A group of adults is scrambling through the woods, sporting sequin skirts, top hats and fur vests. What might look like a costume party that's gotten lost is really the "scavenger hunt of madness".
Each participant has also been assigned a role that matches their outfit: Lukas suddenly finds everyone super hot, while Madlen complains about the dirt and Alex has turned into a cave person.
The scavenger hunt is a camp activity – specifically, a summer camp for adults activity. For this purpose, 20 people have set up their tents for four to six days on a camp site in Germany's Ostalb region.
The giddy group advances deeper into the forest. Notes with tasks have been pinned on trees. Nils is desperately looking for Puck from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Madlen keeps yelling "to the left", and Christoph flexes his muscles.
"This is the perfect moment to let out character traits that you don't usually show," says Sandra Wilde, one of the camp organisers.
What kind of people think going to summer camp as an adult sounds fun?
"We used to go to a summer camp organised by the youth fire brigade," says 27-year-old Sandra, who has come with two friends to experience that old holiday feeling one more time. For her, it's that feeling of having nothing to worry about and living entirely in the moment.
But summer camp for adults isn't entirely like the summer camp from their childhood: You don't have to get up at 8am sharp, for example, and drinking alcohol is allowed.
Madlen, 37, went to summer camp five times as a child.
"Two days ago we didn't know each other, but now there's a real feeling of community here," the director of a children’s house says.
Age or profession don't really matter at adult summer camp, she says.
But a bunch of adults dressing up and going on a scavenger hunt – isn't that a bit too much? Jens Junge, a researcher in game studies, emphasises the positive effects of playing children's games.
"Play is a basic human phenomenon that continues to play a major role even after childhood. When adults play, they can forget obligations and constraints from everyday life," says the founder of the German Institute for Game Studies, which is affiliated with the Berlin Design Academy.
Playing games helps to break free from ridged roles, Junge adds. "It works like a valve, so to speak."
Before their arrival, the group members, between ages 25 and 44, didn't know what to expect at adult summer camp. "People come here to unwind. We simply want to relive the good old times," explains Nils Stauch, who co-founded the camp together with Wilde.
The educator is wearing hiking pants with a knife dangling from the belt. The 38-year-old used to be a scout as a child. The duo decided to turn outdoor classes into their profession in 2017.
"I don't miss my old job at all,” says Wilde, a former business consultant.
Stauch forms his hands into a funnel and lets out a loud crowing call – the signal that something is about to happen.
Today, constructing a ropeway is on the list. The activities at adult summer camp aren't mandatory. About 10 people join Stauch and stroll into the forest to assemble a bridge out of ropes and branches.
Besides games, deceleration is a big part of the programme. Participants can take part in a meditation every morning. There are no fixed meal times or activities. Instead, the inner clock is key.
Almost no one is wearing a watch.
"You go to bed when you're tired. It's really nice not to plan everything as usual," says camp resident Sandra.
And there's almost no reception at the camp site, which means less distraction from smartphones.
The adult summer camp in the southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg isn't the only one in Germany, and other countries have them too.
From a mountain adventure retreat in Switzerland to classic summer camp or space camp in the United States, there's lots of different options for adults looking to repeat those magic summers again. – dpa
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