For the first time in 18 months, we had a week of residential science camp. Sure, there were fewer than 40 kids, but they stayed overnight in cabins, sleeping on the new beds and mattresses that are reportedly much more comfortable (not to mention bedbug-proof) than the old ones. In order to maintain cohort distance, the cabin groups were also field class groups, which is different from our normal approach of mixing up the groups so kids get to meet as many new people as possible. This week, it didn't really matter anyway, since there was only one school attending. We had initially scheduled two schools, but one rescheduled for later in the year.
There were three cabin/field class groups. Mine consisted of 9 girls and 4 cabin leaders, although one of the latter went home on Monday due to migraine-related exhaustion. Normally, there would be a mixture of boys and girls in field class, but since there isn't in the cabins, currently field classes are a little less diverse.
The girls had a great time, and some of them were already quite knowledgable about the subject matter covered. The cabin leaders were competent, and it was nice to see the bond that grew between them and the girls. Normally, this isn't quite as evident in field class, because the cabin groups are split between multiple field class leaders.
There was a garter snake at our meeting spot two days in a row, which proved to be a hit with the kids. The forest is noticably browner than usual due to the drought, which is worrying. There is some drizzle in the forecast for this weekend, but it won't amount to much.
The night hike went smoothly, despite the fact that I hadn't led one in 18 months. We heard a Western Screech-owl and a Northern Pygmy Owl in quick succession, not to menton finding 10 or so Western Forest Scorpions with the aid of my UV light. Earlier in the day we found Western Screech-owl and Northern Saw-whet Owl feathers by the creek. The most unusual animal sighting of the week was a startled pair of Spotted Sandpipers at the reservoir.
I hadn't realized how much I actually missed the normalcy of camp routine. Hopefully the school year goes smoothly. We're also offering hybrid programs for schools/districts who don't currently allow overnight field trips. so some weeks I'll most likely be leading those, or doing other assigned tasks.
As they say, we're not out of the woods yet, figuratively or literally. As long as the woods don't catch on fire or die from the drought, we should be okay.
Written to the tune of Mike Seed "A Boy Mistaken For A Crow"