I had very mixed feelings about going to Camp Arroyo with 6th grade. I knew it would be fun. I knew that it would be great to be outside in nature, to do something different, experience these kids outside the walls of school. All that good stuff. And then, there was a part of me that very much didn’t want to go. My concerns were as follows: having enough coffee, being cold, having enough coffee, needing space, and having enough coffee. As you can tell, I was extremely worried about the coffee situation. I even packed like ten of those little canned Starbucks espresso drink things in my bag. Just in case. (I’m happy to say that there was ALWAYS coffee!)
Now I’m back to normal life trying to think of what to write about camp. There’s so much to say. It was fun. It was hard. It’s impossible to write about it in this format and be able to describe the whole experience, so I’m going to highlight some particulars.
Best thing: hiking to the top of Cresta Blanca to get a good look at Lake DelValle. Honestly, I didn’t even know there was a lake out there.
Other Best thing: the night walk. There’s such peace in the quiet darkness, such awe in the amount of stars and owls and bats, and such pleasure in the way it scares the pants off the kids.
Worst thing: getting up in the middle of the night to pee and having to use a seat cover.
Forgotten thing: I stayed in a cabin with eight girls. Each morning, as I was enjoying that first cup of hot coffee, watching our sweet sleepyheads get up and ready for the day, one of them would say, “Ms. McCarthy, can I braid your hair?” I haven’t worn so many pigtail french braids since my own mom was doing them in the morning. I’d forgotten about hair braiding -- how much a part of young friendship it is. I forgot how bonding the act is; it’s a very particular type of intimacy, one that is often left behind as we grow up.
Learned thing: “ort” is a word from middle English that means scrap or remaining food after a meal. At Camp Arroyo, this is a big deal. A large part of dining time is spent discussing portioning and conservation.
First-time thing: I held a millipede. Just kidding, I’d never do that.
Last-time thing: So, I fell down. I hadn’t really fallen down in a long time. And it was a good, solid fall. I ill-advisedly engaged in a footrace with my adventure group 6th graders. No lie, I was winning. I know you’re not likely to believe me, but I was. And then I had one of those falls where you don’t really know you’re falling until you’ve gone ass over elbows, rolled three times, and slid on the concrete to a stop. My water bottle went flying and spilled all over. Everyone, including the race participants, came to a dead stop. I wasn’t hurt besides a little road rash on my hands, but I knew it looked terrible when the other adults came to see if I was okay. The looks on their faces… So, a big props to the way kids just take a spill and pop back up. Such a fleeting talent... But that was the last footrace I’ll run against children.