This summer I was Hunter’s counselor again. Hunter looked pretty much the same as last year, only a little taller. As soon as he jumped out of the van it was obvious that he remembered camp. He ran right over to the bridge and starting looking for frogs. He was very excited to be here. We immediately took a whirlwind tour of our camp area. He went from the fire ring to the creek to the bridge.

It was really great seeing the campers again. In a lot of ways it’s like a family reunion. A lot of hugs and laughs. Some campers have been coming back for years. Even though we usually ony see each other for one week a year, you still develop strong bonds and great friendships. One particularly cute reunion was Kate S. She is a very quite young lady who usually does not show a lot of emotion. When she got out of her car and saw Danielle, her counselor, she did a little skipping dance over to her with a huge smile on her face and gave her a big hug.

Hunter really loved the kids in wheel chairs. One boy, Kiel, was his favorite. Kiel also happen to be in our cabin. Every time Hunter saw Kiel he would run up and give him a kiss on the shoulder. Kiel would smile and laugh every time.

On Sunday the campers arrive in the afternoon so Monday is the first day that we swim. At swim time we can either go to the creek or the lake. Last year Hunter didn’t like the lake very much but he wanted to go so we did. He played around the edges and did manage to sit in the water once or twice. Mostly he hunted for frogs and crabs. Another counselor watched him long enough for me to take Cate out on a boat ride.

The next day we tried the stream. When Hunter realized we were heading to the part of the creek where we swim he led the way. The path has a couple forks in the road but he always chose the correct one. Hunter loved the creek. He played ball with another camper and hunted for “crabs”.

Ami’s camper was a young lady named Jen. Jen was a very nice and friendly girl who helped me out a lot. She loved chasing after Hunter. One day Jen, Hunter and I were running back from lunch when she looked over at me and said “You keep up with him pretty good for someone your age.”

On Monday afternoon we went to the local sportsman’s park. They had a bear, some deer, fish, turkey, pheasant and other birds. Hunter loved it. He got so excited he didn’t know what to do first. He ran back and forth from animal to animal. Jen stayed with us and she kept up with him and I followed behind staying within eye site. He got to feed the fish and bear and really loved that.

Hunter started walking toward the Turkey pen. When he got about 2 feet away the Turkey turned and gobbled at him. Hunter was terrified. He turned and ran away yelling "Turkey bit me, Turkey bit me." After he calmed down he said he wanted to "shoot it" and "put it in a bag".

Hunter also loved going to the craft room. Every day we have a half hour time with the camp craft person. Hunter loved to cut, paint and color. He couldn’t wait to go to “Arts”. If he had papers, paint, and markers he was happy.

We still stopped to and from every trip to the dining hall at the frog pond. Hunter was very disappointed that he couldn’t get close enough to touch any. One of the counselors from the other camp overheard Hunter getting frustrated at not being able to “catch one” and equally frustrated that I wouldn’t jump in the pond and get the ones sitting out on lilly pads.

Wednesday evening we have a cook-out at the fire ring near our cabin. The camp staff drives down with all the supplies. The counselor who overheard our conversation had caught a little frog, put him in a cup with foil over the top and sent him along down with the food. We found a bigger container and put the frog in it. Hunter loved it. About an hour later Judy, one of the other camp deans, came walking into camp with her hand over a Styrofoam cup. They caught a bigger frog and she carried it down for Hunter. Hunter got to actually touch this frog. After touching it and watching it for a while we set it free.

When Thursday came around I again found myself wishing for a little more time. Camp is a magical place. We leave all our problems and worries at home for a week and come together in a place where we all have a common purpose. I allways leave thankful for the oppurtunity to be here.

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