Day 1 and food is prepped, gear is packed and all is laid out as we enthusiastically await the arrival of our June Campers!
Fire Fighter Natasha, ( ODS ) RCMP Ryan Tobin, for their Phase 2 and ( ODS ) Sheriff KENNEDY for his Phase 3 accompanied by a night with special guest Joe Roberts, the famous Skid row to CEO and his Wife Maria.
Even one of our resident bucks stops by to say good morning to the campers!
By 2:00pm everyone had pulled into Camp My Way, excited and greeted with warm hugs and huge smiles.
A nice slow paced walk around the property to absorb the surroundings, stretch the legs from the drive and release any tension one may have arrived with.
We then gather around our giant sized picnic table where I, ( Jillian Brown) share the gear we are handing out, tips on how to pack, safety and go over the individual food prepared for the next week.
What’s in the packs we hand out to each camper?
An hour later and everyone has their recommended clothes, gear and food all repacked and we are loaded up onto the ATVs and jeep and off to cool down with a River lap.
Immediately the kid in each of us comes out as we leap into the water and float back to the vehicles.
Now time for a leisurely ride up the winding, old road where conversations and connections begin to form and new friends are made; and not just of the human form.
A rare BC rubber boa is spotted and everyone is quick to have a look and encouraged to connect with the small creature as we move the little beauty to a safe spot off the trail.
Soon we arrive to what looks to be simply more forest and we announce, “Welcome to Basecamp for the night!”
As the group trudges through the slowly opening up brush, they are informed to keep an eye out for potential locations to set up their own Tarp Shelters for the night. Cresting a small rocky hill, the view shows herself and we all pause before scampering down to take in the vast mountain scene!
A perfect little clearing is picked out for our evening meeting spot and morning meditation location. Everyone now disperses to set up their home for the night.
I go around and give a few suggests on how to help make one feel more comfortable within the backcountry. “As much time as I’ve spent sleeping out under the stars, beneath a tarp, or within a tent, I still get nervous at times. So to help the nerves, I will place my shelter between fallen trees, or boulders or build a wall out of logs to give myself more of a sense of security.” The tip is taken as I watch Joe and Maria move large logs to line the walls of their tent. It’s amazing to witness each camper’s unique creativity and utilization of a simple tarp and their surroundings. Everyone’s shelter is completely individual.
Now that our shelters were up, we gather again to make our meals and share of the morning routine, get to know each other a little more and enjoy the last of the evening light together before we say our Good Nights and crawl into our sleeping bags beneath a full moon.