Hello everyone! This is the end of Day 2 at Echo Ranch, and it already feels like home.
There is so much to tell you guys. I can’t possibly type it all now. This is just a little bit of it.
My flight from Charlotte to Seattle was almost six hours total, which is insanely long when you’re sitting in one place the entire time. We all finally got boarded and sat down with our carry-ons, then waited 30 minutes and found out that our plane had mechanical issues (better then than when we were actually in the air, I guess.) So we all had to wait more, get off the plane, wait more, get back on a new plane, wait more, and then finally start flying.
When I got to Seattle, Michael Reaser was already there. (He is at Echo Ranch too!) I called him, and he found me, so I had someone to talk to in the airport. We got on our Seattle-Juneau flight a few hours later. I was pretty jet lagged by the time we arrived. We got there around 9pm Alaska time, which was 1am North Carolina time. I had gotten up at 6:30am that morning to go to the airport, so I was exhausted. Luckily, the tide was in so instead of having to hike out to camp, we got to ride the boat (the “Blondina”) instead.
We finally got there pretty late. (Because it’s Alaska time, though, it was still light even as late as 11pm.) All fourteen of the female counselors are staying in one dorm room together. There are bunk beds in the room, 2 showers, 2 toilets, and 3 sinks in the attached bathroom. It’s probably a good thing that no one told me about that ahead of time, because nothing about a dorm room really appeals to me. In reality though, it’s really not that bad. I got used to it really fast, and it’s all simple but clean. The dorms are below the dining hall, and the entire building actually has electricity. Most of the buildings here do, except for the cabins. I think there are 8 girls and 8 guys cabins, and they have wood stoves instead. We haven’t stayed in one of those yet.
I have to tell you, it is absolutely beautiful. The mountains, the bay, the sky… it just feels so much like home. No mountains that I have ever seen have anything on the mountains here. There is a panoramic view from the beach on the bay with snowcapped mountains all around it. They are so big that you have to tilt your head upward to see the top. It’s light most of the day, but so far it has been overcast. That made it a sort of glowy light from early in the morning until late at night.
Today part of our orientation was learning canoe safety. Michael and I were partners. We learned to paddle around, pivot the boat, forward and backward strokes, and how to rescue people if the canoe dumps over. The water here is a lot of glacier water, and what isn’t from glaciers is pretty cold anyway. Even in the middle of the summer, if you fall into the water, there is a 50% chance of getting hypothermia. That’s how cold the water is!
Regardless, canoeing was really fun. There were sea lions that we could see jumping around in the bay a little bit past us. Michael also pointed out a bald eagle nest in a nearby tree. Apparently there are a lot of bald eagles here. And nothing compares to paddling around in the stunning bay surrounded by the hugely glorious mountains.
I am really really excited to be here. It’s great not having to juggle things and multitask work + school + homework + money + church + ministry + friends. Everything is in one place and I can just LIVE without having to worry about anything. It is so peaceful; I love it.
I could use a little more sun though. It is pretty cold most of the time. We all usually wear sweatpants or jeans and a jacket. Yesterday, though, we played a beach volleyball game and were all in shorts while we were moving.
Overall, it’s only the second day and the counselors already start to feel like family. (No campers yet, and my cousin Kern isn’t here yet either.) The landscape is the best thing I’ve ever seen; it tops every mountain on the East Coast. God’s imagination amazes me.
We have all been hanging out all night in the Loft (the counselor hang-out sort of room.) But the best part of it all is how God-focused it is. We have had solid quiet time with God a lot, heard testimonies, and figured out our mission here.
We won’t have Internet all the time. I’m borrowing a friend’s computer tonight. Guess I should have taken mine! I’ll keep sporadically updating. Once the campers arrive, I’ll have much less time to write.
Anyway, love you all! Feel free to send me messages. I can’t guarantee that I’ll write back immediately, but I love hearing from you guys. Thank you again! I’m praying for you all.
In Christ,
Lauren
