ROCK!

   The first week of camp was absolutely amazing! The bar has been set really high for the rest of the summer! We took a road trip to West Virginia and went on some awesome adventures!

 

    The first two days were spent at Seneca Rocks. There, we did some climbing and hiking. On the first day, we hiked up high to a great, but challenging climbing area. Not too long after lunch, we got chased away and drenched by rain. It cleared up by the time we hiked back down to our van. And we still decided to go for a swim in the large creek (or small river) right beside the mountain.

    The second day, we went to the top of the mountain and had our packed lunch up there. The view was just breathtaking! At about the same time as the previous day, the rain started. It once again cleared up by the time we hiked back down to the van. We then stopped by the visitors center and headed to our next campsite, a couple hours away.

    The next campsite was right beside a river and had a sheltered area to set up our tents so we could stay dry overnight. There was plenty of rain that night, so the shelter helped a lot. The downside was the train tracks just across the river and the road right up the hill from us.

     The next morning, we did a wild cave tour at Lost World Caverns. This was almost everyone's favorite part of the week. So much fun! We crawled, rolled, and climbed through some awesome passages! The guides were very fun and helpful.

    
    After caving, we headed to our last campsite, at River Expeditions, a whitewater rafting company. In spite of the rain (again), we enjoyed one last campfire dinner together and some great discussions. We even had a furry visitor! A kitty! She was very friendly and actually stayed for most of the evening. I really hope she had a home and was just exploring.

    
     On our last day, before heading back to Camp Otterbein, we went whitewater rafting on the New River. The water was surprisingly warm and refreshing, rather than cold like we thought it would be. We went on rapids ranging from class II to class V. We even had the opportunity to swim through a couple of the milder class II rapids. The rapids were exhilarating! Especially those class V's: wow! And we managed not to have anyone fall out through the entire trip.

     Arriving back at Camp Otterbein was bittersweet. It was great seeing the other camp staff members, who I really missed. However, it was sad to see our adventure come to an end and have to say goodbye to the amazing small group of campers. The group grew so close throughout the week!

     Someday, I plan on going back to all of these places! West Virginia is an amazing state full of wonders!