By Emma Hamilton
Serving With US Forest Service
The past eight years of my life have been defined by a recurring two weeks. Two weeks, a seemingly minute fraction of the year, has made all the difference in my life. Ten years old, with braids and braces, my mom drove me to summer camp, car winding down the country roads of Pocahontas County, tires crunching on gravel as we pulled through the gates. We were greeted by friendly smiles and welcoming words in eclectic accents. I was just a child, however on my first day at Camp Twin Creeks, a gut feeling told me that I was in a special place.
Two weeks later, my instincts were proven right. I had met friends from Washington D.C. to Tunisia, learned how to play cricket, woven friendship bracelets to adorn my wrists, sung songs that would be forever ingrained in my memory, and was fully immersed in the natural beauty of West Virginia. I realized that camp was not just a dot on a map, but a community, a family, a second home.
This is an excerpt from an essay I wrote seven years ago. A lot has changed in the past seven years, however one thing has, and always will, stay the same—my love for West Virginia and the community I have always found here. As written above, Camp Twin Creeks has been my second home since I was ten years old. It was at this special place that I was first introduced to river snorkeling in the wild and wonderful streams of West Virginia.
As a watershed and fisheries AmeriCorps member with the U.S. Forest Service, I had the privilege of returning to my favorite place to lead snorkeling events for the campers. It was truly a full-circle moment, as I saw their eyes light up when they surfaced from underwater after spotting mottled sculpin, smallmouth bass, northern hogsuckers, and fantail darters. I remember having the same feeling every summer at Camp.
This beautifully wild place is what fueled my passion for conservation and working in the wildlife and fisheries sector. In a world that is driven by technology, organizations like the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area, U.S. Forest Service, and Camp Twin Creeks provide an escape to the natural world.
It has been an incredible experience working to directly restore the watersheds of the place that has sculpted my life. At ten years old, this small piece of heaven nestled in the Appalachian Mountains became my sanctuary, and 15 years later, nothing has changed.
