Exploring Routes - Day 1 (S2)
Today was day one of the second week of Exploring Routes Hiking Camp!
Once the campers had arrived and their families had left, we gathered on the dock for warm banana bread and going over some essential ways of being during the week. We then talked about our plan for the day, made a list of what to pack in our bags for hiking, and talked about the importance of packing for the hike we didn’t plan (meaning preparing for what could go wrong in the very unlikely chance that it did).
With those details understood, we packed our bags, crafted our personalized trail mix, and drove to Bald mountain! The hike gets steep quickly but the campers did an amazing job and were efficient and positive throughout the steep section in the woods.
After carefully climbing a particularly technical section of the trail, we reached our first bare section of the trail. The view was vast and BEAUTIFUL. We continued climbing up a little bit further and then stopped for lunch while eying some rainy clouds that were making their way towards us. The view for lunch was even better than the previous one! Upon finishing lunch, we decided to turn around there because of the dark-looking clouds coming closer. Although we wanted to reach the summit, it was a good lesson in when it is better to choose the safer option and turn around rather than potentially dangerously attempt to make it to the top. After all, the destination is the car at the end, not the summit!
On the way down we focused on our careful footing while chatting about survival scenarios in the woods. We ate some wild blueberries and learned about another plant we can eat in the woods - Indian Cucumber root!
When we got back to the house, we went for a refreshing swim in the lake! We then tie-dyed our camp shirts and transitioned into free time.
Campers played games and took turns showering while the counselors started making dinner. We made pizza over the fire with the help of all the campers! We ate by the lake and then made s’mores over the campfire. Following the campers’ lead, we sat by the water talking for a while after dinner was over.
We watched an absolutely gorgeous sunset and then moved inside to pick out string for making friendship bracelets. Bracelet supplies secured, we settled into our evening routine. This routine consists of drinking tea, giving positive shout outs to each other, sharing one thing we are grateful for, and listening while the counselors read aloud.
It was a perfect first day and we can’t wait for the rest of the week!
