WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Kaila, 11, Fairfield: “Everything is more fun than it would be on the Internet. You have to focus more on what you’re doing than just looking at a screen. Then you are aware of what is around you . ... I like the kayaking and hiking. I saw river otter poop and I’ve never seen that before . ... If I could be anything, I’d be a dog. I’ve had my love for dogs since a young age. I have a dog, Hazel. She’s a spaniel mix, and I love her very much.”
Alex, 12, San Francisco: “If I could be anything, I’d probably be an eagle. Flying sounds cool. It would be nice that you could just fly anywhere you want, plus I’ve never been in the air before . ... I love the archery, really satisfying, getting a bull’s-eye. I heard the whoosh of the arrow. I’ve never done archery before, and kayaking, never done that either. It’s really cool rowing a boat, so close to the water. I’d like to go backpacking, walking into wilderness.”
Taliya, 13, Suisun City: “I actually sleep better here, more comfortable, quieter, and I like that . ... I never have seen an elk, and that’s coming . ... I’ve made a lot of new friends here. I’m going to a new school this year, so learning how to make friends here will help me make friends there . ... If I could be anything, I would be a river otter. I just think they are cool, they can come out of the water and also go under the water, hold their breath a long time and they’re big and don’t get eaten.”
Jasmine, 12, San Francisco: “I’ve done kayaking, I’m not a full expert, but pretty experienced. I like the nature walks because you don’t get to see these things in the city. They don’t have wetlands, just buildings and houses . ... I saw elk and the baby ones running around are really cute . ... I tend to meet new people at camp and all of them are nice . ... If I could be anything, it would be a duck. You have all this land to roam around, wouldn’t be scared of anything eating you, because you can fly away, and you could go swimming anytime you want . ... When I go camping, I always bring a book with me. My mom will take the electronics away for bad behavior, I get a book, (it) passes time. If you’re not on your phone, you look at the scenery and actually enjoy it. Snapchat takes you away from the scenery.”