As I laid there staring at the bunk above me I realized this was it. When the lights are off and the sun is down camp’s only light is from whatever moonlight shines down from above. Luckily the stars were out on a clear night as I made my way around camp. The silence was deafening as everybody was in bed on their way to a peaceful night’s rest. There are a million spots at camp where the scenery is calming and remarkably beautiful, but I wanted to be at none of them. Only four days left and we will begin our adventures home. The thought of it all was too overwhelming.
Earlier that evening a camper darted for the door of the mess hall. No one saw. He looked over his shoulder and realized he wasn’t being chased. So he stopped just short of the gazebo. I do not think he realized that I was there or he probably would have gone in another direction. I was not intending on taking him back inside because I could not leave the camper that I had with me. So when he came up to me and pronounced that under no circumstances would he be going back into the mess hall for the dance party, I just shrugged my shoulders and said, “Meh.” At some point in the awkward silence that followed the lack of argument we started playing in the sand that persists all over camp. First a mound was built and then a wall around it. The idea of a sand castle quickly followed. A bridge was built from the mound to the wall. Next we dug a river to the water jug nearby. We poured water downstream towards the castle. Finally as the dance ended and people came out we knocked it all down with the idea of doing it all over tomorrow.
I had a conversation with that camper about coming to camp. It is not too often one is privileged enough to witness a camper explain what Camp Krem means to them. Imagine a young camper who is willing to play in the sand and get muddy ramble on about a place that he wants to keep coming to. It is like those stories you tell as a kid of growing up to be a firefighter or a major league baseball player. I believe the quote was, “I’m going to come here for the next 30 years and swim and hike and swing and play until I am older enough to build a camp just like this one for more people like me to come for another 30 years.” It was the perfect quote from a fantastic seven year old child.
As I was walking around later that night I was thinking about that conversation. I did not want to be in any of those calming and beautiful places at camp because I did not want it to be quiet. It should not be the end of summer. The days are supposed to last longer. Young campers should be screaming because it is Disney week. Campers should be wearing the face of exhaustion after completing a challenging hike. Campers should be splashing in the pool and cooking outdoors. As the days come to a close I think more and more that Camp Krem is a place that more people should experience. This camp gives people with special needs a chance to live life on an equal playing field. Campers come two and three times a year because it is more than a vacation. Camp Krem is a place to develop life experiences and stories that do not take place elsewhere. I think it is something incredible to be a part of and even more incredible for campers to experience.
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