In Mid-July, fresh off the heels of cardboard shenanigans, we went Theo off for his first Widji trip. I was only about 70% sure the kid was going to get on the bus. He hadn't taken the previous summer off of overnight camp after experiencing some homesickness the prior year. He had been vibrating at an unusually high speed for the days leading up to the bus departure- most of it in excitement, but mixed with that chaser of dread that is just maybe necessary for a solid growth experience. But on the bus he went, armed with a duffle of clothes and a garbage sack filled with his sleeping bag and pillow. We found ourselves to be the only widji parents who sent their kid off with a garbage bag as luggage. Whoops.
Our friends Wally and Jen happened to be dropping their son at Widji that same day for his epic 30+ day adventure, and we asked them to check on Theo's spirits as he arrived. They sent photos documenting his chagrin at carrying a garbage bag, but other than that he seemed to be in a good place.
10 days passed with me keeping a careful eye on Ely's weather. I thought I knew when he would be out on his 7 day BWCA trip, but wasn't sure. Maybe he was still on trail during the epic storm with crazy winds, maybe not.
As my brother Pete happened to be at DuNord during Theo's end of session banquet, I decided to make the trek northward to stay with Pete for the night and catch Theo's first impressions as he got off trail and began processing his trip.
Theo saw me as his group came out of the dining hall and gave me a hug, not a desperate one, one that was more on the embarrassed end of the spectrum, but then as I walked with his group through camp, he took my hand and started telling me tales. My favorite quote was this: "Oh man, my counselor had a totally tricked out spice kit- it was so awesome." Seems as if Widji had worked its magic once again.
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