Fish Lake Camp Trip

When I think of fish, I think of perch. Growing up, we always caught a lot of perch on fishing trips, but rarely any "game" fish like trout. So it was fun to hear about Dad's trip to Fish Lake and his 50 odd perch that they caught. There is a certain excitement in the air when the fish start biting.

And so almost at the end of our own trip, when Rebekah said, "you are the best dad ever; I love fishing!" I knew that a little of the old bug had caught me again. I really didn't mind rowing out to the middle of the lake 4 times, only to row back in. It was all part of the hunt. Or the Fish? Hmmm.

Well, I enjoyed other things at Fish Lake as well, such as the early mornings, still mountain-fresh and cold. And the welcome heat when the fire first flared up. And the beauty of seeing the sky all through the day, a wonderful backdrop to the rustling of the aspen trees and the trickling of icy stream water.

Nature was a beautiful setting for some fun times, singing around the campfire "The Cannibal King" and other such songs. But mostly the Cannibal King song, again and again, until the older kids had it memorized. And then they sang it for fun. The campfire was a source of good things, besides the heat and light it produced marvelously toasted marshmallows for s'mores, and "oh so smoky" hot dogs.

Beth was the Camp director. She had great ideas for us, but was also willing to go along with our crazy ideas. She put up with her tent being on some of the rockiest ground ever slept upon. She was the watcher of children, and made sure that someone always stood between Suzie and the fire.

Julie was the spirit of the Camp. She kept us focused on what was important, and she gave gentle guidance to children. She made our meals special with her flourishing touches, and with her artistic eye added to the beauty of the place by letting us in on the details she could see.

Joe was the muscles. Uprooting trees singlehandedly, pulling vehicles by hand across rock strewn -- well ok, across flat paved expanses. But we got the camp set up just right.