People of Sanborn: Jessie

Name: Jessie Spehar
Current Role: Does A Lot Of Things (but her favorite parts of her job are meeting campers at the airport, taking photos of all the fun in the summer, and restocking the clothing store)
Tenure at Sanborn: Jessie came in 2006 as a counselor for the Junior Program, and has been involved with Sanborn ever since – she’s been on our year-round team since 2013.
Fun Fact: Jessie is an avid crocheter, and she also taught herself how to throw pizza dough this winter!

What is your first memory at Sanborn?
Jessie was driving here for her first summer, and this was before Google Maps existed, so she needed to stop for directions once she arrived to Florissant. She stopped at the Conoco and asked where Sanborn Western Camps was, but the person working at the gas station didn’t even know that Sanborn existed! So she borrowed their phone, called the office, and talked to Lottie – the beginning of a long friendship between Lottie and Jessie. Carlotta directed Jessie correctly to turn at the red Mountain Properties building, which has since had many different colors painted on it, and she ended up at the lodge. Jessie remembers being shocked that Julie Richardson knew who she was and warmly welcomed her to camp. Jessie recalls that she has a lot of memories from that summer, partly because the Junior program is so tight-knit – for a long time, she used to be able to name the campers who slept in each of the beds in Juniper.

Favorite memory?
Jessie specifically recalls the first time that her Canoe/Paddle long trip group pulled into their last campsite – this was after the first time they circumnavigated the entire 11-Mile Reservoir by paddling 18 miles in about 3 days. The best part of the moment was that a camper stopped paddling, turned around in her canoe, and shouted, “Wait. This is where we started!” That was a pretty memorable trip for Jessie.

Favorite cookie? Jessie is a passionate dessert eater, but her absolute favorites are brownies. They’re the only dessert that she’ll eat more than one of in one sitting. Other than that, she loves cherry bars.

Hardest camp trip?
Jessie led a group up Mt. Sherman early on in her time at Sanborn that she credits to be one of the hardest trips she’s done. The weather on the trip was so chilly and frigid, which made the group hard to manage. Now, after all of the trips she’s led, she reflects and asks herself, “What do I do differently now that I’ve done this trip?” It’s all a learning experience.

Favorite camp tradition?
Jessie particularly loves the leadup to cabinside overnights and the ensuing bonds that are created. She gets to help campers pack and re-pack their packs, stock up on last-minute supplies like that forgotten spork or lonely sock, and take a photo of them as they go on their way. Then, when they come back, camp is bursting with energy and laughter, which is displayed during Jessie’s favorite part, the cabinside skits which describe the events of their trips and that are often pretty hilarious and creatively put together.

Silliest, most crazy thing you’ve done at camp?
On one trip, Jessie’s group had a costume party on top of Mt. Sherman. During the entire hike up, she wore a hula hoop strapped to her backpack. This led to a lot of questions from various passersby, which of course made all of the campers laugh! In Jessie’s own words, she will do anything to make a fun trip for kids. (The interviewer has to insert her perspective as well – as a former participant on multiple of Jessie’s trips, this is certainly the case. Laughter has always been part of her style.)