Camp Host: One Month In

I have been a camp host for a month now. This article is for anyone who has ever been curious about what a camp host does and experiences we have.

Like many people, I learned about camp hosting from Bob Wells’ website. It sounded like a decent gig so when I began living out of my van, I planned to apply for a camp host position in the beginning of 2021. During the phone interview my future bosses asked if I had a problem cleaning toilets three times: It was obvious to me that past camp hosts had balked at cleaning toilets; having worked in a hotel it was no big deal to me. My campground is on a lake in Central Oregon and contains thirty bare sites and three yurts. There are a total of seven vault toilets which I am responsible for keeping stocked up with toilet paper and all facets of cleaning including the visor. The visor, for those who have never been a camp host, is the poop shoot. On a daily basis I am cleaning—if I may be inelegant—ass explosions off the visor. Seriously, people, what the hell have you been eating? Detail: I spray the visors with cooking spray so things slide down easier, something I learned from the book Nomadland. Also, please leave the toilet seat down after using the vault toilet, it keeps the smell down…it also keeps the evil poo gnomes from escaping. I may have made that last part up. My day begins at 6:30 cleaning and restocking the bathrooms. I make a point to do it before campers are awake for two reasons: So the bathrooms are nice when they first use them. To keep the odds of someone interrupting my work low. My campground is (on line) reservation only, but I have to collect a fee if you have more than one vehicle in your site. Every morning, I get a report from my boss showing upcoming reservations; I fill out a short form for each reservation and also enter the information into company software and put placards on each campsite. If you leave a campfire unattended—(please don’t!)—this is the only time I can enter your camp. It has been cold the past few days so people have been leaving their fires going while out in boats or on walks. When they return, it is to a firepit full of ash soup. I feel bad doing it, but the consequences of ignoring your fire can be severe. Detail: The game cornhole is very popular this season, lots of cornholers corn holing…ok, I’ll stop now. I have only dealt with three or four angry people but I am confronted on a daily basis with “vacation brain.” People don’t read signs, they leave fires unattended, they leave all sorts of debris around. Dogs---it is all too common for people to let their dogs roam without leashes. Again, please don’t; they can get hit by cars or get in fights with other dogs or wild animals. When I applied for this job, I was concerned about being besieged by twenty-something males full of testosterone and beer, turning weekends in the rowdy shirt optional free-for-alls. Fortunately for me, most of my campers have been familes or older people. Of course, it’s only early June; we’ll see how the summer goes. Detail: Bluejays get into everything, so do chipmunks. I make minimum wage in the county my campground is located in but I have a free site and power to run my fridge. Another fringe benefit is that I create a safe and clean environment for people to enjoy nature, something I believe in. This is my first experience “living on site.” When you live where you work, people come to you when you’re eating dinner, when you’re trying to relax, or at 5:30 in the morning when you first emerge from your van and desperately need coffee. There is no hiding from customers when you live in the shop. Overall. being a camp host has been a generally positive experience so far. The weather is unseasonably cold in Oregon right now, but that will change. If you have any further questions or things you’re curious about, feel free to leave a comment. Also, if you’re looking for a new book to read, be it fiction or non-fiction, please check out my Amazon store. Izk