Nadia

15

Summer camp is an irreplaceable experience.
Especially your last summer
The oldest village, has a tradition

"It's a two night weather permitting hike"

We packed our things Tuesday morning.
Braided hair so it didn't get tangled,
Put on sports bras,
And gym shorts,
And bandanas,
To try to look cute(!)
Overused everything scented that we couldn't bring.
And headed out.

There were thirty girls,
And one lean to in the woods meant to sleep six.
There was a lighting storm outside

I've never been so close to people
Literally and emotionally;
We played "never have I ever" in a whisper so counselors wouldn't hear
All huddled up, limbs on top of every person next to us.
While we passed s'mores stuff that we couldn't make
Because fire was unsustainable.

And after a mostly sleepless night,
We hiked over a mountain to heaven;
A clearing that if you listened closely enough,
I swear you could head Julie Andrew's belting,

"The Hill's are alive, with the sound of music."
And they were.
And we were alive with adrenaline and companionship;
We were free in the mountains.

That night we all took our "solos. "
Three hours of reflection time,
Alone in the woods.

I climbed directly up the mountain further from the clearing,
And found another, where I preceded to collapse. Breathless.
For an hour I sat and picked a pint of what I hoped were blueberries.
And then found a rock, where I read, while doing squats

Shirtless, hair down, in a pair of spandex with an hour remaining
I peed in the woods for the first time
And then laid down in the middle of the blueberry patch.
The sun warmed me, and the cicada sounds somehow felt peaceful
The spirit of the mountains welcomed me with a breeze
Just like all the people at camp had

And I sat there and thought about how lucky I was.
How even with my daily anxieties I was so stupidly blessed.
I laid there for that hour and reflected.

When we were called back,
I just wanted to keep thinking, keep feeling.

I don't think everyone had this connection with that around them,
A lot of people slept or read or wrote.
But we all felt a sense of gratitude for one another and our surroundings.

The remaining 9 days were the best of my life;
Effortless, problem-free,
An escape from reality.

I cried so much the last day.
I got a headache from dehydration.

I'm home--
I still feel happy.
I still feel confident.
I still feel as though I'm so lucky.

The mountains changed my attitude
And built friendships among the most unlikely.

The city is alive with the sound of music too--
It's just not as mellow as the mountains.
But they're both quite magical.