Hello Darkness, My Old Friend
Over the course of this blogging adventure, I've talked pretty much exclusively about what happens during the days here at camp. By doing this, I'e left out some of the coolest parts of working in the middle of nowhere. I figured that today would be an especially good time to talk about camp nights because of the occurrence of the awesome super moon tonight.
I don't know about you all, but before I started this job I generally didn't go wandering around at night. The thought of doing that while I was in college or in my hometown sounds more dangerous than exciting and interesting. When I started to work here, I now had the opportunity to not only be out in the dark, but I had nearly 300 acres to investigate and share with the kids that come through camp. We actually go on night hikes, where we walk in the woods without any artificial light and do different educational nighttime activities. That's right, no flashlights, no cell phones, no nothing. My favorite activity includes sparking Lifesaver mints (look up "candy triboluminescence" if you want to see what I'm talking about).
First, it hopefully goes without saying that the stars here in the middle of nowhere are incredible. On a clear night, you can see not only thousands of stars, but also the Milky Way. The week that I came to camp was also the week of the Perseids meteor shower, and it was easily one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Stars always have the incredible power of reminding me how small I am, how much more there is out there that can be learned about and experienced. During the night hike, we always talk about how we can experience God at night. The stars are so overwhelming in their glory and brilliance, and yet we are even more important than the stars since we are the only ones made in the image of God.
Not only are the stars gorgeous, but the animals are also a great part of being out at night. We have a colony of bats that live in our pavilion and fly around during the twilight hours, and frogs that are very vocal during the night. You can hear owls hooting from the trees, and you can also see railroad worms, which are quickly leapfrogging to the top of my "Favorite Insects" list. Railroad worms are technically the larva of a type of beetle, but the reason I like them so much is because they are bioluminescent, or they glow in the dark. They seem to like moisture, because at night our entire creekbed is lit with them when the weather is warm. It's almost like a reflection of the stars, and it looks so cool.
Finally, I would be absolutely remiss if I didn't talk about the moon. I can't say truthfully that I really cared about the phases of the moon before I started working at camp. Now, I know that if it's a full moon that the stars won't be as visible. When there is a new moon, it's going to be harder to lead night hike. I had never experienced the incredible light of a full moon until I led a night hike during one. My kids thought that the darkness was being interrupted by a building light, and I had to show them that it was, in fact, just the brightness of the moon. It was like being in a black-and-white movie, because there was still no color around us, just light. That was definitely one of the coolest experiences I've ever gotten to have with a group.
Nighttime at camp does not mean that the learning stops, and it certainly doesn't mean that things stop being interesting and awe-inspiring. Night is half of our time, and it also deserves a chance to be experienced. Go look at that super moon, it's going to be awesome.
I don't know about you all, but before I started this job I generally didn't go wandering around at night. The thought of doing that while I was in college or in my hometown sounds more dangerous than exciting and interesting. When I started to work here, I now had the opportunity to not only be out in the dark, but I had nearly 300 acres to investigate and share with the kids that come through camp. We actually go on night hikes, where we walk in the woods without any artificial light and do different educational nighttime activities. That's right, no flashlights, no cell phones, no nothing. My favorite activity includes sparking Lifesaver mints (look up "candy triboluminescence" if you want to see what I'm talking about).
First, it hopefully goes without saying that the stars here in the middle of nowhere are incredible. On a clear night, you can see not only thousands of stars, but also the Milky Way. The week that I came to camp was also the week of the Perseids meteor shower, and it was easily one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Stars always have the incredible power of reminding me how small I am, how much more there is out there that can be learned about and experienced. During the night hike, we always talk about how we can experience God at night. The stars are so overwhelming in their glory and brilliance, and yet we are even more important than the stars since we are the only ones made in the image of God.
Not only are the stars gorgeous, but the animals are also a great part of being out at night. We have a colony of bats that live in our pavilion and fly around during the twilight hours, and frogs that are very vocal during the night. You can hear owls hooting from the trees, and you can also see railroad worms, which are quickly leapfrogging to the top of my "Favorite Insects" list. Railroad worms are technically the larva of a type of beetle, but the reason I like them so much is because they are bioluminescent, or they glow in the dark. They seem to like moisture, because at night our entire creekbed is lit with them when the weather is warm. It's almost like a reflection of the stars, and it looks so cool.
Finally, I would be absolutely remiss if I didn't talk about the moon. I can't say truthfully that I really cared about the phases of the moon before I started working at camp. Now, I know that if it's a full moon that the stars won't be as visible. When there is a new moon, it's going to be harder to lead night hike. I had never experienced the incredible light of a full moon until I led a night hike during one. My kids thought that the darkness was being interrupted by a building light, and I had to show them that it was, in fact, just the brightness of the moon. It was like being in a black-and-white movie, because there was still no color around us, just light. That was definitely one of the coolest experiences I've ever gotten to have with a group.
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