First Day Off EVER!!!!

Disclaimer: This blog is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18!

I remember my first day off ever like it was yesterday. I can say that because I don't really remember what happened yesterday...what I do remember were the key points and the amazing feeling I had by the time it was time to return to camp. But here is the best account of my first day off from camp.

Before the kids come to camp, the whole camp gets a day off. It's probably the most anticipated day off the entire summer to be honest. I mean think about it. You're a brand new counselor in a place hundreds of miles away from home and you don't really know anyone other than the few people you've met during the week long orientation. For an entire week you are moved from one orientation event to another. I remember the theme of my first orientation was "The Amazing Race." But then the day was almost upon us. I had met a few people, with the help of my guide, and had made plans to float down the Delaware River on some rafts, with some beers.

First, let me mention that I had never had an alcoholic beverage in my life. I was a wholesome little Army brat from rural Ohio who moved to a suburban neighborhood in TN. Alcohol wasn't even on my radar. But that's just a footnote.

We drove to Binghampton which housed the closest Wal-Mart around to buy rafts for the trip. We actually drove to Dick's Sporting Goods first but since they didn't have any rafts we drove across the parking lot to Wal-Mart. Not knowing exactly how many people were going on the fateful trip down the Delaware, the unlucky few buying the rafts all pitched in to buy enough rafts for the amount of people we thought were coming. Let's just say we underestimated by at least 15 people.

We also had to buy alcohol. Since I was underage I had no part in this. I had no plans of drinking since I was also driving a bunch of counselors. We had heard horror stories about counselors not making it back because of DUI or DWI. I was SCAAAARRED!!! But the other folks I was with buy several packs of various microbrews and we make our way to the shove off point.

We realized that where we were starting and where we were landing were very, very, very far apart so we devised a shuttle system to get all the cars to where we needed them to be for where we thought we were going to arrive. Let's just say Mother Nature had other plans. But eventually we all made it to the rafts ready to shove off into the over flowing Delaware River. I also forgot to mention that it had rained quite a bit during orientation. A pattern of weather that would welcome the kids in just a couple of days.

So we tie all the rafts together and luckily another group of counselors had showed up with some inner tubes otherwise we'd be in a heck of a lot of trouble. As it was we were putting three or four people in boats that shouldn't seat more than two. But we had to save a raft for the beer. It was an unwritten rule that I was unaware. When everyone got settled I was sans a raft. I had taken my newly purchased Hollister clothes back to my car (my car was the shuttle car so it was left at the pushing off point) so by the time I came back all the seats were taken. What do I do? I sit in the beer raft. No one objected since I had never drank before they thought the beer was safe. After all, I was driving so I wasn't going to partake.

Let's just fast forward several hours later, the beer raft was almost emptied and the rain began to fall pretty steadily so we decided to pull off a little early before our landing point. When I say it began to rain what I mean is that the clouds opened and began to empty all the precipitation ever held in the skies down upon us. We all begin to pull ashore and I attempted to stand up only to find that my legs don't work and I simply fall back down. See in those several hours I may have partaken in a couple of the chilled beverages that were accompanying me down the Delaware. By a couple, I lost count. I remember my friend Chris volunteered to drive my car which was an unthinkable event since I NEVER let anyone drive my car. It was my baby. I don't remember much of the rest of that day...just that I never did find my Hollister clothes.

What I do remember most vividly from that first day off were the conversations had, the friendships solidified and the laughing. We laughed and joked the entire way down. It was the beginning of an amazing summer but we had no idea what was in store for us. Most of us were camp virgins and had no hint of what would happen in just two days. But what we did know by the time that we were done with that trip was that no matter what was going to get off the bus two days later, we would deal with it together. We had become best friends. We had become family.