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The Camping BVMs: An Adventure-filled Life |
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I started camping as a Girl Scout. Every summer we went to the Glendale Girl Scout Camp up in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California; eventually I became Assistant Camp Director and enjoyed it thoroughly. I did not realize that years later I would be living just a few miles away in Fawnskin. Several years later, Gloria Wiegand, BVM (Phyllis) and I were asked to go camping with my relatives to Tuolumne Meadows, 10,000 ft. level, high above Yosemite Valley in Central California. This was Gloria’s first experience of sleeping in a sleeping bag. She fell in love with camping and soon after that experience we bought a tent, ice chest, sleeping bags, cots, stove, etc. and headed for the Kings Canyon National Park. Camping in a Tent Our first night, we encountered three black bears rummaging through the next campsite. We banged on pots and pans and made as much noise as possible. Finally, the bears disappeared and we fell back to sleep. Each morning I went fishing after we prayed. Some days I kept the fish, but most of the time I would catch and release. Then in the afternoon the two of us hiked. The beauty of the Kings River South area was so peaceful that time flew by. For the next ten years we camped in the Valley at Yosemite National Park, hiked every trail and road, and revisited the old caves of the Ahwahnee Indians far off the paved road to Mirror Lake. We hiked up to the caves, sat on a rock and breathed in the spirits of our forefathers. We still cherish these special times of reflection on the history of Yosemite Valley. Altogether we have camped in 17 national parks throughout the West and Northwest. We have camped at the encampment for the Japanese during WWII called Topaz. Locally, in the Big Bear Area we have camped at Hanna Flats, Barton Flats, South Fork and Hart Bar. Although these are only a few miles away from our home, we cherish our local beauty. We also took a 7,000 mile trip around the United States using our backpacking tent. Backpacking We adventured into another way of camping, backpacking—putting everything we need or want on our backs and hiking for three to seven days back in the Wilderness Country. In 1976, I had the opportunity to join a group of 21 teachers, bus drivers, custodians and three children to backpack up to Mt. Whitney. I carried 38 pounds of camping gear on my back. We have also backpacked with our teacher friends in much of the High Sierras during the summer months, but that didn’t mean we wouldn’t encounter snow up at the 9,000 ft. level. One morning while backpacking up to Indian Graves and on Mono Peak, north of Edison Lake, we woke up to nine inches of snow! At that point, we got out our camp stove, which weighed eight ounces and included two “D” cell batteries. We gathered twigs from the nearby trees, broke them into small pieces, started the fire, and in two minutes, we had water boiling for coffee and hot cereal. We still have that stove in case we have an emergency. Chinook Camper In 1986, my mother bought us a Chinook Camper with a pop-up top. She thought we should not sleep on the ground any more because we were getting too old. So began another phase in our camping life. We used the Chinook not only for camping, but as our motel room. We drove out to Reseda and stayed for a couple of days at the BVM convent. We slept in our Chinook and the sisters fed us our meals. While visiting, I repaired household items. We also used our camper for a Southern California BVM meeting. We camped at Dana Point State Park on the beach just north of San Clemente. Several sisters slept in tents; our camper was headquarters for the food because it had a refrigerator and stove. In May 1992, we celebrated Gloria’s 50th Jubilee by driving up the Alaskan Highway to Fairbanks and then north to the Arctic Circle. As we drove, we did not see another car or motor home for 45 minutes, but we did see many wild animals. The lakes were still frozen and we encountered snow. At night we camped with the same people again and again because only a few RV Parks were open before Memorial Day weekend. On the road home, we saw motor home after motor home taking the trip north. What a difference to go just a couple of weeks early. Our total trip was 9,931 miles. Travel Trailer Two years later we switched to a 19 foot Terry Travel Trailer with a couch/bed and a dinette table which made into a bed. I had to learn a new style of driving since I had never pulled a trailer before. We took a very long trip up the coast and eventually up to BVM Gwen Ferry’s house in Seaside, Ore. We stayed in the nearby campground and she showed us all around the Seaside area. Other years, we drove up to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks, to Lake Louise in Canada, Lake Tahoe and Sequoia National Park. Each place was so different from the other and we would say, “Isn’t this the most beautiful place in the world?” Later we drove to Mississippi to visit my brother, our Senate meeting in Portland, Ore., and on a camping trip to Carlsbad State Beach when Mary Kay Dum, BVM celebrated her 50th jubilee. We invited everyone over after the celebration for a barbecue dinner and campfire on the beach. Nine years ago, we were in the right place at the right time, camping at Catalina Spa and Resort in the Desert Hot Springs with some of our teacher friends. We went into the office to learn the cost of a membership in the campground. Fortunately, a family had turned in a membership to give away. We received the free membership, worth $2000. We have been volunteering at Catalina Spa for nine years to show our gratitude. Camping Ministry We are both ministers at the local Catholic church. We spend much of our time just listening to others tell their stories. Most of the people in our campground are retired. They live in the campground from October to April and many are very lonesome. We put on big dinners for about 18 people a couple of times during each season. We usually barbecue chicken or steaks and our guests bring the rest of the food. I also help out when someone needs to go to the hospital by accompanying the spouse and driving them back and forth. We feel to be available to people is our ministry now. The best part of our camping experiences is meeting so many interesting and enjoyable people. We love our camping ministry. About the author: Annette Petty, BVM (Juanita Marie) is a retired elementary school teacher and coach who volunteers with St. Joseph Catholic Community in Fawnskin, Calif. Return
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