YMCA Camp Lake Pepin
Group Journal
Laura who was put in charge of early rising activities woke everyone up. Everyone was a bit dizzy in getting up, drained from the previous day heat. Everyone got cleaned up and fixed their own breakfast and lunch and was ready to go by 7: 20am.
While in the van Tracey talked about how we could get more active by working with Bruce (in charge of habitat) by helping the students survey the land in order to differentiate between the back waters and the shores of the Mississippi and the others could work at the water quality testing. He also suggested that Desmond could have could have a teaching assignment while travelling to the island camp and could teach to the difference between Jamaican rivers and the Mississippi.
We arrived in Red Wing at 7:50, which was a bit early. We hung out about an hour at Lily Belle until the students had arrived. The students travelled up in The Sweet Afton and the instructor and their assistant went up in the Maggy and the others speed boats. While in the Sweet Afton Desmond did his teaching. The Maggy and the speedboats carried the instructors and their assistants ahead to set up their workstation.
Karen Campbell a new instructor was to teach geology on Tuesday and Thursdays. The day began with Laura, Wyndell and Alex working with Joey at macroinvtebrates and water quality testing and Caitlin, Maike, Dominik and Larissa at Bruce and rotated for the next session excepting for Laura. At lunch we ate our sandwiches we made. We continued to continue to rotate for the next two sessions. After, we helped Joey to catch some macroinvertebrates. The rivers of life students went back to the dock of Lily Belle in speedboats while the instructors went up in the Maggy.
We arrived at the dock at 2:30. Tracey said we had an hour to do whatever we wanted. We said our good-byes to Larissa because she had to go the Senior Prom and was to return on Thursday. Maika, Laura, Caitlin and Alex went to buy food at Econo foods and Wyndell, Desmond (who wanted a phone card) and Dominik searched for a Walmart and would return to Lily Belle at 3:30. Their relentless search for Walmart was in vain because it was a bit too far in walking distance and went back to dock.
We went Environment Learning Center where we were given life jackets and met Chunky. We drove to the Canon River where we were going to canoe. Tracey went to park the car at the dock of the Mississippi River and we waited for them for about for fifteen minutes for them to park it on the Levee. About a second on the shore Desmond, Chunky and Wyndell fell in the river. The current on the Vermilion River was strong and so Caitlin and Laura fell in the river and crawled to the shore. Jason saved a paddle and a bottle water. Wyndell was finding it difficult to paddle in the current water. He switched into Tracey’s canoe while Alex went with Desmond. Laura was still a bit shaken up and was cold.
We made a stop at a cabin to eat and warm up. Laura went next the fire to get warmed up and removed her wet clothes. Jason made roasted hot dog and chips. Laura partnered up with Tracey to get warmer by paddling. It was getting a bit dark and so we canoed back to Red Wing dock. We dropped off Chunky at the environment learning center and Jason at the entrance to the Canon River to pick up his truck. We went for little at walmate for phone cards and grocery. We got back to the camp late and all went to bed exhausted from the day’s affairs.