adventures in life

Camp Orkila Twenty Nineteen

By loraraeccoon / June 26, 2019 / outings, weekend tripping / Leave a comment

Mother’s Day weekend is Camp Orkila weekend. This has been a tradition since Blaise was three, back in 2013. Brian has since taken each kiddo as they turn three, so this year was Baby’s turn. I tagged along this time also, to see what all the hoopla is about.

Brian has this trip down. He knows exactly what to pack, when to leave, and where to go. Which is uncommon for Brian… the guy never plans or prepares for trips. It’s all me. And in fairness, it’s only all me because I’m an extreme planner.

We left Friday around noon, heading north to catch the ferry in Anacortes. We made it with time to spare, Brian’s plan. We grabbed a late lunch before getting in line for the ferry. They sure cram cars in on the ferry. It feels very claustrophobic. We enjoyed the ferry ride from the upper deck, checking out all the islands and water as we made our way to Orcas Island. a beautiful ride.

Off the ferry and on to Camp Orkila. We checked in and made our way to the cabin. Two other families joined us, and we were all in the same cabin. After settling in, we grabbed dinner at the mess hall before spending the rest of the evening on the beach.

Saturday was filled with activities. After breakfast, we kicked off the day with a row boat to Freeman Island. Which isn’t a glorious island, it’s a small rocky island with barely any flat land. We docked and checked out some tide pools and rocks before heading back to camp. This is the downer of the trip… a rock hit the top of Laine’s thumb as she had it resting on the wall, it swelled up terribly and looked awful. Lucky for her, one of the moms with us is a former wound nurse and she was able to treat Laine. She suggested we get it X-rayed when we get back home because there was a chance it could be broken. Sure enough, it was. Ugh. What a pain. She’s all good now but the rest of her Orkila stay was pretty much ruined activity-wise since she couldn’t do much with her hand. She still had a fabulous time, broken thumb aside.

With a hurt hand, we still managed to roam around, checking out the different activities. They have an art center, archery, face painting, outdoor games, Gaga Ball pits galore—Blaise’s favorite thing ever—giant swing, beach play, and several other activities. It was fun to see the kiddos in their element. Camp Orkila is their thing, and they know the place like the back of their hand.

Saturday afternoon was my highlight. Laine and I went on the giant swing together. I missed out on the opportunity back in 2012 when I went to Camp Coleman with some friends. The giant swing is basically a wire between two tall trees, and they hoist you up in a harness as high as you’d like, before letting go and you swing back and forth. Laine and I went almost to the top. It was fun! I love stuff like that. And then Saturday night I signed up for a massage after dinner. It was a really great massage, which I wasn’t expecting since the one I had years back at Camp Coleman was about as good as you’d expect a massage to be at a YMCA camp.

Saturday night was spent at the beach again, with a fire and marshmallows. I love watching kiddos just play. There’s something special about childhood when all you need is a beach for hours of entertainment. And for me, it was nice to just sit and enjoy the view. Beautiful. I took for granted seeing the Pacific Ocean every day when we lived on the Central Coast. And in our last place, I’d see Lake Sammamish every day. It’s not nearly the same but it is still beautiful. Here, seeing rivers on a daily basis doesn’t do it for me.

I’m glad I was there to enjoy watching the kiddos. I felt awful though, still in early pregnancy and not loving the accommodations. It’s an open-air cabin with no electricity, and the restroom is a decent walk. I managed but I’m probably not going to continue to be a part of the Camp Orkila tradition. Baby had a rough go also. I should have gone with my mom instincts and stayed home. Baby had a 104-degree fever the Wednesday before we left. She was fine by Thursday evening and back to herself Friday morning before we left. And then Friday night at camp, she vomited a little. She and I were both off the whole weekend. Maybe I would want to go back if I had felt better and Baby was all good, and Laine didn’t have a broken thumb? Maybe.

Sunday we left camp at 11am when it was time to check out. We were able to squeeze in a few activities before we left. But I was SO ready to be home. Our ferry wasn’t until 3:15pm so we stopped by Moran State Park before heading to the ferry. Baby was asleep so she and I stayed in the car while Brian and the other kiddos went to check things out. The later ferry put us home close to 6pm after grabbing Mel from Eevee’s house. He had a fabulous weekend paling around with his BFF. It felt like it took FOREVER to get home.

Home again and back on the couch it was for me. I think I lived on the couch most of April and May, only feeling better toward the end of the month. Brian took the Monday off which ended up being spent driving Laine all around to doctors… urgent care first, then off to an orthopedic surgeon to assess her thumb situation. I’m happy Laine received the proper care but man, what a waste of a Brian day off.

Brian is planning on taking the kiddos back to Camp Orkila later this summer to make-up for the off weekend. Brian didn’t admit it until we were back home, but this wasn’t his favorite Camp Orkila trip. He was super upset about Laine’s thumb and how she wasn’t able to do the things she loves at camp. Brian’s not one to show much emotion—nor does he ever get so mad—so I was surprised to hear all his feelings about the weekend, which I won’t air here. Basically, he wasn’t a happy camper. I think a trip back in September with just our kiddos will be good for him.