MATTY JESSE - FS SMITH
Arriving at camp was an experience by itself.
I had no idea how deep in the mountains this
camp actually was. Just getting to the camp
felt like I was driving through a maze in the
forest, but it was rad. When I first pulled into
camp I parked behind the mega mini ramp,
and to my astonishment the first person I saw
standing on the deck was the Boss himself,
Andrew Reynolds. I stepped out of my car and
was quickly greeted by two counselors who
enthusiastically said “Welcome to skate camp!”
Although I was excited to be there, I was
overwhelmed because I didn’t know where
anything at the camp was and needed to find
Garret to get my grounding. It didn’t take long
to find him, and despite the fact that he was
busy shooting campers portraits, he was able
to point me in the right direction to get settled
in. I signed in as a visitor, filled out some basic
paper work and was on my way. I brought my
camera gear into the media hut and set up
shop on the desk right next Garret.
After that I grabbed my camping gear and
made my way to Element Land to set up my
tent for the week. After struggling for a few
minutes to properly set up my tent, Elemental
Awareness leader, Alex Lawrence, came to my
aid and helped me get my tent up in a matter
of minutes. Once that was over and the rest
of what I needed from my car was unpacked,
I grabbed my camera from the media hut and
strapped it to my body, as it would be there
for the next six days documenting life at camp.
One of the coolest aspects about camp, other
than it being one of the best places on earth
where you can skate your heart out, is that