I was delighted to see our Silver Creek girls happily visiting with the rest of the hike group during lunch. One of our boys suggested an "ice breaker." "What's that?" another guy asked. "Something to help us get to know each other." Impressive. The conversation started with favorite colors, then favorite candy and then worst school lunch. One after the other, they shared a progression of gross stories and groans. It didn't take long for them to become friends.
For some unknown reason, the boy from Brocton did not show up. I haven't discovered why yet, but it was disappointing. He had completed all the classes and acquired his gear. I hope he's ok. The Brocton girl seemed to do fine. Two of the Brocton student leaders are in her group, but otherwise, she doesn't know anyone. It's a difficult position to be in.
Equipment was the main problem. Only twelve kids had all required items. We had to provide substitute backpacks for several kids. Fourteen kids did not have their bleach bottles, four were missing rain gear. Many were missing socks, mittens, hats, cups and one sorry soul forgot her whistle. She had to do ten push ups as a penalty. Tents were another sad story. One group had no poles, another had no stakes. One boy brought a giant rainfly that didn't match the tent.
I called the mayor to let him know that the lavatories were not open as promised. He was furious. The public works manager deliberately defied him. For me, the negative environmental consequences of having dozens of people peeing in the woods when perfectly good bathrooms are nearby was the worst part. Mark said if an employee did that to him, he would fire him immediately.
It turns out that each leg of the trip is three miles. Add on all the trips around the park and lunch site, and we tallied over seven miles. Today, we walked another 4.5 so our grand total thus far this month is 73.4 miles. Hooray!
A Penelope reunion.
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