Rubber Duckie, You're the One :-)

'Bout time eh?

Last week, I got to go into the "Field" with my girls and paddle down the Tuckasegee River in inflatable kayaks (aka Duckies)! I had loads of fun in my duckie! But, the some of the girls were a bit challenging and it was difficult to keep them positive throughout the day. 3 out of 6 of my girls fell out of their duckies and floated through rapids...and some of them weren't so keen about it. I, however, had a good time :-)

We camped out that evening at a beautiful group campsite. A few of the girls had never been camping before! So, it was fun to teach them how to set up a tent and what not.

The next morning, we set out to the Nanahalen River to go whitewater rafting! We paddled through the morning fog - it was absolutely stunning. The rapids were exciting - Class I and II only. By the time we were done, the girls (and myself including) were pooped out. Two days in the sun and on the water can really tire you out!

I had Friday night off and all of Saturday too which was MUCH needed for mental recovery purposes. I spent the evening at a fun bar with live music along with a good group of camp staff. Definitely nice to get off base a chill for a while.

Saturday was quite a day of randomness. My highlight of the day was definitely buying a beautiful, dark brown acoustic/electric guitar! I am determined to learn how to play while I am here for the summer. There are a few other staff who play and bought their guitars along to camp, so I definitely have some good teachers and people to jam with. Very exciting!

Other random things of the day included attending a graduation party for the brother of one of our guys on staff. But, we ended up having just the best time! His family was great and made some AMAZING food which we stuffed ourselves to the brim with. Also, we went to this natuarl attraction in the Pisgah Forest called "Sliding Rock." It's really cool because the rock is really smooth and it's like a natural water slide! Unfortunately, we didn't have our swimsuits, and there was a group of about 50 young girls from another camp there. So, we decided not to slide. HOWEVER - they crazy thing that happened was: While we were watching the kids slide, a guy walked up behind us, not more than 10 feet away with a LIVE rattlesnake in his hands!! He was pretty shaken up and out of breath. Turns out the snake was just on the paved path. So the guy grabbed it (I have no idea how...) and was freaking out because he didn't know where to put it! I'm just thinking, "Put it very very very far away from me. Thanks." He ended up chucking it into the woods a ways away and then bolting in the other direction. Yikes! We left soon after...

On Sunday, I moved to a new cabin and am now the happy counselor for 7 girls ages 15-16. They are soooo much fun and really excited about being at camp. Very motivated, positive, and silly :-) They crack me up. And they like Disney music! When I found that out, I knew we were going to get along just fine.

Our cabin is a bit more rustic than my first one. We have a pet toad that lives in our shower who we dubbed "Peeping Todo." We also have a ZILLION ants on our sidewalk. So much so that it looks like the sidewalk is moving. But, we get by :-)

I worked on base with the kids on Monday, office on Tuesday, and off yesterday! Yesterday was a super chill day. I spent the morning on base playing guitar and catching up on a few things. Then I decided to explore the Pisgah forest during the afternoon! Ended up hiking 7 miles through the forest. It was excellent! Got up to the top of Mt. Pisgah and saw a sweet view. Definitely an afternoon well spent!

I'll do my best to post some pictures...but the internet is so slow here...I'll attempt it - sometime!

Dinner circle time! Ciao :-)