Today was an unconventional day for the 48 McMaster Shads. Instead of hanging around the familiar setting of Hedden Hall, the Shads embarked on a camping excursion to Lambton Centre (near Lake Huron).
I had never gone camping before, but my tent-mates Hamza and Lucas quickly showed me the ropes. After we finished building our temporary shelter, we headed off to relieve ourselves from the 35-degree weather. Several Shads intelligently fled straight for the water, while others played volleyball, frisbee, and football in the shade.
The highlight of my day, however, was the hour-long nature walk. Led by Chad, one of the Program Directors, the Shads immersed themselves in the beauty of nature. I learned about garlic mustard, passed frog crossings, and watched the more adventurous Shads as they ate black raspberries! It was an amazing break from my regular indoors routine.
The first day of camping continued with a glorious Mexican salad dinner prepared by Kingsley, our other Program Director. I unabashedly satisfied my hunger on the assortment of nachos, chili, vegetables, cheese, salsa, and sour cream. I thought, right then and there, that there was no way the day could get any better...but, as usual, I was wrong.
For a storybook ending to an eventful day, the Shads and staff gathered around a mesmerizing campfire. Under a starry night sky, we sang songs, played games, and made s'mores; falling asleep to the gentle rhythm of ghost stories.
Postscript: Special thanks to Josee for lending me her iPhone so I could write this!
Maxwell Tran, Shad Valley McMaster 2012
