When my friend Jessie floated the idea of camping out at PEEC over Columbus Day Weekend, I was excited. I'd heard about these family weekend retreats before from our friends Pepa and Joan and their group of amigos. But I'd never been myself. It sounded like a perfect midway point between really roughing it with a tent and sleeping bag and a hotel in the woods. We would get our own cabin with full bathroom and heating. The food is served cafeteria-style and is all-inclusive. You select whatever activities you feel like doing and there's so much tailored to young kids that you won't ever be bored. Plus it's in an area of the Poconos just along the Delaware Water Gap that I was eager to see. With the state's highest population of black bears and a deranged sniper evading police for several weeks, I mean, what was there to be afraid of? I wouldn't classify myself as an outdoor person any more than the next city slicker who likes a little communing with nature once and awhile. But since the leaves were really starting to turn around that area, I was hoping to get my fall foliage fix combined with a healthy amount of hang time with some good friends. And that was all the incentive I needed to pack up the suitcases and car to the brim and drive off into the sunset on a Friday afternoon.
Arriving on Friday evening was something I debated initially, but it proved to be a wise decision. We glided out of NYC, missing most of the weekend traffic and made it to the site in just under 2 hours. Checking in first also meant we had time to unwind and get a lay of the land before everyone else. The girls weren't rushing off to see their friends and we had a nice little stroll over to the pond as a family before dinner. The first meal was meatloaf, unfortunately, which was chocked full of mushrooms and strange meat. I took a small nibble before marking it inedible and made due with the baked potato, terrific salad bar and rice krispie treat. I wasn't going to starve. Finding food for the girls was a little trickier, but we managed. If they ate mostly fruit or cereal or carrots, I was okay with that. I also brought several Trader Joe's bags full of snacks and baked goods, so they wouldn't starve either. This time around the square dancing was switched to Friday night instead of Saturday making us a more intimate group. But the girls both loved that and Carolina even tried to imitate us, shuttling down the path as the lead couple, forming a tunnel to let others slide through and doing some line dances that even adults were having trouble with. Elisa was totally in her element and having Manuela show her the ropes helped a lot too.
Waking up on Saturday morning, we knew there was some drizzle still lingering in the area but that didn't stop us from forging ahead with the canoeing at 9 a.m. We got our life vests on in the steady drizzly mist and just before pushing out onto the lake, it cleared up. Well, at least enough that we managed to stay dry out of the water as well. The girls were calm sitting together in the middle section of our canoe, as Nacho worked as our rudder and I tried my best not to get worked up about turning in circles. I think we both understood the dynamics of paddling, but with different intentions and so I had a few times I felt a bit undermined. But otherwise, it was a terrific initiation into family canoeing. The lake was still, the winds light and we were able to circle around the pond several times before giving the girls the heave ho and setting out one more time on our own. Ah, that was nice. Shortly after the boats were docked, it was time for our hike along the Scenic Gorge Trail. By the time we set off, the Andersons and Lefers had joined us and we were starting to really immerse ourselves in the colors of this beautiful season. The smaller kids mostly wanted to ride along on the trail which was fine. It was a 2 mile long loop that took us along a small stream and through some really gorgeous forests. Watching Oliver and our trail guide unearth some amazing little creatures was also fun. The bright red salamander was my favorite even if I opted not to touch it. As I would find out several times throughout the weekend, it was hard to be a dirt-under-the-nails kind of girl when I was trying to keep my camera clean. But in the end, the photos won out. And I'm pleased with the results...
As Saturday wore on, we decided to enforce family nap time so the girls could get a little breather before the evening's animal show. Around that time we found out that Nacho would have to work on both Sunday and Monday meaning his time was going to be over sooner than we'd hoped. I wasn't willing to pack it all in for myself and the girls just yet, though. So we decided to get him to a train station and I would stay put with the car and leave on Monday morning as planned. Yes, once again, the anecdotal stories about IOE training proved false and the company called Nacho on the 5th day of his mandatory 4-day off period. Other stories told of 2 and 3 weeks off, but not for us. How nice. Luckily, we were surrounded by good friends who helped me pick up the slack and enjoy the rest of our time there. Joan drove Nacho to the Port Jervis, NJ train station and I had lots of extra eyes and hands leading the girls around for the next two days. There are times I feel bad that Nacho misses out on our lives and this was definitely one of them. After being without him for the prior 6 weeks, I suppose I felt I was owed this weekend together. But it wasn't meant to be.
The girls took it all in stride and I love them for that...even if they did test my patience a bit on our waterfall hike on Sunday morning. Elisa was in one of her defiant streaks and that attitude anytime is bad, but especially when you are teetering on some rocky trails overlooking giant cliffs. I did my best to use my threats sparingly, but I used them. And by the time we were done with that first adventure of the day, it was off to lunch and muckraking. Elisa was so keen to catch a critter but she had no desire to soil her fingers or clothes. And Carolina just wanted to get close to the action without getting dirty either. So I obliged them a few minutes of wading out and slinging the silty, murky mud and leaves and such back to shore with the net. But even I wasn't too happy about getting my hands all gross when I had my best camera slung around my neck. After about 45 minutes I could tell the girls were exhausted and done with the bugs, and I knew I wouldn't survive the dinner and campfire that evening if we didn't all nap. So again we piled in our cabin for a late afternoon siesta, and this time I joined them. It was lovely.
Our last evening at PEEC was kind of bittersweet for me. Right after dinner we let the kids run wild in the main lodge and even took in the Ecozone demonstration about the beaver dam and bat cage. The kids donned lights and crawled through the entrance on hands and knees to see what a real one would be like. I had been so excited to hang out around the campfire with all of our friends on the final night, but it didn't work out that way. Several packed it up and left on Sunday before nightfall, and the rest were either too tired or only made it down for one quick s'more before bedtime. It didn't help matters that we were a little late getting down to the site in the pitch dark and I was actually spooked for a good minute wondering where in the hell everyone was if they weren't at the fire pit I presumed it would be at. The faint singing coming from behind the cabins on the lower campus seemed to beckon us, so I raced ahead of the girls to make sure we were on the right path. And sure enough, there in the middle of a forest-hidden amphitheater, there was a blazing campfire and a singer with guitar. I could just barely make out the Lefers as they huddle near the benches. Carolina wasn't interested in anything but the chocolate, while Elisa half-heartedly roasted several marshmallows. And I tried to make my own melty mess of a dessert but opted for a quick and cold barely browned s'more just so I could say I did and then get on with enjoying a song or two before sprinting back up that hill in the freezing darkness. Packing up on my own was also a total buzzkill, so maybe that's why I left in kind of a funk. Oh well. It all started out so well, but even the amazing foliage and family time couldn't last forever. We loaded up on Monday morning by 9 a.m., had one more breakfast and then we were off. And I was happy to be heading home. Just how camping should end.
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