Bio Drey Land for a Senior

The four days I was slated to spend at Drey Land looked like they were going to be a little out of the ordinary for what was typical of the trip. The weather report said that highs for the week were going to be in the low sixties and at night it might get down to 35 degrees. I remembered from my 9^th grade Drey Land experience that I had brought my summer sleeping bag and that I had regretted that decision when the nights were cold and wet so this time, I packed my warmest sleeping bag and several sweatshirts to stay warm.

                The other counselors, Cole, Jake, Sam, Joe, Rainey, Kathleen, Molly, Haley, Olivia, and I arrived early Wednesday morning to help load the buses with the freshmen’s things. After loading we hopped on the buses and began the three hour drive down to Drey Land. The ride was relatively uneventful until we were just pulling into Drey Land when we saw all the session one students and counselors hiking down the road. Their faces showed a mixture of exhaustion and grime but everyone overall looked happy. Whether this was because they had enjoyed the experience or were simply happy to be leaving was hard to tell.

                After unloading all of the bags, the counselors and students assembled on the gravel bar to be oriented by our camp directors, Mr. Bisch and Mrs. Donovan. The meeting would be a good predictor of what was to come as it started to lightly rain. Groups were created and cabins were assigned so the adventure was ready to begin. I knew most of the freshmen who were staying in my cabin which made it a little easier for me to talk to them. My group, on the other hand, who I was co-counseloring with Cole and Molly, was a collection of kids who I barely knew at all. However, it didn’t take very long for us all to get comfortable with each other and we quickly began having a lot of fun together.

                Bio Drey Land is split into two classes, Forest and Stream, that the students participate in and that the counselors help guide.  Our first class was in the forest and my sub-group was assigned to the Riparian Zone, the thorny and moist section of the forest that is easily the worst place to be. Keep in mind during this whole time it is steadily drizzling and the temperature is slowly falling. After assisting my freshmen in measuring the diameters of trees and identifying certain leaves, we returned back to the relative dryness of camp.

                Next we had stream. This first day was perhaps one of the most miserable things I have ever experienced. We got into our wet clothes and headed downhill to begin our activities. The rain was still falling steadily plus outside of the insulated forest, the wind was blowing with a cold bite. We were supposed to be catching crayfish but everyone was just counting the minutes until we could leave the cold stream and the cold air behind. The time eventually came and we quickly ran back up to the camp to get warm by the fire.

                When the shivering stopped and my group had put many layers of warm clothes on, it was time to get ready for our cookout.  It’s a Bio Drey Land tradition that on each night one of the groups builds steamboats out of aluminum foil and cooks them over a fire while playing fun camp games. It is up to the senior counselors to keep the kids entertained during this activity. Unfortunately, the rain had not let up at all. Everything was wet including the wood that we were supposed to use for our fire. Cole, Molly and I were worried about being able to keep 15 kids entertained for 3 hours in the rain and having to start a fire when everything was wet. Armed with a half-full bottle of lighter fluid and what little dry wood we had, we headed down to the gravel bar for our cookout.

                Things didn’t start out well, the kindling we gathered was soaked and refused to catch on fire. Us counselors were completely focused on getting the fire started because without it, the freshmen would not be eating dinner. However, why we were messing around with the fire, our campers were standing idly around looking like they weren’t having too much fun. We tried and tried and when we finally got down to the last few drops of lighter fluid, some of the wood actually caught on fire and it seemed like we were going to make it.

                With the fire finally going, morale picked up a little due particularly to the efforts of Teddy Martin.  Teddy and his friend Jay Kanzler seemed to be very excited for the Drey Land experience and were in good spirits for the entire trip. He also was very eager to socialize with seniors and we talked and joked together pretty often. He started referring to our group as “FAMILY!” which quickly became our group’s motto and how we identified members of our group.

                Our fire was not huge but eventually got big enough to fit everyone’s steamboats onto it comfortably and after 20 minutes of waiting, we all dug into our ketchupy concoctions. After dinner we broke out the s’mores and quickly burned through those as well. Once all the food was exhausted though, we still had an hour left and we three counselors didn’t have that many games to play. We started mafia which usually takes a while to play but by a stroke of bad luck the mafia was guessed early and the game came to a quick end. So for the rest of the time we watched the clock. The rain was still coming down and with our fire dying and no food to eat and no games to play, our freshmen were itching to get back to camp. The night wasn’t a complete failure though as I got to bond with several of the freshmen which was a lot of fun.

