Adventures at Campsite 400

Aaron Lambert is a senior Accounting major from New Palestine, Indiana.  In this , Aaron recounts our first camping trip of the term:

We arrived at the Chain O’Lakes State campground on a May afternoon with the slight April chills still sticking around in the air around us. This meant the first order of business was to get a fire lit in our camp area to warm up while we set up our tents. Once the fire was roaring, we got down to the business of setting up our tents and moving around tables to make a community friendly environment. After all our camping equipment was ready for our night’s rest, we had the opportunity to explore the campsite and its many hiking trails. Luckily, we had most of the campground to ourselves due to our excursion being midweek and most of the world being at their day jobs. This allowed us the freedom to have loud fireside conversations and laugh late into the evening without the worry of disturbing any other campers. For dinner, we feasted on chili, bratwurst, and pie while sipping our coffee and tea.

In the morning of our second day, we all prepared our own oatmeal bowls from a smorgasbord of different toppings, and lunch was a taco salad and wraps—after which we took to the waters of the Chain O’Lakes, enjoying the world we’ve been blessed to be able to explore and enjoy.

On the second day of our trip, we were also visited by Diane Hunter, a Tribal historian for the Miami Tribe, who regaled us with stories of her culture and heritage. The whole process of listening and understanding her stories (plus being out on the lake in our kayaks the following day) really was enlightening to how truly lucky we are to be able to enjoy these plots of almost-undisturbed land. Our ability to take to the waterways and experience the world of the forested river was a serene, peaceful, and joyful experience. Spending time with old and new friends both out on that lake and talking around the campfire, telling stories and laughing while enjoying the outdoors is one unmatched by most things in life. Though there was some light rain drizzle, nothing could put a damper on the good times we shared together.