Science Camp: Day Three

SCIENCE CAMP—DAY 3: JANUARY 11, 2018

          It's 6:45 AM, and I wake with a start. As I blink and rub my eyes, the image of a musty wooden ceiling fades in and out of view. The faint rays of sunlight hit me in the face, and I have no idea where I am for a moment. 

          "Aparna?" I hear a voice, and I look over. Neha is standing by the bunk behind my bed, and she is trying to wake Aparna up, though to no avail. 

          "What's going on?" I ask groggily, leaning over the railing of my wooden Science Camp bunk. Neha jumps a little, then turns around to look at me.

          "Oh, Adwithi," she says. "I need to go to the bathroom, but Aparna's not waking up." She gives me a small smile.

           I volunteer to go with her, and grab my glasses. Since it is so close to 7:00, I also grab my toothbrush and toothpaste. Christine, who has also awakened, grabs hers too, and Neha, watching us, follows suit.

          Outside, the sun is just starting to rise over the tall, towering redwood trees. The air smells slightly damp. Inside the bathroom, it is quiet and deserted, very much unlike other mornings and evenings.

          "Aah, peace," says Christine, running her brush under the tap. I nod, my mouth full of toothpaste. Soon, other girls start to trickle in, and the bathroom is filled quickly, the noise going from nonexistent to a noisy din in no time. Christine, Neha and I finish quickly, as do the rest of our cabin mates, and we are at the dining hall for breakfast in no time flat. 

          After a few minutes, we are let into the dining hall. Praniti is chosen as our Gopher and soon she brings out...

           "Pancakes!" exclaims Kaylyn. I shrug, thinking that they should have given waffles, which (in my opinion), are quite superior. After finishing breakfast, Upasana brings us back to the cabin, where we are going to get our backpacks. As we walk back up the hill, I catch a glimpse of the kids that are going to the beach. Once we are all ready, we go to meet Erosion at a sort of stage area nestled in a clearing in the trees.

            There, we sing songs with other kids that are hiking in the forest, and after that, we get with Erosion. First, he takes us down a trail and to a garden. 

            "Okay guys," he says. "We are at the Loma Mar garden, where we grow all of our fruits and vegetables. I want you to walk around the garden and inspect all of the different plants, describing their smell, touch—pretty much all of your five senses, except for maybe taste, and probably hear. Go!" 

             I walk around with a clipboard, taking detailed notes on each of the plants. The mint smells amazing, and I spot a really pretty flower, but what blows me away is the lamb's ear. 

            The lamb's ear is a pretty unremarkable plant from the distance, but get closer and you can see something that you normally wouldn't. The leaves are covered in small, fuzzy, fiber-like strands, and rub on the lamb's ear, and you will feel one of the softest things you will ever feel in your life! (Google it to know exactly what I'm saying.)

             After that, we are split up into groups to do some activities. My group first gets to pick plants and make a salad. I am assigned to gather some lettuce. After we are done, Erosion mixes the lettuce, broccoli, and other plants to make a salad. He combines it all with soy sauce, and gives us each a spoonful to eat from our hands. I don't really like broccoli, and there's a lot, but I eat up anyways. 

              When we are done, we head outside with Upasana and the other counselor. We are shoveling wood chips into a yard out in the back. I shovel some into a wheelbarrow, and am given the task of wheeling it to the yard. Upasana offers to help, but I refuse. Somehow, I manage to get it up.

               I and a boy named Caleb are told to take our the wood chips and smooth it out with a rake. After about ten or fifteen minutes, we go back to the rest of the group.

               Now, we are hiking. "Each one of you has been around people for forty-eight hours straight," says Erosion. "This hike is an opportunity to let you have some alone time. Each one of you will partake in a solo hike. Follow the note cards, and once you are done following the path, you will find me." 

                I volunteer to go first, and five minutes after Erosion's departure, I set off. I walk through the trees, following note cards. Soon, the path of note cards starts to go uphill, and the trees end on one side. I look up, and gasp. On the other side is a valley, with mountains far away. The sun shines golden rays on the rippling grass, and everything is absolutely beautiful. 

                The note cards have some activities, such as "Hug a tree", "Find a pinecone", and even "Take off your shoes and walk". They also have facts and famous quotes. Once I am finished with the path, I find Erosion lounging on a bench at the end, at the bottom of the hill I stood on earlier. I see kids walking on top, still on their solo hike. 

                 Soon, Kaylyn comes down, two or three people later. I point out a small pond near us. "I dare you to jump in it," says Kaylyn. I shake my head, and look at Erosion. 

                 He shrugs. "There's a Wet Socks and Shoes Club," he says. I'm still uncertain, and I look back at Kaylyn. 

                  "I'll give you four boxes of Nerds," says Kaylyn. This has me convinced. I jump in, socks, shoes, and all. 

                   Afterwards, when more people have come, we run up the hill and go mud-sliding. One kid, Rishabh, has mud all down his side afterwards. Kids are also throwing large, heavy rocks into the pond, and I unsuspectingly get drenched. 

                    Soon enough, to moans and groans from all of us, Erosion halts the fun to take us back to camp. It is recreation time, and I decide to go to the library and read books about astronomy. For cabin time, I decide to clean my area of the cabin and tidy up my bed a little, and then it is time for dinner.

                     Dinner is tacos, and I eat extremely quickly. After dinner, it is now time for Skit Night, where each cabin performs a skit that they have been practicing. Our skit is about a group that has crashed their plane into a redwood tree, and need rescuing. I play the part of a police officer, but I start feeling uncomfortable after dinner.

                      "Upasana," I say, "I don't feel well." I complain a bit more, and soon it gets so unbearable that I am sent to the medic. There, I get some medicine and are sent back, where we meet Praniti. 

                      "Hey, Adwithi," she says. "You know you missed the skit?" I gape at her, dismayed. 

                      "I did?" I say. I am extremely disappointed. I go back to the theater and watch the rest of the skits, but with a sad feeling in my stomach, along with the pain. Finally, it is time for bed.

                       "Do you guys want to do the same thing as last time?" Akshaya asks. Shrimayee shakes her head.

                       "Guys, I'm tired, let's just sleep." There are murmurs of assent to this, so we hit the sack immediately.

                       I'm out like a light.