Happy campers.

From Gail Rosenblum at the Star Tribune, an article on married couples who met at summer camp:

Any parent who sends a child to summer camp knows that the return home will include a trunk-load of smelly laundry, at least one art project made from twigs, and a heartening boost in self-confidence.

But the e-mail address of a potential spouse, too?

It’s surprisingly easy to find people who met their future husband or wife at summer camp.

Those who’ve done it have theories about why things worked so well in the woods. They often mention shared values — for the great outdoors, a sport or foreign language, or religious faith. Camp also granted them limitless time away from grown-ups to learn about one other (under the watchful eye of camp counselors, natch). Best of all, there’s nothing like the relaxed, blow-dryer-free environment of camp to give everyone permission to be themselves.

At first I was just amused that this topic accompanied the Strib’s annual "Camp Guide."  Are parents meant to take matchmaking into account when they pick a camp for their kids? 

But then I noticed an interesting detail about the article that is not mentioned in the lede or the headline.  Here is the list of the camps where the happy couples in the article met one another:

• Camp Quadna, "a Catholic church camp in northern Minnesota"
• Luther Park Bible Camp in Danbury, Wisconsin
• Covenant Pines Bible Camp "in the northern woods of Minnesota"
• Camp Ramah, "a Jewish camp in Wisconsin"

I wonder if the author of the story originally planned it to focus on religious-based camps, or if it just happened to turn out that way?