the outside, which only became a problem my first night in camp when there was a thunderstorm that last for hours. We had to move some people from the top bunks to the floor to keep them dry.

My cousin Vale making a new ladder out of wood he collected around camp.

Photo by Jandi Maxwell

Various friends and cousins hanging out in hammocks after a long day.

The bathroom, which is completely outdoors and includes an occasional bunny visitor.

Tools set in front of the wood pile.

Photo by Jandi Maxwell

A startrail above the cook tent that my cousin Jandi, age 20, stayed up late to capture.

The Work

A day of work is long and tiring and often results in various scrapes and bruises. When I got into camp two days after everyone else, they already had bowsaw cuts on their legs, bug bites everywhere and all sorts of bruises. But, clearing trail can be fun and it definitely inspires a strong sense of teamwork.

Photo by Jandi Maxwell

Hanna, age 17, Julia, age 15, and Annie, age 16, proudly hold their tools above their heads. Although it was hot that day, they are dressed in full rain gear to protect their skin from the stinging nettles, which are tall, leafy plants that feel like a bee sting when touched.

Photo by Jandi Maxwell

The trail crew takes a well deserved break.

My cousin Hanna and our friend Seth bowsaw a tree in order to move it out of the trail.

When I got back from camp Saturday night, I was exhausted, very dirty, covered in bug bites and very happy. I hope to return to Hunting Camp many more times in the future. I’m ready to eat more huckleberry pancakes, cut some more trees in half and spend some more time with wonderful people. But next time, I think I’ll bring a lot more bug spray.

Photo by Jandi Maxwell

Licking every last bit of huckleberry brownie off of our napkins.

Photo by Jandi Maxwell

The whole crew around the fire on the last night in camp.