my camping trip
Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 2:49 pm
Well I have been back since Sunday night. It has taken me three full days to even begin to to talk about my trip or do anything. We had an eventful trip to say the least.
As I said earlier we kayaked out to a barrier island. It was a beautiful day on the way out but the wind was very high. Looking back I don't think they should have let us go. Let me just give you the condensed version. A 2 hour paddle (4 miles) took us 4 1/2 hours. By the time we got there, some girls had to be towed in and were approaching being physically sick. The lunch was on the island. The outfitting company had made an error and sent it to the island instead of putting them in our kayaks. This was the first of several missteps by the company.
The rest of the day was lovely, except the winds were so high, we could barely get the tent up. Thank God I had just completed a training class and knot tying was fresh in my mind. After the class I thought I would never use a knot for the rest of my life, and there I was tying the hell out of them 2 weeks later.
The girls got to clam, it was the funnest thing ever....digging on hands and knees in the deepest mud imaginable. That was a ball.
We had dinner and smores. Then one girl threw up. Always happens.
Didn't sleep a minute that night. Bugs in the tent...and some wierd noise all night outside the tent which the guide said was a kind of a frog. Never heard a frog before that sounded like someone chopping wood all night.
We have a lovely hike in the morning after packing up and then set off to kayak back. It is gorgeous. The winds has died down and we are making great time.
Then we see a tiny black cloud in the distance which in less than 20 minutes turns into a huge thunderstorm. I cant even go into the details, but basically me and my 11 Girl Scouts and another mother (and the guides) paddle for our lives to get to shore before the storm. Thunder is banging and we see lightning in the distance. We get to a deserted island with absolutely no shelter and only sea grass on it. We have to spread our kayaks out and lie back in our kayaks with our raincoats over us...like in coffins for an hour and a half (it might have been longer I kid you not) while a thunderstorm rages around us.
It was terrifying. There were girls scared sh**less. I never knew that people actually might crap in thier pants until that day when I almost did. To make a very long story short after screaming at the guide to call to get someone to rescue us(after this had gone on for well over an hour) we find there is no way anyone can and that we have to wait it out. The entire process takes forever. Ended with the soaking wet girls having to get back in the kayaks and paddle back in the thunder when the storm had "passed" becuase there was another one on the way.
It totally sucked.
The girls were so brave.
Then we had to get them changed and drive all the way back to Charlotte (over 3 hours) through pouring rain and got home at 10 pm.
I can't belive the parents in the troop are not furious at me. Maybe they are behind my back.
5 or 6 girls were so tired they missed school Monday. My daughter is going to the doctor today because she might have pneumonia (she is asthmatic).
I haven't been able to stop crying for three days.
It has been terrible. I am so thankful they are ok. Praise God.
As I said earlier we kayaked out to a barrier island. It was a beautiful day on the way out but the wind was very high. Looking back I don't think they should have let us go. Let me just give you the condensed version. A 2 hour paddle (4 miles) took us 4 1/2 hours. By the time we got there, some girls had to be towed in and were approaching being physically sick. The lunch was on the island. The outfitting company had made an error and sent it to the island instead of putting them in our kayaks. This was the first of several missteps by the company.
The rest of the day was lovely, except the winds were so high, we could barely get the tent up. Thank God I had just completed a training class and knot tying was fresh in my mind. After the class I thought I would never use a knot for the rest of my life, and there I was tying the hell out of them 2 weeks later.
The girls got to clam, it was the funnest thing ever....digging on hands and knees in the deepest mud imaginable. That was a ball.
We had dinner and smores. Then one girl threw up. Always happens.
Didn't sleep a minute that night. Bugs in the tent...and some wierd noise all night outside the tent which the guide said was a kind of a frog. Never heard a frog before that sounded like someone chopping wood all night.
We have a lovely hike in the morning after packing up and then set off to kayak back. It is gorgeous. The winds has died down and we are making great time.
Then we see a tiny black cloud in the distance which in less than 20 minutes turns into a huge thunderstorm. I cant even go into the details, but basically me and my 11 Girl Scouts and another mother (and the guides) paddle for our lives to get to shore before the storm. Thunder is banging and we see lightning in the distance. We get to a deserted island with absolutely no shelter and only sea grass on it. We have to spread our kayaks out and lie back in our kayaks with our raincoats over us...like in coffins for an hour and a half (it might have been longer I kid you not) while a thunderstorm rages around us.
It was terrifying. There were girls scared sh**less. I never knew that people actually might crap in thier pants until that day when I almost did. To make a very long story short after screaming at the guide to call to get someone to rescue us(after this had gone on for well over an hour) we find there is no way anyone can and that we have to wait it out. The entire process takes forever. Ended with the soaking wet girls having to get back in the kayaks and paddle back in the thunder when the storm had "passed" becuase there was another one on the way.
It totally sucked.
The girls were so brave.
Then we had to get them changed and drive all the way back to Charlotte (over 3 hours) through pouring rain and got home at 10 pm.
I can't belive the parents in the troop are not furious at me. Maybe they are behind my back.
5 or 6 girls were so tired they missed school Monday. My daughter is going to the doctor today because she might have pneumonia (she is asthmatic).
I haven't been able to stop crying for three days.
It has been terrible. I am so thankful they are ok. Praise God.
.
