Happy Campers

[Spokane to Coeur d'Alene, ID; 55 miles cycled]

Most mornings on the JOH follow a standard course of events: early wake up (usually between 5:00 and 6:30), preparation of bags/bikes, breakfast, team meeting/prayer and departure. Leaving the state of Washington was no different, with the exception of the presence of a news network that arrived to cover our story. We were featured live on-air and the anchor even sent us off for the day by waving a red flag. While on the bike that day, we encountered many people who had seen us on TV and I was excited to learn that our message was getting into living rooms.

We were slated for an 35-mile ride along a bike path, and things went smoothly for awhile (including successfully reaching our first state line!). However, miscommunication and some confusing trail setups ended up sending us 20 miles out of our way. Needless to say, I was relieved when we arrived at a seemingly nontraditional next stop: a summer camp on a lake in Northern Idaho. After loading all of our necessities onto a ferry to cross the lake, we arrived at Camp Sweyolakan. The concept of a group of college guys being dropped off overnight at a camp with no vehicles in sight seemed like a potential horror movie setup, but I decided to go into it with an open mind.

Having never done the whole long-term “summer camp thing,” I was caught off guard with some of the traditions – including mandatory staff nicknames (“Mr. Skittles” stands out most in my mind). I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had a high ropes course 30 feet above the ground and I made sure to take advantage of that, in addition to a water trampoline on the lake that brought back memories from my most recent Spring Break in Jamaica. After enjoying “thirds” at dinner (an apparent camp perk as well) and dominating a rousing game of Cranium, I settled into my bunk in “Pelican Palace” and got some serious shuteye.