Girl Scouts is all about making memories, especially when
having fun at camp and exploring the outdoors. As a kid, Anne Petersen attended
camp Shawadassee, which had the long-held tradition of Girl Scouts painting
their names on their canoe paddles before hanging them in the dining hall. One
year, Anne’s troop had to cut their canoe trip short because of a bad storm.
The weather was so severe that her troop had to be rescued by Coast Guard ships—yikes!
Luckily, a couple who lived on the bay nearby took the troop in, offering the
girls a change of clothes, pizza, and a place to sleep. After many years of
thinking about that adventurous day (and the coveted signed paddles that
accompanied it), this Girl Scout alum was in for a surprise.
Fast forward 25 years later while waiting in line at her
favorite pizza place, Anne overheard a man mention that he used to work at a
Girl Scout camp. With true Girl Scout inquisition she spoke up and asked him which camp he
worked for. To Anne’s surprise, he had worked at camp Shawadassee before it
closed in 2011! After a few minutes of reminiscing, she took the opportunity to
ask him about the paddles and their whereabouts, and he explained that they had
been given away but that he still had two or three saved in storage. Anne and
the man exchanged contact information, and when he got home that night he
checked for her paddle. Amazingly, the first paddle he picked up had Anne’s
signature on it! It just goes to show—there’s no telling when you’ll form a new
bond over a past Girl Scout memory.