Camp Witness

K, so I went back to Camp Witness last week for like the tenth time now. The start of the week wasn't that great, since the first two days I went back to O'Neill so I wouldn't get behind in my Algebra and Trigonometic college math class. But thankfully I didn't need to go back anymore after those two days.

This year instead of doing the whole honor cabin thing where the cabins are pitted against each other, they did an honor tribe, in which they split up the entire camp into 3 different tribes, which were then pitted against each other in three different competitions: building a shelter, a treasure hunt, and finally an endurance race. Each tribe then had to decide who was going to do what in the competition.

The shelter competition was that each tribe had to pick ten or eleven people and they would build a shelter out in trees somewhere, using only a few select items, which included a saw, a roll of twine, and a shovel. Each shelter was judged when they were all finished, and not too surprisingly my team won, though I wasn't helping with it.

Next was the Treasure Hunt, but before one could start on the actual hunt, they had to complete a series of events: archery, free throw and dunk tank. One task had to be completed before the next could begin, in the archery, which was what I did, I just had to get a certain number of points by shooting the target. Well, it took what I felt was a pathletically long time to get the points I needed. But I figure that was to be expected since I haven't shot a bow in probably a year or more. But anyways, after that it went to free throw which merely consisted of two people making 10 shots each, then dunk tank, where two just had to dunked. After that was finished we could finally start on the treasure hunt. How that was done was each team had a GPS thing that was supposed to lead us to a key that was hidden out in the woods somewhere. Well, let me tell you, those stupid GPS things led us in the wrong direction more than the right way it seemed. But eventually it did lead us to the key, and we ended up being the 2nd team to get back.

The third and final event was an endurence race. Which included two people having to swim downstream, then carry a third person back up stream. The 2nd was the rock wall. Two people had to climb up and touch the ceiling. The final event was a mile long race through the hills. But my team ended up getting third in that competition.

Well I pretty much slacked off this year verse wise, with me only memorizing 16 verses, which is probably the least amount I've ever memorized in all my years of camp. But there was another kid on my team who memorized an amazing 87 verses. The last few that guy and I have been hoping to be in the cabin so that way we wouldn't be competing against each other. Which was one reason I didn't really try. Well anyways, basically due to all the verses that he memorized, my tribe did win Honor Tribe, and we got the classic banana split.

But anyways, Thursday was definelty my most interesting day of camp. It all started when me and another kid had the idea that we would just stay in bed till 7:45, then go shower and just show up to breakfast a little late, so that way we got a hot shower, and we wouldn't have to wait in line. Well everything was going as planned, that is until Joel started reading the work team assignments and he announced that all of us that were late(there ended up being four us)
had to do dishes. K, so I'm standing there looking down scrubing some pan or glass or plate or something, when wall of water comes crashing through the window. So, I'm sure some people thought this scene a marvelous hilarity. I for one did not, for I was now soaked from practially head to toe. But then purrty soon, a few of the girl campers, who were all in Willow cabin, come into the kitchen, saying there sorry, cause they were actually going for another guy who was in the kitchen. My response: "We'll see who's gonna be sorry." So, we get done with dishes, and the day goes normal for a while. But then it got to clean cabin time and I was taking out the trash, and I notice that there's a huge mouse running around in the trashcan. Then this great idea pops into my head, "Let's go throw it in Willow!" So, me and a couple other guys are standing there holding this trashcan, and I'm trying to go grab the mouse, when suddenly, it grabs on to my hand, runs up arm, across my chest, and down my back. So at this point, I decided it was pointless to try and grab the mouse, so I just run into cabin, but in the process, I end up falling on my face, but the mouse jumped off me and ran into a pile of clothes. So I just turned and ran back out of the cabin. Believe me, I dont think I ever heard girls scream like that before. But here's the catch; apparently there were girls changing when we pulled the prank, but I was so occupied with the mouse running all over me I wasn't paying any attention to what was happening in the cabin. So, I just had to apoligize to the girls and that whole deal was settled. But that wasn't the end of the pranks. Later on, some of us get back to the cabin, and find that every one of our mattresses were gone. Well, we obviously knew who took them. So in retalitation of that, me and three other guys went over to a horse pen, shoveled up two buckets full of manure and dumped them on the front and back steps of their cabin. Wow, that was disgusting. Anyways, a while later we managed to get our mattressess back by getting Joel's wife to go in the cabin and get them for us. We needed her since we techically aren't supposed to go into the girl's cabin.

Well, that was end of the pranks, though we had another one planned if we had needed it. We were gonna put a picnic table up against there back door, and then park my pickup right up against the front door, while they were all inside, so then they were stuck. But, we never needed to. Well there you all go, that was Camp Witness '07.

PS-sadly I'm not going to be able to council this year, with my college class. Which sucks, but this college class will pay off, so it'll be worth it.