From Camp Colton to Roving Ranger

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Life has a playful way to connect certain experiences and places to one another; an invisible string weaving together select memories that carefully sculpt certain elements of the adults we must become.

If for a moment my own string became visible, you would notice it twists in varying directions throughout the small place I call home but tightly winds itself around a special location cradled by the western slopes of the San Francisco Peaks. Here, verdant meadows fill the air with the sweet smell of afternoon sun, an army of aspens watch attentively, while unwavering, resilient Ponderosas tower over you. Hidden within these natural walls of beauty known as Hart Prairie exists the place that pulled me closer toward who I am today and the person I am working to become. 

Fifty-five years ago, an outdoor education camp originally named Project LIFE (Life in the Flagstaff Environment) was magnanimously gifted 33 acres of secluded land in Hart Prairie by two local philanthropists, Dick and Jean Wilson. This exceedingly generous donation came with one simple condition, a change of name to honor the Wilson family and their generational contributions to the Flagstaff communities’ worlds of education, science and natural history. Making this unforgettable experience then continue to be known as Camp Colton, that special place most Flagstaff locals remember at tending for three nights and four days in the sixth grade. 

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To me, Camp Colton was much more than an extended educational experience, but also an educational inspiration. Overwhelmed by this effervescent energy, it was in those lush fields and old cabins where I discovered parts of myself that I had not yet considered.

When you are young, you do not frequently think of future careers, let alone think that a certain few could be any fun. Camp Colton introduced to me the types of individuals I eventually wanted to mature into: wildlife biologists, foresters, outdoor educators, environmentalists, people dedicating themselves to the places that made me feel most human. Allowing me to see a future comparable to the exuberant world of childhood.

Eight years have passed since then, still every precious piece of that experience lies gently yet heavily throughout the many layers of my memory, influencing me academically, professionally, and morally. As I made my way through my first year of college at Northern Arizona University, I landed an internship with the United States Forest Service on the Coconino National Forest. I am employed as an interpretive ranger working on the top of the Arizona Gondola at Arizona Snowbowl on the San Francisco Peaks. It is there that these memories lay heaviest. Shifting winds brush up against my cheeks as they push the clouds, their shadows painting pictures on the land below me, these abstract images dancing around the 33-acre camp that encouraged the never-ending spirit I have for working with and for the environment.

Camp Colton recently expanded their programs to younger audiences, exposing our local youth to more of the experiences and activities that inspired me to want to work in Natural Resources. Two years ago, Camp Colton began hosting summer programs, one of those being the Colton Adventure Camp. These special interactive courses target local Flagstaff fourth and fifth graders.

This summer I had the honor of working with these ready-to-learn wide-eyed children. I was given the chance to temporarily swap places with my childhood heroes. Within those few hours I spent with Colton Adventure Camp I was overwhelmed by glimpses from my own childhood spent in this treasured town. Their eager spirits inspire me, a loud, happy, ecstatic reminder that I’m going exactly in the direction I dreamt of when I was in their shoes.

Never allow the intimidation of becoming an adult to overshadow the things in this life that lit up your eyes as a child. Make an impact on the parts of this world that helped impact you.

Camp Colton marks its 55th anniversary this year, as the Friends of Camp Colton celebrates 25 years of support. https://friendsofcampcolton.org

Georgia Waltner grew up in Flagstaff, is a Forestry major at NAU and is enjoying her internship with Flagstaff Ranger District Recreation staff.  As a Roving Ranger, she interprets the amazing landscape of northern Arizona. 

The NPS/USFS Roving Rangers volunteer through a unique agreement between the Flagstaff Area National Monuments and the Coconino National Forest to provide Interpretive Ranger walks and talks in the Flagstaff area and at Arizona Snowbowl each summer.