It was a beautiful night, and the stars were burning bright and vivid. Fireworks exploded in the air, reflecting off the still water of the lake. The vibrant colors morphed from blue to red, then orange and yellow and purple. It was almost too much to take in at once. All the while, a fire was blazing, creating orange and yellow patterns that were as enticing to see as the fireworks. I stood there as the smell of roasted s’mores wove its way into my mind and made me hungry. There’s nothing like a summer spent under the endless diamond sky.

I took a seat by the fire. The smells of turkey with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy cooking on the wood stove in the camp kitchen smelled delicious. Then the wind shifted and blew the scent of smoke down through my lungs and made me cough. Although this scent is terrible, the smell of s’mores brought me back to a happier reality.

One night, I gazed out my window. I thought about many things, including what it would be like to surf. Although I was near a body of water, the waves lapped quietly. Drawn, I headed outside. As I walked toward the water, I felt the cold breeze from the lake whisper across my face. Once I put my toes in the water, that ice cold wind reminded me of the nippy night. Feeling chilled, I walked back toward the camp…and not too soon! I could feel fat drops of icy rain turn to painful hail. My warm bed never felt as good as it did that cold, wet night.

Another evening, I was sitting by the fire, and I could hear the occasional crackle and pop. I listened more closely - and I could almost hear voices! Those voices had nothing to say but moans. Moans of the fire that was trapped in this heat, held there until the fire died down. I ignored them and walked toward the lake. When I reached the end of the dock, I could almost hear the world move around me. The trees rustled, the water slithered in small waves, and the birds circled, their wings flapping quietly. As I stood there, marveling, the feeling shifted away, because I could still hear my fellow campers in the distance, shouting and having fun on the beach.

I was hiking in the woods with my friends, and the warm breeze of the summer air wafted across my face. I walked quite a long distance, and was hungry. Good thing we came across wild berries! I ate a rather small one and it tasted so bitter…almost like eating the thorn on a rose. It was so bitter, it almost hurt. Then I noticed that I had probably eaten the wrong berry because it was a different color than the others. So I tried another and it was a little sour, but still good. Once we had eaten our fill of the berries, we went back to camp for a long drink of water.

Connor Gayne is a member of the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program

All photos courtesy and copyright Jessie Voigts