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8th Grade Camping Trip: Reflections by 8th Grade Students

Posted on May 15, 2018

By Essays and Artwork by 8th Grade Students

The Cavern by Kaia

Cavern illustration by Kaia

Large caverns gape deep below the surface of the earth, their ancient yet ever changing walls a protection against the immense weight of the world above them. Around these archaic maws wind labyrinthine passages, a series of tortuous tunnels that stretch on for miles. Over the floor of these caves are tall, spiraling pillars of stone, while above them their mirror images seem to reach toward the ground. These stalagmites and stalactites have grown over thousands of years, formed by minerals held in the many drops of water that fall from the cave’s ceiling.

In an arm of these caverns, a bottomless pit gapes, its darkness a solid blanket that cloaks the floor below, above it an even greater space expands. This space is filled with the echoes of long lost voices, mere whispers of sound that have carried from far away tunnels. Another melody joins this one, yet these notes are made by the cavern itself, formed by drops of water falling into clean pools. The mirror like surfaces of these pools reflect their surroundings, creating a world of shadows beneath their shimmering depths.

Highlights of the 8th Grade Camping Trip by Eleanor

Overall I loved my 8th grade trip. Getting to know others better and be thrust into a whole other environment was exceptionally fun. I learned to appreciate the little luxuries in life much more and realize how spoiled we are. I’m very glad I went on this trip.

My favorite day of them all had to be when we arrived to Hueco Tanks and just hung out around the bus. I had a blast goofing around with friends and playing “baseball.” Everything was so beautiful, the stars, mountains, cave paintings, and caves took my breath away. The one thing that had me awestruck was on the second to last day before leaving, was the sunset. It looked as if great clouds were breathed on by warm red and orange cotton candy. The way the clouds seemed to be reaching up from the sun to touch the sky took my breath away.

My second favorite was the caverns, with glittering stalagmites and stalactites. The way the patterns on the wall look like waves, or how the floor stones look like little people. The vast silence in the very large place left me astonished and feeling small. The cavern had sat here unchanging to the human eye longer than my whole life. Dripping, cool waterfalls to the ground of stones, echoing across the cavern. I can’t describe the feeling this cavern gave me, a sort of happy despair. So much history embedded into the cave, thousands, millions of people walking through these caverns, each having their own story, now mine has been breathed into the stones.

This trip changed me, I understand nature a little more, I appreciate it more, and plan to cherish the memory of this trip. I’m going to miss waking in the cool morning desert air, sipping hot cocoa, feeling the warm breeze on my back, looking up to see the stars, and most importantly my friends. Especially the ones who are leaving.

“One of the things we are so grateful for is the opportunity our daughter has had with varsity sports at Waldorf. Basketball has provided her an opportunity to be a leader and the chance to learn from a supportive and committed mentor. The benefits will serve her in a myriad of ways throughout her life that she cannot now imagine.”