By Hannah Keyes
Our second summer leadership camp this summer took place at South Llano River State park in Junction, Texas with a full van load of eager youth ready to brave a week on the river.
Day 1: Arrival and Setup
We arrived at camp in the blazing sun but were all in good spirits. Once the campers set up camp, they went swimming to cool off. They got acquainted with the river that they’d spend the next four days exploring, skipping rocks, catching minnows, fishing, and collecting crawfish. Youth started establishing friendships with each other and sharing excitements for the week to come.
Day 2: First Day on the River
Our first day on the river called for an early wake up to eat breakfast and prepare for paddling. Arriving at our first launch site, the kids got into pairs and set up their kayaks. We went over safety expectations and paddling procedures and demonstrations. Prior to setting to our first adventure, campers practiced getting in and out of the kayaks in deeper water. Once everyone was back in their kayaks we began the first 2.7 mile leg of our 18.3 mile journey this week. Along the way, the kids discovered a rope swing on the bank. So we stopped for a refreshing break and gave everyone an opportunity to swing.
The crew stayed hydrated by continuously drinking water and reapplying sunscreen to battle the Texas heat. In the evening the group was able to experience their first Dutch oven demonstration by cooking over the campfire. After dinner campers worked together to tackle dishes.
Day 3: Catch of the Day
On the second day on the water campers awoke to the delicious aroma of breakfast being cooked in the Dutch oven. The goal, fuel them up for the 6.3 miles we have to conquer today. Bringing them half way through their endeavor of the exploration of the South Llano River. During a rest break, one camper caught a brand new fishing pole on his croc (catch of the day). When we arrived at our exit point, the kids worked as a team to clean their boats. Averaging a little over a mile an hour today, the kids swung to their victory from the rope swing at the river exit. On the way back to camp, as a surprise, the team took the kids to the local Sonic to celebrate accomplishing the halfway mark of their journey.
Day 4: South Llano River Trek and Wildlife
The hardest and longest part of our journey thus far, the kids paddled 9.3 miles from county crossing 150 to the state park. By this stage in camp the group had established great teamwork, communication skills, and formed bonds with one another. This is helpful when navigating any rapids and surprises the river had to offer. At our lunch break while feeding minnows the crumbs of someone’s forgotten snack, two campers noticed a turtle amongst the rocks and water, a greeting from the rivers welcoming committee. The last stretch, we were able to leisurely float down the river to our exit point. We jumped into the cool refreshing water and played while we drifted to the end. As a farewell, we saw turkeys on the bank, almost as if they were congratulating us for such an empowering challenge.
That evening the youth had the opportunity to prepare and cook their own dinner. We made “Silver Turtles”, which are ground meat that participants season themselves and choose what vegetables and cheese to add then they wrap up in foil and place on the fire to cook all together in a delicious concoction.
Day 5: Rest Day
On this rest day, we allowed ourselves a late start and breakfast. We spent the morning at the city park swimming and swinging from a newly discovered rope swing. Enjoyed a delicious dinner of hot dogs cooked via the riverside accompanied by fishing. In the afternoon the group participated in a program called “Water Bugs”, led by a South Llano
River State Park Ranger, where they learned about a multitude of pollutant tolerant and sensitive bugs and organisms that help the park determine the cleanliness of the river and had the opportunity to catch the bugs and analyze them themselves. After the program we aired up some tubes and floated the river leisurely.
Surprise Birthday
That evening, after a dinner of walking tacos we had a surprise for the campers. In honor of one camper’s 13th birthday we made Dutch oven brownies and had the kids make ice cream in a bag. In doing so each participant was given a quart baggie and was able to pick which ice cream toppings/fillings they preferred into the bag along with the ice cream ingredients; half and half, sugar, vanilla extract. They then closed the quart bag and were given a gallon sized baggie with ice and rock salt placed in the quart baggie. Then shaking the bag vigorously to “churn” the liquid into ice cream! We sang happy birthday. Finally, we joined around the firepit under the stars to share our highs and lows of the trip and praise each other on the amazing accomplishments they overcame that week.
What we learned
There were many highs from the campers that expressed the fun they had during the unique experiences they had that week, and exclamations of the excitement they had in seeing all the wildlife the park had to offer. During our discussion we were accompanied by the local wildlife of some racoons stopping by for some forgotten food, one managed to scurry off with a whole dish when we noticed their presence with the supervision of a gray fox that also emerged from the brush.
Day 6: Homeward Bound
On the last morning of our adventure, campers broke camp to load up into the van and set their sights homeward. The youth quickly fell asleep after a long week of hard work with displays of responsibility, teamwork, and endurance displayed as a group and individually by each camper. We had a blast!
Check out our next Leadership Camps here and join in on all the fun we are having!
