“A dream is only a dream… untill you decide to make it real!” Harry Styles
Smart is how you talk. Do you talk in complete sentences? Smart is how you write do you use punctuation, capitals, commas? Smart is how you think of yourself, smarts can motivate you not only at school anywhere. Smart is how you use notes and other data. Smart is how you study for tests. Do you prepare yourself or do you do nothing?
This summer my family and I went out West for three weeks! We started in Whitefish, Montana. In Whitefish the first thing that we did was go alpine sledding. My mom and I went sledding while my brother and my dad went zip lining! Before the alpine slide my mom and I hiked up a mountain to get lunch! Finally after lunch it was time for us to go sledding. My mom had done it before but I had never gone so I was scared but soon enough my nerves were gone and I was having the time of my life on the sled! Then we went hiking in Glacier National Park with our amazing tour guide Jordan. We hiked five miles and then cooled off in a freezing cold lake. Our last event in Whitefish was Whitewater rafting! Rafting was cool and we went through some fun rapids but it was not my favorite part of our trip. Our last stop in Whitefish was a rodeo. I had never been to a rodeo but it was crazy! Once we were done it was time to head to Stanley, Idaho.
Our next stop was Stanley, Idaho. We were staying at a ranch and it was definitely my favorite place we stayed at. When we got to Stanley it was raining so the staff told us that we should go to their hot spring! My family and I had never been to a hot spring and when I say we loved it I mean it! Next on our agenda was going horseback riding and my dad and I were the only ones who have gone riding. My brother freaked out and my mom was a little nervous but ready for an adventure. In the beginning it was fun but then it started to go downhill and when I say downhill I mean literally. Finally, we were back to our car safe and sound with no one hurt, just a few tears. Then we went back to the cabin for dinner. The dinner was a delicious three course meal with an amazing dessert after!
The next day we went fly fishing and we were split up into two boats, boys versus girls! My mom and my guide was named Hunter and we were an amazing team. My mom was a natural but it took me three hours to catch one fish! In a blink of an eye we were at our ending point and we won by one fish! Then we were off to Yellowstone!
On the way to Yellowstone we took a pit stop at the Craters of the Moon! This was amazing. We went into deep dark caves and saw cool rocks! Then we were off to Yellowstone. In Yellowstone we went to the national park. We went with a tour guide and saw so many cool animals! We saw elk, deer, wolves, bison, and pika. We got lucky and saw almost all of the animals that were in the park. We also saw so many cool thermo areas and mountains too! Then we were off to our final destination Jackson hole!
Once we arrived in Jackson we rode a gondola up a mountain to a restaurant and it was scary but amazing! Then we got some rest and headed into our next day. On the next day we went on a sixteen mile bike ride to Jenny lake! At Jenny we went on a hike to the inspiration point. It got really high so my brother and mom let my dad and I go together and they started watching. In the end I was proud of myself for pushing myself. The next day was my favorite. We went camping!!! To get to the campgrounds we had to kayak ten miles with one of our tour guides Lucy and our other tour guide Conner took our stuff on a motorboat! The kayak ride was long but the campsite made up for it! The bathroom situation was actually okay and the tent was amazing. For dinner we had taco bowls which were delicious and then we had s’mores! After a late night of telling stories and seeing stars we went to bed. The next morning we had breakfast sandwiches and then headed for our three mile kayak ride to our next site. This one wasn’t long and our tour guide Conner went with us this time. This trip was more fun because Conner told us stories, gave us tips, and cheered us on. Then we went paddle boarding and we ate pesto sausage pasta for dinner. After dinner we told stories again and then went to bed getting ready for the ride back to the dock. On the third day we paddled three miles back to the dock and then got ready to go rafting with Conner. We went on the route called Dead Man’s path and it was super fun! Then we headed back to our hotel.:( Knowing this was our last day out West we had a delicious dinner and Huckleberry ice cream for dessert and then headed to bed.
In conclusion, our trip out West was so fun and exciting and overall I think this will be a trip my family and I will never forget. I learned so much on this trip and tried so many new exciting things!
On August 30, 2023 we left on the bus to go to Camp Kirkwood. After two hours we got to camp and had a very interesting lunch. After lunch we started unpacking and getting ready for the activities to start! The first activity my group did was low ropes. My classmates and I successfully succeeded with our teachers Mrs. Donnelly and Mrs. Wiliams cheering us on! Once we were done with the low ropes we had some time so we went on the Kanga jump which is a big blob that you can jump on! and played volleyball. Then we switched to our next activity, the pool! At the pool we played moss, hung out, and tried having everyone jump in at the same time! After we played in the pool all of us were tired so we took a rest hour to shower, bond with our cabin mates, braid hair, and rest! When we were done with our rest hour, we went and ate dinner, spaghetti and meatballs. At dinner we celebrated our friend Emmy’s birthday!!! Once dinner was over we had the choice to watch The Lorax or play dodg eball. I chose to watch The Lorax. About a quarter of the way through we had snow cones! Then thirty minutes later all the dodg eball players came in because it was raining hard so the counselors decided to call it a night. We all knew that it was going to storm so we had prepared for the weather. The path to our cabin (cabin two!) was flooded. Our clothes were wet and our socks were stinky so they were hanging off of our beds. We had about two hours till lights out so we talked, showered, and played games! Finally, we went to bed with the rain pounding on the roof!
On the second day, we first went and got breakfast and then started our daily activities. Up first we played board games in the cabin so we could get some rest for the day ahead. After we finished playing board games we went to learn about trees. We learned what is made out of trees and we learned the different parts of trees. When we were finished we got to go eat lunch! Once we were done eating we went on the V-swing. Which turned out to be one of my favorite activities!!! I was ninth in line so I got to watch my classmates go on the swing and for fun while we were watching we started singing songs while our peers were on the swing! One of my favorites was when my friend Louisa went and we said, “Are you ready for it” and then we sang happy birthday since it was her birthday! I also love when they sing “Getaway car” by Taylor Swift to me! After that we went to the pool and played moss again! Next, we did team building exercises and three of my friends and I decided to play football. When we were playing I was trying to catch the football and I tripped and fell right on my arm! I thought that I was okay but then it started hurting a lot so my teacher Mrs. Donnelly took me to get some ice. Once I got ice we went and got ready for dinner! Next we went to go to the campfire! At the campfire we enjoyed talking to each other and goofing around eating s’mores. About half way through my arm started getting worse and worse so Ms. Ellis and I went and got a splint for my arm. After that there was a lot of Tylenol, reassurance, and people moving in their sleep.
The next day was the last day and at eight A.M my advisor Mr. Harris came to our cabin and gave me more ibuprofen. Then we got breakfast and started our activities. Up first was canoeing and my friends Sophie, Tessa, and Eloise paddled me around. We got back first and won a special high five from our instructor Matt which was fun but also hurt! Next we went zip lining and unfortunately I could not do it but I still had a lot of fun watching and chatting with my friends! Finally, we were done with all of our activities but one so our last one was… Playing with a pig named Bubbles and then playing Gaga! After Gaga we ate our last meal and hopped on our bus back to Durham Academy!
Overall, Camp Kirkwood was very memorable and it was a great trip for meeting new people. I learned that even if plans get ruined or people get hurt, the people around you can change the mood. Especially if you are in the best cabin with the best teachers!!!