Travel Camp

Gumwall

So much has happened! I am writing as we wind our way down Oregon's Highway 101 to Westwind. Since Yellowstone, we have covered an astounding amount of ground. Immediately after, we drove to Missoula and camped at a plush KOA campground where we all took showers and did laundry. It was a nice opportunity to refresh and rejuvenate between major parks. The next day we set off for Glacier National Park where we stayed at a pre-reserved campground for two nights. Every day we have passed around a journal where each camper was able to write down their reflections. Gabe had the journal for the day following our time at Glacier National Park and wrote a really incredibly thoughtful entry. With his permission, I decided to share it with you:

“We spent the last two days in Glacier National Park. It is incredibly beautiful, the scale and simultaneous detail are astounding. The abundance of life and unbridled power of nature were on display and it rejuvenated and recharged me, restoring my faith in humanity.

We started two hikes, one in a summer-like setting, the other only a few miles away in the snow. We finished neither but both were incredibly beautiful. The chiseled, snow-dusted peaks, cascading down in a hundred streams, careening down the steep mountainside into lush valleys and a picturesque river flowing beneath us. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Glacier was the fact that the higher you got, the next hill you climbed, all you saw was another peak in the distance. The sight felt infinite, unshakable, so above me, yet so familiar. Who needs a God, religion, a higher power, when there is nature? The mountains are my Gods, the rivers are my angels, the forests my heavens. I believe in the power and beauty, the balance and pain, the patterns and chaos and it is the only faith I need. Last night I talked with Platy about my life philosophy and about the world. I believe in perfection, that the only way to be the best you can be is to hold yourself to perfection because the moment you acknowledge and believe you'll make mistakes, then you slip. I also believe in firm belief with an open mind. When we strip our values of all rationality and justification you come to an arbitrary idea of what's right and while I am convinced that I am correct I must also recognize that beliefs are arbitrary.”

I am astonished at the introspection that has come out from each individual camper. Gabe, as seen through his writing, is one who thinks deeply and critically about the issues, places, and relationships around him. He is a pristine example of the intelligence of so many youth today and both Cloud and I feel extremely lucky to be stuck in a car for 13 days with teens who are able to think so intimately about their thoughts and feelings, especially in the context of the beautiful nature that we have been so lucky to see.

Glacier National Park really took our collective breath away. Although we were still wishing we had had more time in Yellowstone, the mountains, views, and landscape of Glacier were unlike any of us had ever seen. It was refreshing to be out of the hot places we had spent so much time in and rejuvenating to be surrounded by such inspiring peaks. We drove up the Going-To-The-Sun Road almost as far as it would stretch and experienced two different sides to Glacier. We never thought we would have such intense snow-ball fights in June! Up at Logan's Pass, we also had some solo time; we thought the incredible weather in a beautiful place would be an ideal opportunity to separate from each other and breathe by ourselves for a while. We all went our own way while keeping an eye on a common point and spent some quality time with ourselves, reflecting on the “abundance of nature and unbridled power of nature.”

Wild Walls

When we left Glacier, the dynamic in the car had shifted. By then, we had spent 9 days together in close quarters doing and seeing some amazing things while interpreting it all on our own individual levels. We felt closer but definitely more tired and dirty – we were ready to embark on the final stretch home.

We drove straight to Spokane where we found a campground at Riverside State Park's equestrian area and then departed for an evening at a local rock-climbing gym. We had been so disappointed that we were unable to make rock-climbing happen in Boise, so when we arrived at Wild Walls in Spokane, excitement was in the air. Everyone tried it; for some, it was their first time. For others, (Max and Jose specifically), it was a familiar playground. Those two scrambled up the walls like monkeys and attacked every wall with a Parkour-fueled vengeance. Milleena, trying rock-climbing for the first time, successfully reached the top to several walls and was followed by Gabe and Daron. Shannon, Cloud, and I also climbed, pacing ourselves and snapping photos of the others. Everyone was sore and tired by the end, but filled with adrenaline and the feeling of a good workout after hours of sitting in the car.

After Spokane, we set off for Seattle. We stopped for a brief walk around Leavenworth, the Bavarian-like town in central Washington that Travel Camp stayed at last year. Reaching Seattle by dinner time, we checked into a pre-reserved International Hostel and took off for a Mariners-Red Sox game. For some in the group, this was a first MLB experience. The crowd was electric; the experience of a baseball game can't help but put a smile on one's face. We left before it was over – we were predicting it to run into overtime – and walked back in the warm Seattle air to our hostel where we all took showers, made a late dinner, and slept like rocks in clean, comfortable beds.

Now we have one more night left. Where did this trip go? It has dissolved into a whirlwind of mountains, deserts, highways and country roads, songs and car dance parties, campfire meals and value sessions. We are all sleepy, sore, and tired, but filled with an energy that only comes with an invaluable travel experience. Tonight we dine, sleep, and dream at beautiful Westwind and tomorrow we experience what Westwind has to offer and then we come home. Oh how Cloud and I will miss these kids!! This is our last on-the-road blog, but after a hot shower, a soy latte, and a big salad, I intend to sit and write a reflection on what has been a truly incredible 13 days.

Until then,

Platy