My favorite class at camp was called “Adventure.” For the first few days we’d make our way through the obstacle course: the wall, the swinging log, the swinging rope, the tight wire, the trust fall, the caterpillar walk, the parachute, and the trapeze. All the challenges built teamwork and leadership for the high ropes course later in the week.
The high ropes course was in a clearing, way up in the Hemlock forest. The main element was a log suspended forty-five feet off the ground. To get to this catwalk, you climbed an inclined log, and crossed a two-wire bridge. At the other end of the catwalk, there was a long zip line that sped you deep into the woods. At the end of the week, we spent the afternoon rock climbing at dead man’s cliff.
My counselor, Becky, let me belay the other kids and tie their harnesses. She was a sturdy coed with a mess of curly blond hair. Everyone called her ‘Grizzly.’ She called me “wild-woman’ and I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.
One afternoon, as I was securing our safety line to a tree, I looked up into the scrub above the cliff. Twenty feet ahead I could see a small wisp of smoke. When I looked closer I saw an orange smudge and heard a crackling noise. I called down to Becky “There’s a fire up here!” Becky told me to gather up the rest of the kids and lead them back to camp. On the path we saw other counselors running fast back towards the fire.
As we reached the field, we heard the blast of the air horn. That was the camp’s disaster signal and our cue to line up on the basketball court. I could hear the lifeguards shout as they swept the cabins looking for stragglers. We sat on the basketball court and watched the smoke spread above the trees as fire-fighters pulled into the driveway.
After the fire was out, I saw Becky walking out of the woods. She came right over to me to ask me how I was. I couldn’t tell her the truth. I couldn’t tell her that I’d found the whole thing exhilarating – almost electrifying. That wasn’t the way to keep her attention. Instead, I started to shiver a little so Becky sat with me a while. I only felt a little shocked but I played it up, crying and shaking so she’d stay.
At the end of the season, we had the candlelight ceremony. All the staff would stand around the campers in a circle. Each counselor would take two candles and then they’d call for a camper to join them. With each candle that was lit, the night would get brighter and you could pick out everyone’s faces. I never got picked. But I thought for sure that this time, Becky would pick me. When she called out the name of another girl I just stared at the outline of the trees and shadow of the lake beyond.
Next: Part 3 - Cape Cod
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