The people are what make my camp host work so interesting. But, before I share some fun stories, I have to talk about the litter. 

Part of my job is picking up trash in each site after the campers leave. I was surprised to discover that most sites are clean and litter-free. I pick up a few bits here and there, the most common being the cellophane wrapper for the Capri Sun straws or something similar. I remember those little wrappers from when my son was growing up! The second most common item is the lowly rubber band. I never use rubber bands, and I have no idea what others use them for, but I can tell you that lots of people do and that they leave them behind. Bottle caps are certainly the next most common item. Some people leave leftover firewood, which I get to keep. I don’t like paying $5 for a small bundle. 

So, people leave their campsites clean for the most part. That is not so true about their campfire ring. There, people leave wadded up paper towels and other paper trash. The most common thing in there, however, is cigarette butts. Pistachio shells are fairly common too. I know from my own experiences as a camper that people leave that stuff thinking that the next person will burn it in their campfire. I have been forced to think about it, though. It is kind of gross for the next person to arrive with your trash in the fire ring. Anyway, my job includes cleaning it out: every single butt and shell. Not that I mind. I love tidying up the sites in preparation for the next set of campers. 

The campers! My favorite so far is a group of 3 older guys, probably well into their 70s. I called them the Three Musketeers. They were out for a 3-night guy’s weekend. One had a large camper, the other a boat. The camper owner could not get into his original site and I had to help him find another with the help of our reservation system. I was super happy to help because it was not that long ago that I ripped my tire trying to get into a site that was too narrow for me to navigate. The boat owner needed help figuring out where to launch his boat and how to get over to our mooring area and then how to follow the path back to their new campsite. They appreciated my help and I had fun working with them. Older people must stick together, I decided. 

I was told during my phone interview for the camp host position that this is a family park. “We don’t get a lot of party people over here.” So far, that is true. However, I discovered that “family park” means that the noise comes from hordes of kids instead of young adults. Yes, this place was full of kids over the 4th of July, as it should be! I admire parents who take their kids outdoors. I enjoyed them all and managed to just block out their roar, knowing that it would be over soon enough. This week has been super quiet with mostly adults. 

Of course, I run into people who try to take advantage of the park system. One gal came up to me all dewy-eyed because she did not have enough cash to pay the fee. I just sent her up to the office. I asked about that later and was told to send them to the nearest ATM, a few miles down the road. I have noticed from my vantage point near the entrance that some people arrive late at night, even after 10 PM. I assume they take a site and then leave in the morning, but I am not required to track them down. That is the ranger’s job.

I had previously asked if any homeless people come into the park and was told about a couple that moves between this park and another nearby. The parks have 10-day limits so they come here for 3 nights and move back to the other, more primitive campground. The very next day, the Park Aid pointed them out as they were setting up here. He warned me that they leave their site trashed. Sure enough, 3 days later I checked their site and they left lots of trash around and, maybe, 100 cigarette butts in the fire ring. I said “hi” in passing to both the man and woman while they were here. They seemed nice enough but the guy seemed a bit rough. We had a report about some stolen items while they were here, but I have no idea if it is related. I am only two sites away from where they stayed and none of my junk that I leave laying around was missing. I kept an eye on my firewood, which I probably care about more than anything, but nothing ever walked away. 

So, there is a smattering of my experiences. A family left me their half-full bag of charcoal last weekend, and, while I was in Sequim doing errands, I picked up some sirloin and veggies for kabobs. It’s a rare treat and I am going to get the charcoal started right now. For health reasons I avoid keeping S’mores supplies on hand, but I may break down at some point. It is hard to be camping every day and not think about them! Will I give in and experience a disgusting sugar high some evening in the near future?

More soon!