We had a very relaxed weekend. We started with a sundown hike to find the lake. We found a great spot where we could look out over the water as the sun went down (though it was cloudy, so it was more like looking until it was too dark to see anymore) and then walked back to camp by the light of the many fireflies. We had to be careful not to step in toads as they were on the move!
Sabbath morning, the birds were so loud that everyone was awake by 630a. After breakfast and worship, we drove over to the fishing pier and had a lesson on the food chain. They were surprised to learn that elephants aren't viscous predators and that Tigers don't live in the United States, lol! Then we drove up the park road aways and then hiked a bit.
In the evening, the kids played Go Fish while the staff packed up the camp, except for the tents. This proved to be a great idea when the inch plus of rain fell and the wind was blowing down limbs overnight. Sunday morning, there was a bubbling brook running behind the boys tent. It went down beside our campsite, across the road, and flooded the campsite across from us. The poor lady camping there woke up to her tent in the middle of a pond. We were blessed that neither of our sites held water and all of our tents stayed dry.
For many of the Pathfinders in the Senior Unit, this was their first time on a true backpacking trip. We hoisted our packs in the evening and set off on the first mile to our campsite, finishing set-up after dark. Overnight we had a gentle rain, foreshadowing a damp Sabbath and rather blustery and rainy Saturday night. In the morning, we were visited by a striped skunk and deer, with wild turkey not far away. The birds provided a natural alarm clock, and soon we were sitting around our “kitchen” making our various breakfasts, from the simple to the rather complex. It smelled (and tasted) delicious, and when we were well filled, we hoisted our packs again and headed out on the trail for another five-ish miles of hiking.
A: Sneeze Weed (Helenium amarum); B: Yellow Stonecrop (Sedum nuttallianum); C: Yellow Flax (Linum berlandieri): D: Rock Rose (Helianthemum georgianum); E: Sticky Granite Daisy (Heterotheca stenophylla); F: Catclaw Acacia (Acacia roemeriana); G: Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata); H: Spiderwort (Tradescantia sp.); I: Texas Thistle (Cirsium texanum); J: Prairie Larkspur (Delphinium carolinianum); K: Dayflower (Commelina erecta); L: Goldeneye Phlox (Phlox roemeriana).
Thanks to everyone for their support of the SAILs this year!