I had always thought I would enjoy Mountain Nature Camp, but finding out about the teacher scholarships available this year finally prompted me into action. I found the online form, filled it out and sent it, and . . . . . Nature Camp - Here I Come!
As it is my habit to keep a travel/vacation journal, I decided to keep one for my camp experience as well. So when Mike asked if he might put my journal entries and pictures on the web, I turned everything over to him. What follows is our combined efforts to give you, the reader, a peek into a week at Mountain Nature Camp.
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Sunday, June 17
Mike and I had stopped at camp on Friday so he could mow the trails and I took the opportunity to set up my tent. It was pretty chilly that day, so I pitched my tent on the point in the sun. Sunday, however, was HOT so when I arrived around two o'clock I immediately moved my tent into a shady nook with plenty of room for my chair and a nice view of the lake.
Girl Scout tents and cots were also available for folks who wished to use them.
The lake looked very inviting and I knew the water would feel great. This led to my first exciting adventure at camp. It was around 4:00 and I realized that nothing else was happening until supper, so I decided to go kayaking. I got in the water without incident and headed toward the Galilee beach, but there were people there and I didn't want to intrude. So I decided I'd go around the bend and swim from my kayak. However, I'm a bit rusty on my getting-out-of-the-kayak techniques and as I went over the side, my kayak went over too and filled half full of water. Thank goodness it didn't sink! It stayed afloat enough for me to tow it to some rocks and tip out enough water for me to get into the kayak. Then I paddled to a little beach, turned the kayak on end and drained all the water. What an adventure - what a dumb adventure! I didn't tell anyone and I was just thankful I was out of sight of the camp and any other on-lookers.
At 6:00 we met at the lodge for supper.
Supper was fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade rolls, salad and strawberry shortcake. Wow! We had a tour around the camp for new campers, then campfire where everyone introduced themselves, then bed. Missed the veeries that used to sing in the evenings. Lots of parulas have taken their place. There was a light rain shower once I got into my tent (around 10:15). Heard low talking from various neighbors, then silence and sleep.