Day One: Saying Goodbye and Hello.
Much excitement had gathered while Jenna and I prepared to meet our group of 9 courageous 8- to 10-year-olds for a 7-day adventure in the North Cascades. By the day of the Send-Off, when we finally met our crew of campers, we were feeling blessed to be headed out on such an exciting Journey.
The Apprentice Journey is a special adventure because they are our youngest group of Journey’ers; and often we get to watch them “grow up” as they return for programs every couple of years. It is also special because it is packed with FUN! Instead of hiking a lot we get to just take the time to play and enjoy a wild place together.
Parents and participants gathered on the first day at the Journeys Basecamp “meadow.” We unpacked and repacked bags and met the kids for the first time. After goodbyes were said we were immediately whisked away into the wilderness; our home for 7 days!
Our first day in the wilderness proved to be a fun one! Our campsite overlooked Diablo Arm; a muddy-bottom and cold river that called the names of each of our campers. We explored the water for some time before cleaning off the mud and getting cozy for the night.
Day Two: A rain bath to wash away the mud.
Day two is never a great time to suffer the “big storm,” but sometimes you don’t have much of a choice. When nature decides that it is rain that you need, the rains begin to fall. What started out as a beautiful day, with a nice forest wander and some fun hiding games, quickly became grey and drippy. It wasn’t necessarily a “big storm” but it sure did rain for quite some hours; from mid-day until sometime in the night.
Lucky for us we had three cheerful sun-dancers and singers in our group to help wash away the rainy-day-blues. As we, the mentors, tightened tarps and covered backpacks we were serenaded with sunny-day songs: “Oh mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun….”
At least our muddy laundry from day one was thoroughly cleaned!
Day Three: Drying out and getting comfortable.
After the rain ended, a day of sun was greatly appreciated. We spent the day wandering slowly to a beautiful lookout over Diablo Lake… looking at special plants and small critters along the way. We even stopped to dip our heads and faces into a small glacier-fed creek for a quick energizer; a small “Polar Bear Dip”. The highlight of the day was spent on a large sun- and moss-covered rock where we enjoyed sit spots and a yummy lunch.
Day Four: Nighttime ambush.
From Campsite 1: We figured that sleep would come easy on this evening after our first opportunity to backpack together… in the morning we had packed our backpacks and headed into the real wilderness; a first time backpack adventure of 2 miles for our young campers. Tucked into our sleeping bags, Jenna and I started an in-depth conversation about the next day. At one point we noticed headlamps/flashlights creating an interesting forest disco effect. We wondered what was going on… but didn’t investigate.
From Campsite 2: Also tucked carefully and warmly into sleeping bags Brent and Jason turned in for the evening. As they were nearly sleeping they heard the following words chanted, over and over: “The nuns of death have come to kill.”
From Campsites 3 and 4: Not so carefully tucked into their sleeping bags were our young campers who were participating in a nighttime, boys vs. girls, Douglas Fir Cone ambush. Turns out the flashlights were dangerous blinding tactics and the chant came from the girls team who were dressed in their sleeping bags, looking something like a nun.
Day Five: The Hot Cocoa trick.
You probably already know this about your children, and we were certainly aware of the possibility of this trick working… but now I would feel comfortable selling Hot Cocoa as a sleeping aid. The real trick is in the patience. It is true that each child will have a moment of sugared bliss, during which they will say things like: “Oh, man! My mom never lets me have this much Cocoa! She won’t give me one full scoop and you are giving me two. This is GREAT!” Or drink by lapping instead of sipping, as shown in the image.
But here is the beautiful part… After this sugar bliss wears off you are left with a team of sleepy campers. The drop off happens quickly so you must remain ready to assist in the sleeping process: sing lullabies, read stories, etc.
Day Six: Coyote tricksters.
Since Jenna and I had mastered the art of a sugared snack before bedtime we decided to give it one more try; and since this was our night camping together it was sort of a special celebration anyways. This night it was Smores. We feasted and got ready for bed. Things were looking good and smooth… and all was mostly quiet. But instead of the Cocoa Effect, which was 30 minutes of crazy followed by bedtime, we got the Marshmallow Effect, which is about 30 minutes of quiet followed by the crazy sugar bliss (a delayed sneak attack, so to speak).
Since we had a big day ahead of us Jenna and I ventured into the dark to give proper “Shhhs” to the campers. As we approached their tarp we found a large bump (a log maybe?) in the campsite where there had been none before (a rock??). Jenna leaned closer to investigate the bump and I stood back to investigate the larger scene. While pondering the situation quietly the bump suddenly sits up and says “Raaarh!” (Bear??!... Nope just a camper).
We all shared a good laugh about Jenna’s and my reaction to the scare then said goodnight again. This time, silence followed and we all ventured into our dreams.
Day Seven: The much-awaited reunion.
Seven days is a long Journey for a group of 8- to 10-year-olds and we had certainly talked plenty about the people and pets and conveniences we missed at home. So by day Seven our campers were excited to be reunited with their families and pets.
We awaited our van pickup at our campsite; the kids all wanted to sit right on the edge of the road so that they would be ready to go. Every time a white vehicle appeared in the distance the kids would get excited and someone would say, “I think that is it!”
So if you have wondered, parents, siblings and pets, yes, the kids did miss you!
We returned home to the sound of parents cheering and a drum beating. Had I not known differently I might have assumed this group of backpackers had just returned from summiting Mt. Everest. The reunion was sweet and the good-byes sweeter.
We hope to see you all again soon.
.jpg)
