The Great Camp Out

I survived 13 girls and some siblings (including Bud) in the woods on Friday night.  And they survived the woods!  I know it was the first outside sleepover in the woods for my two and some of the others as well.  It was great.

We arrived around 5 pm and hauled our sleeping bags and stuff up the hill to the campsite; there was a single, big platform tent for the troop downhill from the campfire and several lean-tos for the boys above the campfire.  I actually slept in a lean-to myself, since the big tent was pretty full and the lean-to was easier to sleep in.

But sleep was a long way off.

We made pizza first, with the girls mixing and kneading their dough by hand.  They even wandered the lovely herb garden to find toppings for their pizzas.  "I can't believe we can just pick leaves and eat them!" one said, as they sampled sorrel, onion chives, garlic chives, lemon balm, sage, basil, cherry tomatoes, kale, and other things.  The pizzas were pretty good.  Well, Bud thought it was dough-y but loved all the herbs; Sis got to make hers with no sauce, just cheese.

Next we lit the campfire, which I tended while they went on an extended night hike (the whole event was for their Night Owl badges.)  They had a very exciting time--climbing rocks, watching for wildlife, gazing out at the city below--maybe too exciting, since they were near a tall cliff!   The hike was Sis and Bud's favorite part.  I sat meditating by the fire, listening to the symphony of the forest, and making and eating by myself the best s'more ever.  I only missed hearing any owls.



The kids returned all full of stories and inhaled their s'mores.   We then all shared our experiences with wildlife--turkeys in the yard, hawks on the wing, a bear on the road.  The woman in charge of our group, an outdoorsy woman with shorn hair and an impish smile, told of a deer jumping over her one night as she slept by the fire.  She loves kids, you could tell, and talked straight to them.  (And all the leaders giggled when she made one of our precious snowflakes pick food out of the garbage can for the compost bin and another return a wheelbarrow she had tried to avoid putting back!!!)  And most of them liked her (except a few snowflakes.)

And we sang around the fire--"Baby Shark," "Bear Hunt," my favorite "Barges," "Linger," "On the Loose," and "Taps."  Such a lovely time.

And then there was no sleep.  I could hear the girls all the way up the hill until around 3.  I think Bud fell asleep despite it all.

Then the coyotes started around 4 a.m.  Bud heard them, too.

But I missed the owls hooting at 5 a.m., apparently.

And we were up at 6 a.m. by the fire to warm up.  I had actually been relatively comfortable in my bag, even with the chilly mist--I thought it was great sleeping weather; everyone else was cold.  I loved watching the full harvest moon through the trees and the flicker of the waning fire.  The sound of the girls and the insects and even traffic in the distance were comforting.

For breakfast, the girls gathered eggs in the chicken coop and picked some more herbs.  They also admired the sheep and ducks.  And their parents soon arrived to take them home.

It had been a great camping trip.

And I napped three hours that afternoon.

-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Linger"

Hmmm, I want to linger.
Hmmm, A little longer.
Hmmm, A little longer,
Here with you.

Hmmm, It's such a perfect night.
Hmmm, It doesn't seem quite right.
Hmmm, That this should be,
My last with you.

Hmmm, And come September,
Hmmm, I will remember,
Hmmm, Our Scouting days,
Of friendships true.

Hmmm, And as the years go by,
Hmmm, I'll think of you and sigh.
Hmmm, This is good night
And not good bye.

Hmmm I want to linger.
Hmmm A little longer.
Hmmm A little longer,
Here with you.

"On the Loose"

Have you ever seen the sunrise turn the sky completely red?
Have you slept beneath the moon and stars with a pine bough for your head?
Have you sat and talked with friends, though a word was never said?
Then you're like me and you've been on the loose.

Chorus:
On the loose to climb a mountain,
On the loose where I am free.
On the loose to live my life,
The way I think my life should be.
For I've only got a moment,
And a whole world yet to see,
And I'll be searching for tomorrow, on the loose.

There's a trail that I'll be hiking
Just to see where it might go.
Many places yet to visit,
Many people yet to know.
And in following my dreams,
I will live and I will grow,
On a trail that's out there waiting, on the loose.

Chorus

So in search of love and laughter,
I'll be travelling through this land.
Never sure of where I'm going,
For I haven't any plans.
But in time when you are ready,
Come and join me, take my hand.
And together we'll find life,
Out on the loose!

Chorus

Wish Me Luck

Tonight.

Me.

Thirteen 11-year-old Girl Scouts.

4 other adults.

Camping.

Outdoors.

S'mores.

A night hike.

Flashlights.

Sleeping on the ground.

Wish me luck.

Campin'

I'm camping this week.  At home.  Via the internet.  Which, considering how muggy it is and how hot for Connecticut in June, suits me just fine.

It's my second time attending Heather Bruggeman's Summer Soul Camp, which invites us to adapt the parts of camp we liked as children and invigorate our daily summer routine with small rituals and activities.

I think I can credit camp with our two afternoon forays outside so far this week.  We didn't last long because it was hot, but I've been enjoying sitting under one of our maples which provides great shade for our metal table set and has my favorite view right down our rock wall.  Yesterday, I sat there while they played in the sprinkler/"beerorium."  Today we picnicked there, albeit with a deli lunch.  I'm considering doodling some little flags to decorate.

And then I had this crazy idea to get a tent to sleep outside with the kids, since we're not going far this summer.  The weather will cool off, into the low 70s again next week, which would be good camping weather.   It could be really fun.

Summer Fun: Camping Tonight*

(*Okay, who among you thought of "Tenting Tonight," the old Civil War song?  It's one of Mama's favorites.  I'm guessing maybe only Pop.)

Sis is away for the next 36 hours and I have to keep reminding myself not to pick her up from camp in an hour.  For the first time, now that she is going into fourth grade, she can elect to stay for the weekly overnight at her day camp.  And she did.  It sook a little discussion--she was nervous about not having Shirt until we reminded her she went to England for two weeks without him, and then she didn't want to eat the pasta dinner until I called to make arrangements to send along an extra sandwich for dinner.  

And so now she's off.  We got extra batteries for a flashlight, rolled up her sleeping bag in a small bundle she'll never be able to duplicate, sent along the (almost always unnecessary) sweatshirt, and packed little love notes in her bag.  We even had the purple plastic soap holder that I think I used to take to camp as a counselor in high school.  (Ah, memories of cold showers under the big, starry Texas sky!)  

Truly, I kinda wish she could've backed me along in the bag, too.  As I've said numerous times, camp was one of the golden memories of my childhood--I went to day camp by bus that left from the local Luby's parking lot as a little kid and then later overnight camp at Camp Robinwood, Camp Agnes Arnold (twice), and Camp Casa Mare, plus a weekend at Peach Creek with my troop in unusually freezing February weather (it got down to 27F and we all thought we were going to die!), and then counseled at Camp Mira Sol (three or four summers), the Boy Scout Camp Strake (oh, the chiggers!), and then at a day camp near Kukyendahl, which name I forget (all the camps I counseled at were for children with special needs.)  

Mama, however, didn't go to overnight camp, except one memorable pre-college experience after she graduated from high school.  And she found sending Sis off this morning (and Bud next week for an overnight at kung fu) really tough.  But I"m so proud of Mama for not breathing a word of her worries and not only letting but encouraging Sis to go.  I'm not sure I would easily be able to do the same thing.  

So I'm proud of both my girls tonight and hope it goes quickly for one and wonderfully for the other.

UPDATE:  There are thunderstorms in the area tonight but a call to camp reassured us that the girls were having fun in safety, with a campfire under a pavilion!  There are also offices to sleep in if the tents aren't feasible.