On Saturday, Camp Duke spent the entire day in Dripping Springs at Hamilton Pool. Every Fish Camp is allowed to take one day trip during the spring semester, and today was our day. We chose this natural preserve located approximately 30 minutes outside of Austin, TX and it was absolutely amazing. The day began bright and early in Lot 50. We divided into several different cars, grabbed breakfast at the local gas station, and headed on our way. My favorite part of the morning was seeing Will dressed in his full tropical outfit... from his shirt to his hat! The drive wasn’t as bad as I expected, especially since I rode with Ashlei, Clayton, and Stephanie Biran. These were three people that I didn’t know very well prior to the trip and there is something about traveling with people that bonds you in a unique way. We jammed to the newest Road Trip CD (Thanks to Brandon O’Bar) and attempted to guess who suggested each song. Once we finally arrived to Dripping Springs, the group gathered our gear and began the trek to Hamilton Pool. Andrew Millar forgot to mention that hiking through the wilderness was required on this trip... otherwise I wouldn't have worn sandals. The first moment of my life that I actaully wished I owned Chacos. After making our way through the never ending trail, each carrying full loads of supplies, we found ourselves at the beautiful natural preserve of Hamilton Pool. The scenery was unbelievable and I couldn’t have been more excited to spend the day with this great group of people. It didn’t take us long to strip down into our bathing suits and hop into the water. Despite it’s rather chilly temperature, everyone made it into the water at some point. Even my silly partner, who knowingly chose not to bring a bathing suit to a pool. Gotta love him! The day was filled with several adventures through the rocks and tons of pictures in the preserve. At one point, I headed over to the 50 foot waterfall with a few fellow counselors. It felt like a movie, even though Landon Sikes thought otherwise. Will Garnett, one of my co-chairs, experienced the fountain of youth, pretended to be floating on water, and meditated in the midst of the waterfall. He cracks me up! Collectively, we packed lunch for our entire camp and had a picnic at Hamilton Pool. Our namesake, Chris Duke, and his wife stopped by. It was so great to see their smiling faces and know how supportive they are of our camp. Overall, it was an amazing day of bonding in Dripping Springs. We couldn’t have asked for better weather or a better location to spend our day trip. Later in the afternoon, we packed up and hiked back through the wilderness. The walk back seemed much longer the second time around. Luckily, all of Camp Duke survived in one piece and returned to College Station a few hours later. As the days pass, we continue to become more unified as a camp. Hopefully, our unity will provide for a smoother transition for our freshmen. I am anxious to see how the relationships we have built will enable our camp to be successful for all campers and staff. Throughout every Fish Camp tradition, our focus remains on the freshmen at all times. I am so thankful for everyone in our camp and for my amazing co-chairs that coordinated this perfect day trip. Saturday got me super excited for all of the road trips to come in the summer and reminded me how much closer we are to meeting our freshmen in August!!!