                Back at camp it was nearly time for bed so I headed to my cabin and got my bunk ready to go. After joking around with the freshmen for a little while, we all fell asleep in anticipation for the long day tomorrow.

                The weather report I had looked at before we left was not wrong. The temperature reached about 38 degreees overnight and I woke up shivering even though I had worn a long-sleeved shirt and a sweatshirt to bed. The rain had subsided for the time-being but that wasn’t very important when there was frost on the ground.

                The day was fairly uneventful. We checked the animal traps in the morning and found a raccoon, we went back into the forest and collected soil samples, we returned to the cold stream to hunt for microorganisms and we ate nutter butters and oreos around the lodge. Night returned and Cole and I were feeling a little dirty after rediscovering all of the things that the creek held so we decided a cold shower would be appropriate. Although senior counselors are awarded a hot shower for our labors, I have taken at least one cold shower every time I’ve gone down there and I didn’t want to break the tradition.  Our fellow counselors called us fools saying we were going to freeze even once the water was turned off but we didn’t listen and went for it anyway. The water was particularly cold this time so the shower was brief but strangely energizing. It was cool to see our bodies steam in the cold air. All clean I headed to bed and again after a few jokes with my freshmen, I cocooned in my sleeping bag and fell asleep.

                I had been a fool though and had not thoroughly dried my hair after the shower and so about 2am I woke up freezing. My head was exposed and slightly crispy. It was May 16^th and my hair was frozen. I through my sleeping bag over my head and cocooned even deeper and somehow made it through the rest of the night, relatively warm. When we awoke I talked to Ms. Bahe who said it had reached 32 degrees overnight and that it was the coldest she had ever seen at Drey Land. What a good decision that shower was.

                On this last morning we were scheduled to seine but it was postponed to allow a little more time for the temperature to rise so we wouldn’t completely freeze in the creek. When the time did come and we submerged ourselves in the cold water, at least the sun was shining and it was only very cold when the wind was blowing. After these last classes, it was time for games. Ms. Bahe sat the seniors down and told us the basic plan for the afternoon. The float trip was out since it was just too cold but we still had the volleyball game and any activity afterwards.

                We broke into our class groups and brainstormed ideas for team names and dances. One team did a pterodactyl interpretation of “Thriller”, another group modeled their team off of the camp dog (fondly named Mal) and my team did a dance that was in rather bad taste. The game started and we the seniors made many arbitrary calls to keep the game interesting and had several point disputes featuring a vegetable off, an exciting game of pterodactyl, pick-up lines and rhymes.  After volleyball we played mingle for awhile until the campers had to return to work and finish their packets. The senior counselors were tasked with packing up the equipment and cleaning the camp a little but then we were set free for a few hours to go build a fire and eat some banana boats. Our time outside was cut short by the reappearance of rain and we spent the rest of the night in the lodge by the fire. I was so eager to get back into my sleeping bag and stay warm that I got too comfortable and fell asleep when I had planned to stay up with my cabin as they worked into the night. Oh well.

                In the morning we packed and cleaned out the cabins as the campers hurried to finish their packets. When everyone was done and the fire was extinguished, Everyone strapped on their backpacks and started the mile walk out to the buses. Of course it wasn't cold on this morning so when we got to the buses, everyone was hot and tired.

                All-in-all I am very glad I decided to do Bio Drey Land for my May Project. It was a great last opportunity to make some connections at the school I will soon be leaving. Despite the cold I honestly think this was my favorite Drey Land experience. When you don’t feel the constant pressure of those packets looming over your head, the activities at Bio Drey Land are so much more enjoyable. Plus with the free time on the last night, it was a great bonding time with a small group of classmates. Most importantly Drey Land has been a very important part of my Burroughs experience and has marked my progression through the years. I cannot think of a more fitting way to end my career here than with one last trip down there.