WILD Week

May 29 – June 3, 2008

Wild week is known at Camp Tawonga as the week where all the wilderness staff gets together for training. The main focus of the training being how to take kids backpacking.
Of course backpacking training could not happen properly without actually going out into the back country. The destination…Kibbie Lake.

It was good to visit again. We actually took the trail in the opposite direction than the week prior. Some parts I remembered and others I didn’t. Even though the place was the same, the trip was completely different because I was with a different group of people and the weather was not even close to being as bad.

Some scenarios arose that brought new things to think about to the forefront of the mind and others continued to build and reinforce previous training.

Having been backpacking with Joshua and Marisa on the BAWT trip, the transition to this training and new home for the summer seemed very smooth. It is amazing how a familiar face can put you at ease when you find yourself in a sea of unfamiliarity.

After the backpacking trip, training continued back at camp with a ropes course piece here and a how to work the stove piece there. The Jewish flavor was introduced with the Hamotze (the blessing sung before each meal) and Tevat Tava which means “Nature’s Ark” and is the nature experiential education program.

By the end of it all I was in desperate need for a break which finally came not a moment too soon.