Sept. 6, 2010
Day 4: This morning was a bittersweet morning...sweet as we were surrounded by old teammates and newly made friends, bitter because today was our last day. The team headed out for an early morning run on the trails surrounding camp. Those Huskies taking the day off, hit the kitchen. The goal: to cook as much of the extra food as possible, and to get our teammates to eat as much of it as they could. Lauren Saylor, Sean Krinik and myself created a massive breakfast display while Kenna Patrick kept us company as she pedaled away on the stationary bike that had been conveniently traveled all the way from Seattle. We pulled out boxes full of bread loaves, took out carton after carton of fresh eggs and got to work. Between batches of multi-dozen scrambled eggs, Sean Krinik (giant spatula in hand) cooked up delicious French toast with a cinnamon-sugar mixture sprinkled on top for extra taste, and all the while acting like a professional restaurant chef. As the Huskies slowly trickled in from different distance runs, we urged them to not only eat, but stuff themselves! What they didn't eat would be wasted food, and so they ate ... at least six-dozen eggs and six loaves of bread. Leave it to a skinny bunch of distance runners to clear out the pantry! With floors mopped, dishes washed, stairs swept, and the campgrounds free of trash, we loaded the vans to head back to Seattle. One more ferry ride displayed a view that heard "Oohs and ahhs" from a few Huskies; it was a sight that combined a view of the Seattle skyline, with the Puget Sound in the foreground and finally Mount Rainier as a backdrop. Clear blue skies and calm, sparkling water only complemented the picturesque view as many team members stood on the deck, soaking up the warm sunlight and letting hair blow in the wind. To call camp a success would not be truly describing what took place at camp this week. Camp was a time of bonding, a time of branching out, and ultimately four days to make our team a better team than when we arrived. I think we did just that. We trained hard, we encouraged one another, we joined together to cook good food and play camp games, and most importantly, we had fun; as a team, with unified goals in mind. Day 3: The beauty we awoke to this morning left no signs of the rain and wind from the previous day. A beautiful day in Fort Flagler is truly a sight to be remembered; crisp, cool air and the brilliant sun shining high over head, reflecting off the water and creating a spectacular backdrop for our preseason training. Today was a day for adventure as we loaded up the vans for a short drive to the ferry in Port Townsend and then a ferry ride over to Whidbey Island for the infamous "Bluff Run." Now practiced ferry riders, we embarked on a gorgeous ferry ride over to the small island where we set off for our run. Some Huskies completed the full 10-mile out-and-back run, while others turned around at earlier points, but everyone simultaneously experiencing breathtaking views of the Puget Sound from the towering sea bluffs. After the "Bluff Run," we rode the ferry back to Port Townsend where we had an hour to explore the quaint downtown. First stop: Swain's convenience store, which, according to Metcalf, sells everything, except food. Although the absence of food was slightly disappointing for a group of runners with raging metabolisms, we managed to find a few treasures that proved to be far better than food. Laura Schmitt walked away with a shirt saying "YBTIH" and underneath in smaller writing the acronym reading, "Your Boyfriend Thinks I'm Hot." After trying to find someone that wanted the shirt, Laura finally came to the conclusion that she was really the one that wanted the shirt most. The freshman girls, after searching through aisles of everything from rain boots to lingerie, found badges; one for Metcalf and one for Mel Lawrence, identifying her as a Legal 21-year old. Metcalf's badge, specially adorned with blinking red lights for the extra tacky effect, read "#1 Coach", and complemented his outfit perfectly. That is, as well as something can complement a "Barney purple" poofy rain vest :-) After pocketing our Swain's treasures, we walked the streets of downtown Port Townsend, buying treats from coffee shops and espresso bars, and window-shopping in trinket shops. A definite highlight of our short stay in Port Townsend was the Husky women's discovery of a jewelry shop with retail-priced, sterling silver jewelry. After trying on countless rings and studded earrings, almost every Husky woman left the shop with a souvenir ring to remember the trip. Later that night, one last item existed on the list of "must-dos" at cross-country camp. The Husky men and women headed outside to begin the annual game of Sardines around the campgrounds. Two Huskies hide within the designated boundaries, and then pairs of Huskies are released to find the two hiding. Each pair that finds the two hiding joins them and the last two to discover the hiding spot, lose the game. The creativity of distance runners was clearly displayed as the first pair of hiders chose to lie in the center of the giant grass field in the dark, but it ended up being a pretty tricky spot as many pairs walked right by them. Sardines proved to be more time for bonding (as random pairing was made between men and women), friendly stories, and shared laughs as we ran around in the dark trying not to be the last Sardines! Bedtime came a bit late tonight but not without warm smiles on everyone¡¦s faces and certainly a few new friends. Until tomorrow :-) |
