This week some of our staff had the opportunity to volunteer at Hungry Mother Lutheran Retreat center to give the kids in the area a fun camp experience after the campgrounds hadn’t been running for some years. Lots of fun activities took place each day such as on Wednesday, July 2, when a majority of the group got to go on a 16-mile bike trail on the Virginia Creeper Trail.  

Day trips like this are always a fun opportunity for the kids to experience some more adventure and learn new skills outside of the environment they have gotten used to in the last few days. All the leaders were super excited to be able to join the kids on their trip and the middle schoolers were very excited to do a more challenging activity with the older group. We asked some of them what their favorite part of their day was and something challenging they overcame from the experience.  

Ruthie’s most challenging part was juggling how to keep everyone together with everyone’s skill level and experience on a bike being a little different. She was excited that everyone in the group banding together in a line at a similar pace helped everyone stick together. Being able to view the beauty of creation growing all around her as she rolled through the farmland was a highlight, with her stating “the view was absolutely gorgeous.”   

Josh’s favorite part of the day was also engulfed in the beauty of nature. His favorite part was being able to see everything around him perfectly while he was on the cliff. The trail didn’t come without some challenges such as dense gravel making it more difficult to have a seamless ride. However, Josh focused on coming up with a solution such as standing up a little from his seat to make it not so uncomfortable and bumpy so he could enjoy his surroundings more. 

Kirsten’s favorite part of the day was feeling like a kid again, stating, “I haven’t been on a bike trail, let alone, a bike in years.” She enjoyed being able to explore and witness the scenery of a new area in Virginia. She also had the opportunity that Ruthie did of leading the pack at one point during the trip. Wanting to make sure the pace was okay for everyone to keep up and not leading everyone astray was her most challenging moment, quickly dissipated by the reminder that she had the support of her fellow counselors. The day flew by for the bikers as they were just taking everything in and enjoying their time together. They made it to the end of the trail before they knew it, leaving Kirsten longing for more time for the experience to keep going.  

The kids had just as much fun as the leaders did, sharing some moments they enjoyed most and ones where they were proud of themselves for overcoming something and learning something new about themselves. A majority of the group members who attended the trip agreed that they enjoyed doing a hobby, such as biking, in a new environment. Sharing that biking on numerous bridges and hills through the farmlands was a cool experience, not only for the scenery but also because of how the bike itself rode. Nicole enjoyed the different paces this trip presented, such as opportunities to bike a little faster in order to get over the hills and other moments to slow down and really take everything in.  

Some challenges presented themselves throughout for some of the kids. Edward shared that his bike chain broke halfway through the trip, but chose to find the positive in the situation, in that after fixing it, he could ride even faster. The heat was brutal at the peak of the afternoon, making the home stretch seem to go on for longer than the rest of the previous path. Making it to the last stretch of the day was the most accomplished all the kids felt. All the kids were very tired, evident by the group taking more breaks and longer WAM time. The burn everyone felt in their legs and arms was worth it at the end with the feeling of the workout that came along with it. The bikes themselves had more gears and gadgets which took some getting used to, but with the advice of the counselors of which gears felt better for different environmental factors of the path, the hills became less strenuous and less tiring.  

The highlight of the day was hearing the kids reflecting on their experience and how they grew internally. A common theme amongst them was, “I learned I’m more resilient than I thought,” “I can overcome any challenges I face,” “I made it further than I thought I would,” and “I am stronger than I thought I was.” These statements make being a counselor worthwhile. Seeing the kids push themselves and enjoy one another’s company even through the challenges was evident through their smiling faces. They could have complained; they could have easily given up and yet they were all cheering and persevered until the very end. It was a rewarding day throughout and an experience that will be reminisced on for years to come.