CJL - Intro

So I'm spending this summer at my beloved Camp Juliette Low. I began attending CJL when I was seven years old. I first went with a friend, but after that year, she stopped going. But I loved it so much that I continued to spend weeks there in the summers.

CJL was founded by Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts and an all-around fascinating, wonderful woman. Some points of interest about "Daisy," as she was known: At her wedding, a grain of rice became lodged in her ear, and when it was removed, she had lost most of her hearing in that ear, leaving her mostly deaf on that side. She began recruiting girls for the new scouting movement in and around Savannah and registered the first group of Girl Guides in 1912. CJL was founded in 1922 as a camp to train Girl Scout leaders, and while it is no longer affiliated with GSA, it remains true to her mission of training girls to lead, learn various skills, and grow.

Juliette Low Lodge

One thing I truly love about CJL is that not much has changed since its inception. Some tents now have light bulbs, but we still sleep in the outdoors. And the JL Lodge is the original structure and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Since I've been on staff, I have come to appreciate the way in which CJL fosters so many skills in our campers. By living in tents with other girls, separate from counselors, they learn to handle their own affairs. Girls learn numerous camp craft skills such as wood chopping, fire building, lashing, and so many others. And the campers learn that they can have fun without iPods, TV, and computers!

Some of my fellow staff members

My tent this summer

Bathroom. Fancy, right?