Last summer, wildfires ravaged thousands of acres of Colorado land.
One area in the Pike National Forest was hit particularly hard, by not just one fire, but two.

The first, the Schoonover Fire was sparked by lighting last May. And the second, the worst in Colorado's history, the Hayman fire was started by forest service worker Terry Barton.

The two fires destroyed much of the YMCA's Camp Shady Brook, forcing it to close.

As they reopened on Saturday, camp organizers describe Shady Brook as a pheonix rising from the ashes. It took months of hard work to prepare the camp for kids once again.

The first set of campers are parents and their children, who are sharing their first camping experience. The parents say they are grateful enough of the camp survived the fires to continue giving kids an unforgettable experience.

Camp Shady Brook houses about 1,600 campers every summer. For many, its their first experience being in the mountains. Camp officials worried last summer's fire might hurt enrollment at the camp when they got it back up and running. But, now they say they're happy to report, they were wrong.

For the next couple of weeks, the camp will be filled with parents and their children. The full camping season will begin in June