We Made It!

Here we are talking, laughing, and typing. Now that the kids are snoring, we get some down time. We got in to camp around 11 AM, and from that moment the kids were whisked away. They got to know their councilor, the rules, and the lay of land. We had lunch together – the kids looked a bit worse for ware, but they ate like hungry tigers. I ate with Shannon, Ashley, Lauren G, Amanda J, Rachel F, Jessica C, and Lauren E. I enjoyed their company for that meal. After lunch, they went off onto some trails (group building and sensory experiences), while we learned our responsibilities.

Dinner – my food tastes good when you’re starved. I ate with Calvin, Jacques, Curren, and Lyndsay. We had a great time. Some kids had headaches, and only a few had altitude sickness. One poor girl from the Huntington Beach school had a light green pale to her complexion. But in general, our group was in great shape.

After dinner groups could do a nature walk or an astronomy session. I tagged around with Addy, Marielle, Kianna, and four other girls. We learned about nocturnal and diurnal, night vision, and animals of the night. For about an hour or so we stood out in a wooded area of the camp and tested our night vision, listening skills, and we tried to catch a glimpse of an owl – no owls tonight – shame.

It is catching up on 10, and the kids went down at 9. I have to report that only one of our little girls visited the nurse (it only took two hours) – slipped and bumped her chin. One boy got a warning (not yet a strike), and all the Chaparral children stayed up on the hill – no one went home. Ya! Mrs. Burns, George, Wilbur and Mr. Lee are happy healthy and fine. It was a good day.

Here are some words from our campers:

Jacques – I got to see a deer today. We saw the doe over by the meeting area. It was about 15 to 20 feet away. Cool.

Lyndsay – I liked going on the hikes today. We went on two hikes. In the morning, we went on a short one where we roamed around and learned about trees and what kinds of animals that live here. We also learned about the native Indians who lived here.

Curren and Griffin – We liked the games. We really liked camouflage the best. They then told me in great detail the rules of the game. Curren said that her was only out once. They had big smiles as they told about their experiences.

Faith – I really liked going out today to learn about the animals and where they lived. I saw some rabbits, squirrels, and lots of birds. Faith was beaming as she told me this.

Florencia – I favorite was the discovery trail where people had to be blindfolded. And other people would lead you to meet a tree. Then you took off the blindfold to see the tree that you met. She smiled as she said that she felt a bit silly meeting the tree.

Well that is enough for today. I now need to check out the comments on this blog. We do have wireless internet access, but it is far from broadband – B not G. See you tomorrow. Good night.