As I stepped out of the off-white suburban into the heat of the Southern California sun for my final final camping trip I felt this gnawing, somewhat unfamiliar feeling: nostalgia.  It’s a not common sentiment for me, particularly not in regards to surviving in the wilderness for a week, but realizing that it was the last time I would get to pack up with seven of my schoolmates and spend time with camp stoves and backpacks in lieu of textbooks and classrooms was a strange feeling.  Coming to Thacher three years ago I had never camped, let alone hiked (New York City asphalt is not particularly forgiving to such activity and the crowds would not be happy,) so getting the chance to try something new was rewarding.  But trip after trip, every September and then each May, flew by faster and faster and last week’s trip made me realize how much I had taken for granted.  I had hiked miles through California’s most beautiful backcountry and canoed down rivers in Colorado and Nevada and never really stopped to take in the scenery.  So before hopping on the ferry to begin our trek to Catalina Island, I vowed to make it the best trip yet.

 I spent the week kayaking with a group of eleven other people, including two teachers.  By the end of week we arrived back tan, salty, and with close to 25 miles under our belt.  What I was most happy about was not that I had completed the trip but rather that for the first time I had taken the time to enjoy my surroundings.  Every time I got frustrated with the monotony of paddling or the silence on the water I would look out to see a seal ahead of me or orange fish swarming around the base of my kayak.  I didn’t allow myself to merely look toward the final day, and I tried to savor every moment of the experience as I realized that not only was it my last at Thacher but it would be a final week of relaxation before the busy trimester ahead of me.  In the midst of a new workload, senior leadership positions, college applications and a packed cross country season, it was nice to know that camping had centered me like never before.