Catalina Island

It is no secret that camping and sleeping outside is not my favorite thing in the world, but this week on Catalina Island with the 7th graders, I really had a good time. The island was beautiful, the weather was perfect, and we did all kinds of fun activities.

 We took an hour and a half boat ride across the channel from Long Beach to Catalina. The camp was at White's Landing, which is only accessible by boat. The ship dropped us off in the cove and they brought a smaller dingy out to unload all 100 of us and our luggage. The process of going back and forth between boat and dock took about an hour.

 Welcome to White's Landing!

 The boys and the girls were split up into camp sites, and when I saw the girls huts I was a little surprised. They told me I was staying in a cabin!

This was my tent, which I shared with one other teacher. It sleeps 8 with bunk beds, but we were very comfortable with two people. Most of the nights I was too tired to care about the tent flapping in the wind or the sandy floor. However, I was expecting indoor bathrooms, but that was not the case. We had to walk about a block away for outdoor toilets and showers.

 On the first day there was a bison hanging out in girl's camp. The bison on the island were brought over for a movie in the 1920's and they decided it would be easier to leave the bison on the island instead of bringing them back to the mainland. Since then the population has taken off and they wander everywhere. The Bison are big and slow, but we had to be careful not to startle them. I definitely didn't want to be charged!

 I had a really nice group of 13 kids and a naturalist who was our leader. The kids got to test their team building and trusting skills on a low ropes course. In this activity they had to use the rope swing to transport the entire group from one platform to another. The group left the smallest girl, Quinn for last.

 All of the days were JAM PACKED with activities and to start the day, the camp did the Polar Bear Plunge. I was waking up around 5:30 out of habit so I went down to the beach and ran with some of the other adults. When we were done with the work out a 6:30, we got in line with the kids and charged into the ocean screaming at the top of our lungs.

 Charge!

 The water shocks you as you run into the waves and it is a real wake up call. I was sweaty, so the water felt kind of bearable, but when the kids noticed that I hadn't dunked my head everyone started splashing. Getting out of the water was honestly the hardest part because the air was colder than the water. I have never seen so many crazy, cold, and smiling people than while taking the plunge.

 Above our camp there was a peak with a cross. I think the camp used to be owned by a church. In the afternoon yesterday we hiked all the way up and  it was a bit of a challenging hike.

 The view was amazing and all the kids were happy to have made it. Many complained on the way up but I think they felt a real sense of accomplishment.