Staff Autobiography: Harvest Toman, lifeguard

My family has been visiting Kingswood every summer since 2014, leaving Kingston, NY to spend a week in Eagle or Overlook. The drive to camp isn’t long, but as a kid the anticipation of a week spent outside made it seem like an eternity. 
It’s really fun to see my younger siblings enjoying camp the way I did–learning to paddle a canoe, looking for toads and snakes in Eagle Field, looking for wild blueberries, and proudly showing off the crafts they make during programs. 

I’ve been lifeguard for a season and a half, in 2020 and 2021, and I can’t imagine a better job to have! I love watching over Hathaway Pond. It holds an entire world under its surface, and supports everything around it. I also love how I get to meet just about everyone who comes through camp. Getting to know the families and friends that stay at Kingswood is a lot like getting to know each of the little ecosystems that make up the camp itself. The sound of people laughing around their campfires mingles with the bullfrog’s song bouncing off the pond; deer trails weave through and branch off of the trails maintained by human hands; people pass in and out of the barn, almost mirroring the swallows that dart overhead. As the season goes on, there’s constant change, but also a familiarity and warmth that never goes away. 

Working, staying, and living at Kingswood has always been something I feel really lucky to experience. It’s been a chance to grow closer to the world I live in, the people I care about, and myself. 

Thanks for reading, see you this summer!
-Harvest Toman