There are few things that stick out as memorable camp experiences for me that include one of two ingredients – amazing people and breathtaking experiences with nature. In honor of Earth Day, it was easy to decide to write about my love of the outdoors and the unique things you see there, but when I actually sat down to write, I was stumped. Not for lack of material or desire. Quite the opposite. Where do I start? What do I deem the most important piece of the natural world? What picture can I possibly pick to sum up how I feel about being outside? It’s impossible.
 |
| Leopard Frog from Hidden Lake |
There is no way to explain how it feels when the little hairs stand up on the back of your neck as you sit in complete blackness and let your sense of sight take the first break it had in days. As you listen so carefully that every water drop that touches the shore registers as a tidal wave. As, when you stand, you feel a rush of warmth across your face, rising above some invisible barrier of cool air, followed closely by the smell of the cut grass from earlier in the day.
And if I can’t explain any of those simple sensory experiences, there is no way for me to explain how fun it is to chase a frog through the swamp in search of a perfect picture. You know. The one where you can see the muscles in his legs as he crouches ready to jump for his life. The one where you are so close that the frog seems to look you in the eye and say, “It’s ok you are waste deep in mud and won’t stop smelling like decaying plant matter for days. You got the shot.”
 |
| View of Moon from the Marina |
And I absolutely can not fathom how I would possibly relay to you the satisfaction I feel when I lay on a dock, overlooking a lake, watching the crater marked moon migrate across a star riddled sky and do nothing. Nothing but think about how lucky I am to see what I see and feel what I feel and smell what I smell.
Oh wait. I don’t have to. You already know.
Happy Earth Day.
Alli Faricy, Director
 |
| Show your true colors! |
In honor of Earth Day, you can get a “Camp Foley, Saving our Earth” Bracelet for $2. Proceeds go to the American Rivers conservation group to help with saving our rivers (this was selected by our campers, staff, and parents). Email us to order!