ER S2 2024 - Day 4

Given how big of a day we had yesterday, the campers asked if they could have extra time to sleep in today and the counselors happily agreed. The weather forecast said severe thunderstorms all morning and so we had no intention of going anywhere early! The campers were given the freedom to wake up when they pleased and enjoy fruit and quiet reading while we waited for the others. Everybody was awake by 9:30 and emerged from their sleepy beds to the sound of thunder and rain blowing sideways outside. It was a very slow, very cozy morning. The counselors made banana chip pancakes and we enjoyed them on the porch once the storm died down!

By the time we finished morning contributions, the rain had fully stopped and there were signs of the sun trying to peak through so we decided to go for an easy walk at a nearby nature preserve to stretch our legs and get some fresh air. The campers took turns leading a partner with their eyes closed and we focused on noticing the sounds/smells/feelings that became stronger when sight disappeared. Afterwards, with all our eyes back open, we found some huge juicy blackberries and even had a magical moment with a hummingbird that perched on a branch right next to us.

When we returned home, we took advantage of the weather still being clear and enjoyed a long swimming session followed by lunch and then independent quiet time. Tie dying our camp T-shirts followed, with some more swimming and then free time before dinner. During free time, several campers volunteered to make chocolate chip cookies so that we could have ice cream cookie sandwiches for dessert! Tonight we ate delicious colorful poke bowls with Chloë’s world famous tofu! We then discussed our hike options for tomorrow and shared shoutouts from the day. Today was our “rest” day to slow down and refresh and so before bed we did candlelit yin yoga led by Chloë. It was so relaxing that the campers came out of savasana already half asleep…