ER S2 2024 - Day 3

Our third day started a little earlier than usual... Because of weather forecast for the rest of week, we talked as a group and decided to do our biggest hike on day 3 of camp. The night before, the campers diligently packed for the big day in order to get out the door quickly in the morning. We had big breakfast sandwiches and fresh fruit for breakfast. Even though the counselors told the campers they didn’t have to do morning contributions before we left for the hike, they wanted to beat yesterday’s record and so eagerly did them — 10 minutes flat. Cleaned up and ready to go, we headed out the door.

Upon arriving at the trailhead, we took a few minutes to stretch and warm up our muscles. We gobbled up some fig newtons and banana bread and started up the trail. The first mile was quick and we stopped along the way to create fun designs on our arms with sap and dirt. Then came the challenge. We spent the next hour carefully climbing up boulders and rocks. The campers did a great job of speaking up for what they needed, something we have been practicing all week, and we took many snack and water breaks along the way. The terrain was exciting and rewarding and everyone looked out for each other along the way — pointing out rocks to step on or avoid, which routes were best, and were to spot cool plants and insects. When we finally summited, we looked out over a hazy but incredible view of the surrounding mountains and lakes. We ate our sandwiches at the high point and the campers insisted on taking an optical illusion photo to scare their parents (see below). A quick half mile walk carried us to a mountain top lake where we swam together and lounged on the warm rocks. It was the perfect way to refresh before starting our journey down. We all agreed the destination of any hike is safely making it to the base at the end, not just the summit in the middle!

Although we were taking an easier trail down than the one we went up, we talked about how it was still important to stay focused, cautious, and careful to make sure our tired legs didn’t make silly missteps. We stopped for breaks often, ate handfuls of trail mix, talked about middle school life, and frequently stretched. When we could sense we were nearing the end, we all put in our guesses as to what time we would see the car.

When we got to the parking lot we discovered that Aubrey, one of the counselors, had a flat tire on her personal car! The campers were very sweet and offered to help but unfortunately there was little anyone could do. With a plan A and B in place, the campers and Chloë headed back to make dinner while Aubrey waited for AAA to come and save the day. On the drive home (and continuing for the past 24hrs) the campers wrote a clever new rendition of a Taylor Swift song to help Aubrey feel better when she returned home. It worked :)

Back at camp, we had enough time to make big burritos and brownies before the power went off from the lighting and thunder storm. We had a cozy candlelit dinner and then the campers practiced their performance for when Aubrey returned. Once she got home, they performed, and proceeded to get ready for bed and reading time. Just as we were preparing to read a chapter of Nancy Drew by headlamp, power was restored! We all agreed it was a long and exciting day and we were ready for BED!