Bad weather, spiders, nasty food, mean counselors, were all things I thought about camp Kirkwood before I even got there. (Some of which turned out to be true, but I won’t spoil which.) I was quite open about my low standards on the bus, where me and a group of friends had been talking for the last two hours. There wasn’t much to do besides trade candy and fake dollar bills, so we ended up tossing around a pillow. As we got closer and closer to camp, word started to spread that this could end badly. Really badly. You see, we weren’t just going to some camp for school, we were going to some camp for school right in the middle of a hurricane. Hurricane Idalia.

Image from https://www.11alive.com/article/weather/hurricane/tropical-system-gulf-aug-2023-idalia-possible/85-6aa564e5-6f8c-437a-9a93-e369dee670e3

When I arrived, those thoughts of spiders and bad food quickly turned into green grass, beautiful trees, and laughter all around. We put our stuff down and gathered in the pavilion to meet the camp counselors and directors. After we got a brief preview of what was going on, we were assigned our cabins. I was lucky enough to be assigned cabin three, where I quickly find a bunkmate and a few other friends to talk to. The rest on that day went by in a breeze, and I mostly just remember jumping into a pool for the first time in a few months, and getting ready for bed in a crowded bathroom.

The next day, we woke up at 7:00 to a flooded camp. Although we were staying in a cabin with a limited view of the area around it, our cabin was right by the lake even before it flooded. After that rainy night, the water level had risen at least three feet, which is enough to expand the lake by around 10-15 feet in each direction. The rest of the day, and all of its activities were quite strange, because there were benches and even full bridges underwater. Despite this, we persevered through the rainy-swims, soaked clothes, and, “SPIDER!”shouted one of my classmates as we were on a our way to take a class photo. As we all gathered around, I caught a glimpse of a huge black and yellow spider. Other than that, we saw no other threateningly large animals. Everyone slept well after a long day of nature.

The next morning went about the same way, but this time, after breakfast, we had the best activities. The ones that they actually tell you about before you go there. I went kayaking, zipping, and I went on the giant V swing, which was followed by me trying not to puke up the lunch that was just served. Sadly, it was time to go. We gathered our stuff and headed to the bus. Some people slept through the ride back, and me and my friends played card games. As we got back, everyone shared their adventures and stories in the carline, while m and a few others waited our parents arrival for a few hours in extended day.