Galil Blog
Hello Galil families! We just returned from an amazing adventure at Hickory Run State Park. On Sunday morning, the bogrimot woke up early to go whitewater rafting while the rest of us got started at our usual wake-up time of 8 AM. For Ivrit Shimushit (useful Hebrew), we stuck with the theme of camping and learned the word dov, which means bear. We had a hearty breakfast of oatmeal and then we did avodah to make sure camp was all clean before we left.
Before departing for tiyul, we had some special guests come to visit: Mark from Briar Bush Nature Center and his animal friends! Campers had a meet & greet with native Pennsylvania wildlife including a milk snake, a box turtle, a stick insect, and a red-tailed hawk. We learned about the adaptations these animals have made to survive in the forests of Pennsylvania. We spent the rest of the morning learning and practicing the tasks that we’ll need to complete for a successful tiyul – from gathering firewood, setting up tents and actually building a successful campfire!
We left camp around 2:30 pm and drove into the Pocono Mountains. After a scenic drive through the Poconos, we arrived at our campsite and began pitching out tents and building fires. We grilled and ate burgers as the sun set. The fun continued well into the night with s’mores, campfire singing, and storytelling. Finally after a long day we tucked into our sleeping bags, zipped our tent flaps, and prepared for the next day’s hike.
We woke up to the smell of bagels being toasted over the fire. After breakfast, we packed up our tents and thoroughly cleaned our campsite. We made our final preparations before adventuring out on our hike. (Hickory Run State Park has some amazing trails – check it out this fall or next spring!) After a long trek, we stopped for lunch. Everyone packed a brown bag lunch with sandwiches, apples, chips, and granola bars. After our delicious meal, we set out for the second half of our hike, intermittently stoping to bask in the glory of the nature around us. While waiting for the busses back at the campsite, we spent some more time being part of nature.
After our bus ride, everyone unpacked and cleaned off, but the memories we made certainly won’t wash away. We had pasta with garlic knots for dinner before coming together for a chill movie night in the moadon. Everyone went back to their tzrifim (cabins) looking forward to sleeping in a bed again and ready to rest after our great trip.