So, our summer camp has come and gone and I must tell you that both Mary and I had an amazing time! From learning how to start a fire without matches or lighters, to wading in cold streams and warm estuaries, every day offered us new adventures and learning opportunities. We'd like to thank all the parents and kids for making this one of the most exciting and fulfilling activities Mary and I have participated in , and we hope to see you all next year. Below is a short summery of each day, followed by a few pictures.

We started the camp off in in an area known as College Woods. This parcel of land was left to the University of New Hampshire by Ben Thompson in the 1800's and has remained largely untouched since then. Ben used this land as his woodlot, and many of the trees were quite mature when he gifted the plot to UNH. This results in a forest which is extremely mature today, with giant eastern white pines and eastern hemlocks approaching 300 years old! The Oyster River runs through the woods, and it is a great place to cool down on a hot summer day. We spent the morning getting to know each other, gazing up at the towering trees and playing games. We ate our lunch at an old abandoned campsite and ran into a few hornets along the river's edge (sorry Luke.)! Along the path, we discovered two tall pines that had been struck by lightening recently and the area was littered with sharp tree fragments and debris from the powerful impact of the lightening. Some of the kids gathered pieces of of the wood, knowing the magic properties of lightning remained in their souvenirs. There was a bit of drizzle for most of the morning, however, the sun broke out later and we ended the day wading in the cool waters of the Oyster River.

On day 2, we explored the old Foss Farm, another parcel of land owned by UNH. This is a much younger forest, and it is the perfect place to learn about wild edibles and survival skills. We were joined by our friend Danny Hammel, who is an amazing survivalist and native crafts teacher. He showed us different crafts he's made, including baskets, bows and arrows, a flute and even a blow gun! Danny also showed us how to make fire without matches or a lighter, and we all got to try out our bowdrill skills. The boys made their very own bows and arrows made from European buckthorn, an invasive plant found in early successional areas such as Foss Farm, while the girls practiced their carving skills by whittling cedar spoons.

We found ourselves at Wagon Hill on the last day of camp. This is an amazing piece of land owned by the town of Durham, and was the former sight of a granite quarry and battle between early colonists and native peoples of New England. The weather was amazing, and we began our day by playing games among the apple trees. Later, we took a trail which runs along the very same river we splashed around in the first day. Because Wagon Hill is so close to the ocean, the Oyster River is tidal in this area and the water is a mix of fresh and salt (brackish). We ate our snacks out on the point and waded around in the water where a juvenile winter flounder was spotted. We were lucky enough to watch several wading great blue herons and we were visited by a belted king fisher. We concluded the day with swimming, games and hot dogs, as well as trips into the river via canoe. We got to see hermit crabs scurry along the sandy bottom, and stumbled upon 2 mating horseshoe crabs. This was extremely exciting, as they are usually well offshore by early July.