04 Aug Nature Adventure Camp

Last week was filled with joy, frustration, and lots and lots of food. For the past 6 years the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park has been hosting week long summer camps. This year I, along with 5 other park employees, acted as camp counselors for 18 4th-6th graders. On Monday we discovered the site. We explored the fort, saw a gun demonstration, played a couple team building exercises, and made our own debris forts. On Tuesday we focused on local wildlife. We dissected owl pellets, learned about the importance of food webs, and ate animal inspired snacks like banana slug sandwiches. On water Wednesday we spent the whole day at a near by lake. We kayaked, investigated tide pools, net dipping, and watermelon boat building. Thursday was our big 6.5 mile hike on the Fort to Sea trail which starts at the fort and ends at the Pacific Ocean. After 4 hours and some whining we finally made it to the beach where a bonfire awaited us. That night we were lucky enough to camp at the actual Lewis and Clark fort! I probably ate at least 6 s’mores. Although I’ve done camps before,  this camp was extra memorable. All the kids were great. One thing I noticed about these kids compared to campers coming from the inner city, such as in Los Angeles, is that the kids here were not that impressed with nature. Since they live around it and grown up with it some were jaded when kayaking or seeing elk. It’s not a bad thing, just a different perspective.