...ThE BeStEsT wEeK tHiS wHoLe SuMmEr...(3R part 2)...
Last week i was at a camp through Triple R Ranch calleld Venture Out with Kathryn and Erin, the koolest girlies EVER. And now im going to give you a detailed account of my whole experience b/c it trully has changed my life. So Sunday night, instead of going to the swim banquet, which i wanted to go to real badd, around 4ish we left for the ranch...and got there round 5:30...checked in and hung out with the group of 9 people who were already there. Our counseleors were so totally awesome...there was daring Dan with his frat boy hair cut...then lively Liz and her sense of humor...lastly there was agile Aaron with all his knifes and machetti and speaking spainish mixed in with his english b/c he's supposedly boulivian...which i can believe. Other campers included Heather, Lexi, Maura, Cody, Christian, and Nathan...so after they talked to us about what we were going to do and handed out dry bags to put all of our belongings in and two cups and spoons and plastic and mats to put our sleeping bags on and journals and bibles, we did some team building activities...and then went swimming...and then trading post to play games...and then bed. The nest morning, monday, we are woken up at 6:30...have breakfast...bananas, yogurt, and muffins...then the twins Jess and Jenn from the Hunt family fiddlers arrive a little late b/c they had a performance in PA...we load the van...and drive for 5 long, painful hours. Once we get to the canoe renting place we get water and have to watch this movie on safety...then use a real bathroom for the last time...and stuff into their bus for another half hour ride to where we put in...then before we start we eat lunch...which consisted of turkey or ham sandwiches and chips...then we get some tips on how to paddle and then begin the first part of our great adventure...i was in a canoe with Jenn...her family is so amazing...she has 5 little brothers...and a twim sister...and their names all start with J. Well anyways we paddle for about 4 miles...through some mild rapids in the James River...then stop right before Balcony Falls...on this really kool camping site...so we set up our tarps...we didn't have tents! and then our mats and sleeping bags...then we go swimming...it was so funni b/c the rocks were so slippery we were all falling everywhere especially Maura. After we fall enough to suit us...we get called in by Dan to help with dinner...and that nite we had beans and rice in tortilla..its amazing what you'll eat when you're hungry...so after dinner we went to see this really awesome waterfall...then we made some chocolate pudding which was pretty yucky but what can you do you have to eat it so we did...and also if we wanted water we had to filter it so we did that too. After our pow wow, where we talked about kool stuff like how we felt aout being on this trip and how to make decisions, erin, kathryn, and i layed out on the rocks by the river and looked at the stars...it was so spectacular...like something i've never seen before...then we went to bed. We woke up to a windy, foggy river...we had bagels and oranges for breakfast...then continued on our canoeing adventure down the big balcony falls...it was lots of funn...Jenn and i didn't flip but did get lots of water in our boat...it was awesome...after that we paddled for like 4 more miles...mostly in flat water...and inbetween all this paddleing we went to this uge jump rock and jumped of it...it was so funn...then we continued paddling till we got to our take out where the van was there to meet us...and then we switched everything in our dry bags to back packs...we ate a lunch of chicken salad and left over oranges...then we got tin the van and drove to a part of the appalachian trial that we would we backpacking...and it was a mountain...and our back packs were heavy...so about a quarter of a mile in we filtered water b/c there would be no water at the top...so we would need to carry all the water we needed...this is when we saw our first snake...a copperhead...omg so not kool but o well he went away...the frst day we hiked uphill 3.7 miles...it was the hardest thing i've ever done...it was hott...we were all sweaty...and just miserable...once we got to the top we just sat there for like 20 minutes b/c no one wanted to move b/c we were so tired and exhausted, So once we regained our energy we started dinner...which was tortiline with white sauce...and it was good too...after that we had our pow wow about more desison stuff...then we went to bed. When we woke up the next morning, wednesday, it was cold on top of that mountain...we had cereal for breakfast...then packed up camp and started our 4 mile hike back down the mountain...it was hard but not as hard as going up...once down we loaded up the van had a picnic of trail pizzas, which were the bestest...and drove to Panther Falls...which is a bunch of waerfalls and jump rocks...it was so awesome us girls had funn talking to Liz about stuff and pretending we were beached whales...after hanging there all afternoon we went back up to our camp site on the top of a knoll...and made dinner...which was ramen...and then we had the watermeons that Mark brought us, he's another counselor at 3R who was off and came to spend the night with us...and then pudding again...which was grody too and our pow wow...then Liz and i had a talk and she helped me to understand i dont need a boy in my life to get to God and i should make him my true love...and that i need a relationship with God before having boyfriend...she was so good about it and so patient...we became so close on this trip...after our talk i felt better and then we went and listened to mark and dan play guitar and the twims sang it was amazing...and liz even played some of her songs...they were beautiful...then it was bed time. The next morning we got up and had watermelon and cereal for breakfast...then we set off to go rock climbing and repeling....it was funn...but when i was rock climbing i slipped on tis one ledge and cut my fingers really bad...and my knee...so i couldn't rock climb anymore that day...and liz and i made up this really good story bout what happened...something about wild boars...and it was great...but they did hurt a lot...after lunch of peanut butter and honey tortillias with apples...it was yummy...then we packed up the van and went to a real camp site with real bathrooms and showers...called Shenadoah lake...it was crazy there were people everywhere...and they had their nice tents we didn't even use tarps since the first night...but once we got there we went swimming in the lake and ate our trail mix that Dan made us. After we swaim we went back to make dinner...which was hot dogs and mac n cheese...and chips...it was the bestest...then we went to this really pretty lake by this mountain to have our pow wow and to reflect...so we went off for a half an hour by ourseleves to answer some questions...it was amazing...i lovd being alone for a little bit...then we came together and talked about it...like what we were grateful for...what youve learned this week...and stuff like that...so after that we went back to camp and roasted marshmellows...and then showered...and then i talked to Liz again b/c i was feeling down about my faith...and she made me see that i was important and if i have faith in God i will have an amazingly new life...and i believed her 100%...so that night i reaccepted God into my heart and i feel like a new person...its so awesome how much someone can love you...and i trully understand now who my true love is...and its GOD. Liz put it all in perspective for me...with God you can do so many more things happily and i just can't believe i never understood that...now i feel so happy and overjoyed and loved! Next morning, friday, we woke up and had oatmeal...then we went rock climbing and repeling again at Ravens roost...it was funn and this time i climnbed all the way to the top with my screwed up fingers..it was hard but the feeling after was so sensational...i loved it so much. Then we had lunch of tuna salad and chips...and then packed up and drove 5 hours, traffic and all back to the ranch...on the way we stopped for ice cream it was sooooo yummy! Finally we reached the ranch and got picked up by our parents.......this most definantely was the highlight of my summer...my faith is so much stronger and that makes me so much more positvie....and im loving life so much!