Camp Ondessonk was a time to get away from school and spend time with friends. Waking up early on a Sunday morning is an unusual action to happen. Driving to Priory was quick and when we arrived my mom and aunt said their goodbyes and hugged me. I was on my way to the fanciest bus I’ve ever been on and sat by one of my friends as we were about to leave. I got to sleep closer to the end until my friend woke me up as we arrived. We gathered all our belongings and waited until all of us were separated into our cabin colors. I was in the purple group and the walk to the cabins was a little exhausting carrying our stuff. We reached the cabins, but  realized we weren’t getting any rest and had to go back down to a campfire area. We still had a full day ahead of us full of all sorts of activities which would help raise the attitude of the rest of the trip.

The purple group completed a couple activities while we were messing around which got us in a little trouble. We had pulled pork sandwiches for lunch and it helped refuel our energy. Quest after quest our day came to an end as my friends and I settled into our cabin. Good thing we only had the six of us together in one cabin. My friends and I stayed up late into the night playing a card game called “BS.” 6:45 was the time we had to wake up and it was easier than you thought for some reason. We had to get our day packs ready because church started at 7:15 and then breakfast around 8:25. Breakfast was cereal, apple juice, omelets and cornbread which was delicious. 

The group’s first set of activities were up and my group was rock climbing which I bet everyone was ready for. Rock climbing was amazing, but soon enough the time to switch to another team exercise came. Then, lunch came to everyone’s side as we ate chicken tenders that were glazed in a little honey. The other side of my table started making a concoction which was outrageously disgusting. It consisted of carrots, a little bit of powder used for making hawaiian punch, a chicken tender, and ketchup. 

We participated in more activities followed by shower time. Dinner was in our mouths as we quickly ate up what was called Beefy and Bow-Ties which essentially was farfalle mixed in with some sauce and beef bits. For our nightly activity, we went on a night hike which was amazing. We got to experience the night sky with all the stars and saw 4 shooting stars fly above. At our spot, the view looked like you were in virtual reality or at an Imax theater, but 1,000 times better. 

We were almost done with our trip when it was interrupted by people pointing their flashlights right at us. It “reset” our night vision and the group was pretty disappointed because we wanted to see more of the night. It was announced at lunch that we would be having s’mores before we went to bed while Father Augustine told us “true scary stories that his friends experienced”. 

The following morning, our first exercise was to go on a 3 hour hike to and from a waterfall. The waterfall wasn’t flowing, the water dripped, and I skipped rocks. It was nice to get the rock over to the other side of the pond, but we eventually headed back for our last meal before we left. Camp Ondessonk came to an end as we hopped on the bus and drove back to Priory listening to music and sleeping. I enjoyed camping with everyone. The experience was unforgettable and helped me grow closer to the other guys in a friendship which won’t break no matter the problem.