Dear Boundless Families:
On Saturday night, I paddle up to the outdoor gang’s precociously tidy campsite on the Dumoine River.
Ben sees me from half a k away, and flips me the bird. I respond in kind, and his face lights up. Its our thing together – this bird flipping. I think he still rejoices that he can motion to the executive director to screw off. A guy thing I suppose.
But it matters. Ben is the alpha student of the tribe. If I’m in with him, I’m in. And this King of Kindness, that adorable Ben, has set the tone for this group of acne prone primates since day one – a cohort that has matured two months for every day on the river.
The kids were just finishing the sauna they constructed, and chore groups were tending the fire and preparing lasagna. To this picky palate, it didn’t look that awful. They devour it. Their bodies process calories so efficiently – I hate them for that.
There is banter around the fire pit. The girls, spread around the circle randomly, start chatting away about some teen heartthrob on that ghastly Family Channel. The conversation is picking up steam, and in a blink, all six sidle up together and giggle and preen and gossip. The guys turn silent. They have become rapt witnesses to the intricacies of the feminine brain.
And in a flash, the fellas have had enough, realizing they can only observe, but never partake. And the Lasagna is ready. Priorities.
The next day, where I spent 6 hours with them on their descent through Red Pine Rapids, I got to see the machine in motion. It’s the little things that tell the tale.
They scared every trace of wildlife away with their warrior’s cry as they set sail. Their confidence in some pretty scary pieces of water was shocking. They lifted their canoes over obstacles with military precision. They played brain games during the calm stretches. Tara stumped me with her her absurd contention that energy on the internet has no mass. My brain is still addled by the notion. But they behaved as if they really cared for each other.
There are exactly zero outliers in the outdoor crew. They are golden as a team. They will be arriving back after lunch today utterly exhausted. Their minds will be filled with images that will last a lifetime.
As for English, I am, quite frankly, tired of relating how incredible they are. Lets just leave it at that. They are incredible. They will be going home better writers. They will be forever ruined for english classes at regular school in the future. They are Boundless addicts now. Na Na Na Na Boo Boo.
It’s been a slice, this wonderful second session. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for sending your kids to Boundless.
Happy reunions tomorrow.
Steven
