Erica Oliver

Hi Team,

In just a couple weeks we will all be back on the field together!

Summer has gone by fast for me at camp with barely a spare moment. It has been fun though and full of adventures. I hiked two sections of the Appalachian trail in Maine, canoed various lakes, and learned about preparing for and leading trips. I also learned a lot about working with kids and co leading.

This past week I canoed on Damariscotta lake with a group of 12 year old girls. It poured rain and thundered as we started our trip and we hid out in a little shelter and played games to keep warm until the storm calmed down. The rest of the trip was good except that I saw a huge snake and squealed in front of all the campers.

Yesterday was the song contest where each tent group writes a song and performs it. My department decided to write a song and we all wore our matching shirts which say our names on the back. We didn't win but it was a laugh and we got some comments on our shirts.

Today I worked out! Surprise, well actually it is kind of surprising this summer since I've been out of camp so much on trips. But this morning I got up early and did sprints and agility ladder stuff and went for a 3 mile jog. I injured my achilles tendon at the start of summer but it seems to be better now so yay! I hope it stays that way.

Any way here is a poem to try to capture what camp life has been all about for me this summer:

I drift off to sleep with my feet hanging out the end of my child-sized cot and touching the cold metal frame.

My lullaby is the whine of a stray mosquito.

I wake up to the sound of rain on the tent roof.

And I run quickly from my tent door to the bathroom without my rain jacket.

I must hurry, there is a trip going out today and I haven't finished packing everything.

As I brush my teeth I make a mental checklist of things I have to do before I leave.

            Pick up the medical forms form the nurse

            Get a camp credit card and emergency cash from the office

            pack my own personal gear

            Make an announcement in the dining hall about my next trip and put up a sign up sheet.

            Pick up the fresh fruit for lunch

            Get the van keys

            Print driving directions

            Eat breakfast

The bell rings and I walk across camp to the dining hall.

After breakfast it's time to pack out the campers, and be asked the same questions by each individual camper: what do I do if I don't have any long underwear or a water bottle?

Finally everyone is in the van with all the gear.

Except the trip leaders because we have been helping everyone else and still have to finish packing our own gear, woops.

On the van ride we listen to the radio station 92 moose.

Once we arrive then the fun begins. Beautiful open spaces, wilderness forest, mountain vistas, blue lakes.

The kids are ready for a new adventure.

And I am reminded why I am doing this.