In October of 2014 I mailed in an application to be a camp host at Markin Glen Campground in Kalamazoo.  Now that was positive thinking as we had not bought a trailer yet.  Still, we knew we were going to do this starting in May of 2015.  We also knew that there are only 5 1/2 summer months that they would need a host and they would receive a lot of requests . I think it was about March that we received a phone call from Josh, the campground manager.  He asked us a few questions and then said he had an opening for the month of August.  We happily said yes.

Markin Glen Campground is a county park in Kalamazoo.  It really is a hidden gem that many local people are not aware of.  The campground has 38 sites.  Every site has a cement slab, with full hook-ups.  The trees are on the small size, yet they do provide some shade.  Bathrooms and showers are kept very clean. Connected to the campground is a wonderful recreation area. It  includes a swimming lake, fishing area, tennis courts, 3 pavilions, and a black-topped path around the whole area to walk on. Even if you are not camping, you can pay a daily fee to come in and enjoy the park for the day.  Many people come to fish.  Although the swimming and fishing waters are on the small size, we have seen many people leave with some nice sized fish.  Another nice feature is the connection from the walking path to the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail.  If you like to walk or bike a longer distance, this is a great place to do it.

Your job as a camp host can be many different things depending on the park you are hosting at.  At Fort Custer State Park the host provides coffee on the weekends.  They also help with some fund raising by working on a pancake breakfast or a chicken dinner. Some parks provide children’s crafts on the weekends. Others, you help keep bathrooms and showers clean.   Our daughter’s family were camp hosts in a couple different states over the last few years.  They helped in the office, worked at the front gate, staffed a small museum, etc.

At Markin Glen your job is really very easy.  We walk around to meet and greet our camping “neighbors a few times every day.  If there is bad weather in the forecast, we let campers know where they can go for safety.  We “leave the outside light on” at night so if there is a problem, people can come to us for help.  Since the staff go home late at night, we are the come-to people for any issues or problems. That’s about it.

We did sponsor a children’s Nature Adventure on one  weekend.  Our daughter, Cathy, is a teacher at Western Michigan University getting her PHD.  She teaches science and provided kits for the kids to dissect owl pellets.  We had 20 kids and 10 adults show up and they all had a great time.  They also learned how to make ice cream which was a tasty treat.  That evening we setup a projector outside and showed a family Disney movie.  Overall, it was a fun time for all who attended.

We started this adventure in May camping at Markin Glen.  We have been here a lot of the summer and will probably end our Michigan time at this park.  Hopefully, we will be back next summer and can again host for the month of August.

JA