Camp Thunderbird

July 18, 2009

Here I am, three days after returning from Wilmington being blessed with another day off. This time, the majority of the staff decided to accept an invitation that has been given several times throughout the summer. Camp Thunderbird is another YMCA camp located just across the South Carolina border south of Charlotte, NC. Over the course of the summer, Camp Thunderbird has brought up groups to go climbing or caving. Almost every week we have encountered a group from Thunderbird.

Camp Thunderbird is happily situated on a lake that opens up activities that Camp Cheerio or Cheerio Adventures can’t offer. So today was filled with good times in the water.

Water skiing, tubing, water slides, and the Blob were all experienced on a perfect, beautiful day. This was the first time in a long time when the staff got to just chill, talk, and hang out without having to concern ourselves with kids. Such a great feeling! With a stop at Dairy Queen on the way back, I could not have cooked up a better day off if I tried.

At the Halfway Point

July 15, 2009

Over the past two weeks, I have reached the halfway point at Cheerio Adventures. Exhausted is the only word that comes to mind. Having already co-lead two trips in 27 days and only having one day off was beginning to take its toll. For week four I was assigned to be on support staff. What this meant was that I would work with any contract groups that were coming throughout the week. In my mind I was thinking, “Yes! I will finally get a little break. My work load should be a little lighter.” Well, by the end of the week I was working with two different groups each day and then found myself getting ready for a 3 day/2 night Parent/Child backpacking/rock climbing trip.

Having a little variety during the week was a nice change, but by the end of the backpacking trip I just wanted to fall over and not get up for days.

Salvation came this past week in the form of days off; 3 whole days to be exact. The timing could not have been better. So Andy, Carlie, and I hopped in my car and set our sites on the Atlantic. Along the way, we stopped at Ginger’s house for the first night. Being in a house again felt like I was walking into a foreign land.

The next day we made it to Wilmington, NC with cloudy skies and consistent rainfall. Our visions of lying on the beach, basking in the sun were beginning to diminish. Instead we sought shelter on the U.S.S. North Carolina., a battleship that fought during WWII.

After a mosquito infested, warm, muggy night; our hopes were lifted as we woke us to a beautiful morning. The sky was clear so we decided to head to the beach first thing. There we stayed for the rest of the day soaking in the sun and playing in the salty waves. Feeling satisfied with our day in the sun, we decided to start heading back toward camp stopping at my friend Alicia’s house for a great night’s sleep. Before giving way to exhaustion, we discovered that the basking in the sun turned to baking for some of us as Andy’s back had the same coloring as marinara sauce. Still we made it back to camp the next day feeling rested and ready for the next 3 weeks.

Seekers

June 21-July 4, 2009

Seekers was the name of my latest trip. 2 weeks of jam-packed activity. My Adventure Challenge partner and I were reunited for this adventure. The challenge of this new adventure began before even the kids arrived. Nate started the first week off with a fever.

I sat and watched him fade in and out of awareness wondering if he was going to make it through 4 days of backpacking in North Carolina with 8 teenagers. Overwhelmed can hardly begin to describe how I felt as I tried to remember every

thing that I was hearing about the days ahead, the markers we need to look for, places to find water, and stories of years past where everyone got lost.

As the first week came to a close, the group gelled. Our first 4 days in the wilderness brought memories of spectacular scenery, wildlife sightings, swim holes, and moments of pure joy as we reached an end goal we never thought we would get to. Caving in Tennessee sealed the halfway point of our two weeks.

The next portion of our trip took us to the water. It started off with an overnight canoeing/kayaking trip on the New River about 12 miles up the river from camp putting us back in the state of North Carolina. By this point Nate was back to his normal, crazy self lifting some weight off of my shoulders. After a great day on the river, we stayed at a campsite that was only accessible by boat. Being the week before 4^th of July weekend the place was packed. With no sites available we ended

up pitching our tents in the field known as the overflow section centrally located and surrounded by all other campsites. Before the night was over, our group turned over a new leaf. How the craziness began, I can’t even recall. All guards were let down as we wrestled, laughed, ran around, and played all the while entertaining our neighbors and creating one of my favorite memories thus far.

After that night our group changed. We no longer were just some random group of people passing two weeks together. Instead, we were more like a family with some of the kids going as far as calling me Mom. The rest of the last week was filled with a little

whitewater canoeing through an easy Class III rapid followed by whitewater rafting the Lower New River in West Virginia taking our state count to 4.

At the beginning of the last three days, challenges began to rise once more. Fatigue was beginning to set in with everyone (not just the Old Folks). The mountain biking portion of our journey was beginning. We encountered some schedule changes, physical set backs, and equipment setbacks all the while testing my mental, physical, and emotional limits.

Our two weeks together came to a close. As we sat and talked about our time together, both Nate and I were awestruck by what we heard. The night started with an activity called Positive Vibrations and ended with everyone coming to an understanding that these past two weeks were not a normal camp experience. This Seekers trip was a milestone in all of their lives, a staple that each would never forget.