That’s how I ended up in the boonies. I guess the principal and my mom thought it would be good for me to spend time in a wilderness camp just like Mr. Frang would have liked. Mom said that I would have to face myself out here and learn how to survive a little on my own. She said that a program like Windpipe teaches kids to have some respect for themselves and for others. I told her that I already had plenty of respect for myself. She half smiled, and half rolled her eyes at me. She wasn’t changing her mind though.

I decided not to fight it. I mean, hey, a couple of weeks at camp didn’t sound too bad, especially since I would get to miss the last two weeks of school. I really like swimming and canoeing and sleeping outside. I thought maybe we would play baseball, horseback ride, or there might be a good game room. But, boy was I wrong about most of it. There has been more than enough time in the water, lots of canoeing and sleeping outside but no baseball, no swimming for fun, and definitely no game room. I guess that physical I had to take before I came should have been a clue; There is a reason they call it a wilderness camp.