A Review of Pine Trail Camp in Saugatuck, Michigan for Young Christians

A Pine Trail Camp experience in Saugatuck Michigan can lift the spirits and help to focus the faith of children and adults alike. Founded in 1961 by a group of Baptist ministers coming out of nearby Illinois, Pine Trail Camp was established to provide an ideal location for a summer camping ministry. Over the years additional churches learned of the program and the setting at Pine Trail Camp and determined to bring their congregations into a relationship with Pine Trail Camp. Today Pine Trail Camp functions as a summer camp and conference facility. I was privileged to spend some time at the camp and found it more than equal to the raves I had heard.

My husband and I were met upon our arrival by Melinda Guerra Pine Trail Camp Administrative Assistant who made us feel welcome, gave us some informative brochures about the camp schedule of events for the week and took us to our lodging. As we were there only as visitors we had ample time to roam the grounds, talk to campers and counselors, drop in unannounced at activities and sample meals. The result was that we got a very realistic picture of how the camp functioned.

Our first reaction to the camp was amazement at the breathtaking beauty of the location. We were frankly overwhelmed to find that by simply opening the blinds in our bunk room we could enjoy an unobstructed view of the very proximate Kalamazoo River. The call of a full scale river running past the back of your bunk room is considerable and we left unpacking to a later time to go out onto the very spacious back "porch" to take an even closer view of the river.

But before we could really focus on the river, our attention went to the arrangement of the sizable porch area. Long and deep enough to allow for large maple trees to grow through prepared openings in the porch floor, being on the porch made you feel like you had literally climbed tree yourself and were preparing to sample the view. As we hung over the railing we were fascinated by the river traffic that unfolded below us. While the river gave one a peaceful feeling it also provided an ongoing though nearly silent parade of boats of all sizes. We saw small motor craft, pontoon rental boats, small fishing boats and medium sized yachts. Our favorite was the occasional paddle boat which made the Kalamazoo a part of its Lake Michigan area tour. We spent lots of time on the porch and we know that campers and counselors did too. The Kalamazoo and its trickle of boats was a wonderful backdrop for all the other activities that took place at Pine Trail Camp.

We saw evidence of lots of camper activities while we walked the grounds. Taking a commanding spot was a sparkling outdoor pool which we learned could accommodate approximately 150 people. As drawn as I was to the pool, I discovered that there were many other centers of activity as well. There was always lots of activity going on at the basketball and volleyball courts. Crafts claimed a lot of camper time too and a large multi purpose game and craft area gave campers lots of room to spread out and do their thing.

Special activities kept interest high at Pine Trail Camp. While we were there, kids were enjoying an hour long presentation on Raptors by a qualified professional from a Michigan raptor center. Along with some camper appropriate sharing came the opportunity for kids and counselors to eyeball 4 very impressive looking creatures currently cared for at the Raptor Center. What was especially interesting about the presentation is that the speaker found a gentle but clear path to keep God's creative genius and man's responsibility as stewards of creation in the discussion.

Other special activities available were hiking trips to the nearby dunes and beach, paint ball, team relays and a talent show

I spent many years in my younger days working and directing summer camp programs and I know that some camp programs are filled with fluff. There is lots of down time when kids aren't necessarily active or engaged. At Pine trail the pace was not frenetic but there did seem to be a real planned activity going on most of the time throughout a very long camp day. This seemed to be the result of early morning camp staff meetings, advanced planning and lots of enthusiasm for what was going on here.

As a Christian camp the day always kept a clear focus on faith and ended each evening with a chapel gathering of campers and counselors. These spiritual reflection times gave kids some relaxed time to recall the days events and direction to help put their experiences in a faith filled perspective. The

Parents can have confidence in the safety and health codes that are in place at Pine Trail Camp. It is a certified member of the American Camping Association. According to the Pine Trail Camp website at http://www.pinetrailcamp.com this certification is a designation shared by only about 15% of the camps in the nation. For those interested in its spiritual qualifications you will be glad to learn that Pine Trail Camp is also a certified member of Christian Camping International.

During the summer, camp programs are offered according to grade levels with separate camp programs for students entering grades 2-4, 4-6, Junior High and Senior High. One religious theme is used throughout the summer and is explored with age appropriate activities during each camp session. This summer the theme has been "World Changers". The facility also welcomes non-camping groups to make use of its facilities for their own camp or conference programs when camp sessions are not conflicting. For more information about scheduling a day or more at Pine Trail Camp view the website.

As we had breakfast the last morning of our stay we were amazed at how well disciplined and organized the young people ( grades 4-6 ) truly were and how well supervised. Children come here to enjoy the out of doors but also to grow in their faith. The behaviors that we noticed during our brief stay gave evidence of a healthy respect for one another and for oneself among campers.

Leaving the dining room we couldn't help but notice lots of pictures of past camping years on the walls. We discovered that Pine Trails is also a site for winter camping and conference activity. For children and for adults Pine Trail Camp holds out a full year of camping fun at a picturesque location.