|
|
The adventure of campingIt was a rite of passage for any young Kansas 4-H member--the first trip to Rock Springs Ranch 4-H Center for summer camp. For the average Kansas 4-Her, leaving home and spending four days with nine strangers and one clueless teenage counselor in a strange place must have been scary. As for me, and several of my neighbor friends, though, we had a different 4-H Camp experience. You see, Rock Springs was our playground--literally. I grew up just a five-minute drive down the road from Rock Springs. My mother's parents had worked out there in the 1960s. Mom herself had worked there on staff on and off through the years. I went to church and to school with the children of staff members who lived there all year long. Practically every first official off-farm job of every teenager in our community was working a summer at Rock Springs. There's nothing cooler than having a camping facility as your playground as a kid. Afterall, what else is there to do when you visit your friends who live there, but take advantage of the amenities? We had birthday parties at the big pool, and church picnics in the shelters amid the trees. Family reunions and anniversaries and wedding dances--you name it and Rock Springs was most likely the center of the festivities. So, by the time I was old enough to go away to camp, I knew every trail on the place, and some I'm sure my counselor wished I'd have forgotten. I knew which horse was the best to ride in the stable. I could paddle a canoe without tipping it over. I had a bit of archery and shooting experience. I could even set a table in the official "Rock Springs manner." I loved everything about that place, from the kitschy crafts to the big dining hall. There was one camp activity, however, I never liked. For chubby kids like myself, the "Leadership Adventure Course" wasn't so much of a "team-building" exercise like all the brochures said it was. Rather, it was more like a sanctified form of hazing. Oh, how I dreaded that rope course as a kid. You see, I have zero balance and grace--nada, zip, zilch. Throw a rope tight walk and a 12-inch square platform into the mix and you've got an epic disaster. Thank God there was no YouTube in the late 1980s. Some gung-ho former drill sergeant had talked the camp director into putting this "leadership" course in, reasoning that if it was good enough for military basic training, then children ages 7 to 18 should find it "fun and challenging." These courses would be great ways to teach campers how to work together and bond. Really? I'm pretty sure everyone in my cabin had the "working together" thing down pat--as they laughed at me while I fell and received third-degree rope burns and a nine-inch splinter to boot. No need for a remedial course in teamwork there. The absolute worst part of the LAC was "The Wall." This 30-foot monstrosity, made out of large splintery pieces of wood and a rope, was supposed to be the ultimate in trust-building and creative problem-solving exercises. Okay, here's a dilemma to solve. Eight skinny girls and one chubby girl all have to get over this thing. No matter how you calculate it, the math does not compute. And, it usually ended with a trip to the camp nurse for at least two of the skinny girls. Despite all the abject horror of the LAC, I survived to tell the tale. I'm still here. I'm an adult, I have a career, and have never once been asked to climb a 30-foot raw timber wall in my professional life. That is, until I looked at the agenda for the first Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership seminar of Class X at Rock Springs Ranch this coming weekend. Our first item of business? The LAC. Talk about your rites of passage. Looks like I really will have to climb a 30-foot raw timber wall in my professional life afterall. Oh well. If it didn't kill me as a kid, surely I can survive it now as an adult. And, I'm older and wiser and braver than I was at age 10. Of course, back then, bones healed a bit faster. Really, though, I've been looking forward to my participation in KARL since I got the news I was accepted. It's just one day out of a two-year course that's supposed to be a great journey of learning and discovery. Therefore, I think I can suck it up and get over the dread of one activity on one day. Besides, the LAC really is supposed to nurture teamwork and togetherness. I'll just remember the old adage: "That which does not kill me not only makes me stronger, but also makes for good laughs on YouTube. Now, just where did I put that bug spray and sunscreen? I've got some packing to do--I'm going back to camp. Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached by phone at 620-227-1807, or by e-mail at jlatzke@hpj.com.
1
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2011. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
|
