We made it! Three days in the backwoods, fourteen miles hiked, three amazing campers and we can safely announce we all survived! Beginning backpacking at its’ best.
Last week marked Youth Odyssey’s final summer camp for the summer of 2015 and we saved the best for last. We had three brave youth sign up to carry their homes on their backs for three days as we hiked the “Trail Between the Lakes” in Sabine National Forest. As these youth can tell you, backpacking is no joke. We carried everything we would need to happily survive in the woods: tents, 
sleeping bags, sleeping pads, clothes, bug spray, food, stove, cooking gear, and one brave teddy bear. Our Executive Director Becky served as support staff, bringing us water every evening and generally checking on everyone’s well-being.
The week started out with an eight-hour drive to East Texas where we set up base camp at one of four campgrounds in Sabine National Forest. That same evening, youth learned how to pack up their gear in a backpack, a challenging task for most, before calling it an early night to prepare for tomorrow big start.
Tuesday morning we woke up bright and early, to a beautiful sun blazing across the lake. We fueled up on bagels and eggs before tearing down tents, loading our packs and hitting the trail. No matter the experience level or trail difficulty, the first day is always the most difficult. Our bodies had to adjust to having between 35 and 45 pounds of weight on our backs and also being expected to be constantly in forward motion. The youth did amazing! We stopped once to readjust some weight and tighten hip belts, but we soldiered on, camping the first evening after hiking five miles. Exhausted campers boiled water to make our hiking staple: jerky and rice. A quick dinner and youth crawled into bed, wondering if they could possibly do it again tomorrow.
And they did! Wednesday morning eager hikers were out of their tents before facilitators! Hungry and ready to go, we made oatmeal, repacked, and hit the trail. Day two proved to be slightly easier, and we were more able to take in the beautiful pine forest all around us. No palm trees here! The majestic woods provided a sense of awe and wonder to the hike, it was like wandering through Snow White’s enchanted forest. Five miles later, we found ourselves at the campground for the evening, setting up our tents next to a small creek. Two campers found a fairy circle of four trees with the perfect amount of space for just one tent. In that fortress, they were guaranteed to sleep well. We all agreed day two had been much easier, but were still ready for an early bedtime.
Thursday morning we played at our 
campsite, practicing our balancing skills by crossing a log over the stream, exploring the beautiful area around us (without our packs), and enjoying a lazy morning. When we hit the trail, we hit our stride! The youth were on a roll, only requesting a lunch break, we hiked four miles in three hours! We stopped for a long lunch, lounging and napping under the sun. Right when we thought we couldn’t go anymore, we stepped out of the woods and on to the road for our pick-up site! Despite the beautiful hike, we were all excited to throw our packs down and jump in the lake! Becky picked up some smelly hikers!
Friday we spent the whole day in the water, trying to wash off the scent of long days hiking with no shower.
Our youth all agreed they felt strong and proud of their accomplishments, they hiked through a spot in America very few other people had ever seen, distances seemed so strange and relative! What an amazing way to end a fantastic summer camp season.
