On our first trip, we camped overnight at Wompatuck State Park. Because this was our first time all meeting each other, a lot of time was spent doing team building activities to help us get to know one another. From the moment we got out of Kristina’s Ford Explorer, we were challenged to build our own tents without any instructions or help from Sophia and Kristina. With the help of Julianny and Weiner’s prior camping experiences, the five of us worked diligently to build our tents in under 15 minutes. In a way, I think this activity foreshadowed how well we’d work together as a team in the future.
Later on that night, we ate burgers and hot dogs by the campfire, followed by smores. As the heat from the fire kept us warm, Wiener and Max occasionally would try to scare us by pretending to be bears in the bushes.
The following day we met with Nina and her team. Together, the four taught us how to preserve wooden window frames using a method that is centuries old. Me and the rest of the PLACE Fellows even got a chance to practice some window glazing. In addition to learning about how to preserve windows, we also got a chance to talk to Nina and her team about their previous experiences working with the Student Conservation Association and all the opportunities they got to travel, while working to protect the environment. After speaking with Nina’s team, we spoke with Susan from DCR. Susan taught us a bit about the history of the Harbor Islands and also talked to us about the many opportunities that kids our age have to work for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation including the Harbor Islands. Overall, it was exciting to learn about all the different ways that we can work to protect the environment while sometimes traveling and even getting paid for it.
Our visit to Wompatuck State Park ended with a nice hike to a beautiful little lake. On our hike, we ran into many friendly dogs and got to enjoy the fresh air and nature surrounding us. Julianny and I even used some berries we found as pink lipstick. All in all the hike was the perfect way to end our camping trip at Wompatuck State Park.