
Today as I was walking across the athletic field I had an uncomfortable moment. I stepped in a mole tunnel.
If you have never noticed such a thing, you’ve obviously never seen some of the fields around Camp Kern. Yes, moles live here. There is certainly some crazy contraption out there which could either catch them or, I shudder to imagine, smash them.
Yet, we let them live. They normally aren’t much of a disturbance, just a slight annoyance when their tiny tunnels grow too large or their mounds of dirt too high.
But that all changes when it rains. When it rains, their previously unobtrusive tunnels turn to gooey mud-filled traps for unwary feet. And that’s what happened to me and my just-cleaned boots.
There is something important here for us, and for our kids. How many days do our kids go without really playing outside? When is the last time your kids were covered in dirt, or rain, or snow?
Camp Kern exists to reconnect kids to nature, and through that connection to foster an appreciation for our world and a willingness to engage without fear. This is why we do things like Winter Camp and (even muddier) Spring Camp. This year, Winter Camp looks to be less “White-out Wonderland” and more “Tough Mudder”.
We’re OK with that. Whatever the weather, there are amazing things to see, smell, jump and splash through in the outdoors. And here, there are not only 485 acres of outdoors, but willing companions on the journey.
So, as I’m cleaning off my previously sparkly clean boots, I remember the moment two days ago as I rode a brand new zipline across the Little Miami, and saw a river which is flooding it’s banks, and tiny runoff streams raging like the Colorado River.
There is nothing quite like a rainy day to make you remember why our planet is so amazing. We hope you can join us in our little corner very soon.