By Nicole Helfrich
The second I arrived at this mysterious new place, I could smell the houses, hear children laughing, and knew I would have the time of my life at Circle F Dude Ranch. The first thing we did was place our stuff in a nearby cabin. It felt like camp and it was oddly familiar, almost like I had been there before. I was in group one, so we rode the horses first. I was a little nervous about it because I haven't ridden a horse in over a year, but they made me feel very comfortable. Luckily, I was given the sweetest horse named Wrangler. We rode through a dirt path and past a gorgeous pond. Once I was done, I got off my horse and heard my teacher say, “Time for the next activity!”
Our next activity had to have been one of my favorites because we had the choice of climbing a tower or swing from a rope My eyes went straight to the tower and I knew there was no way I wasn’t going to do that All my friends went before me on the rope and said it was so much fun. The tower that I went on was 65 feet tall with a rocky part to climb It also had obstacles that moved while I tried to climb When I got to the top I could see all the stunning trees and nature surrounding me I was so hungry by the time I got down but glad I caught sight of the dining hall I walked into the dining hall and saw all the different food options which made it difficult for me to choose I sat with my friends at a table that was set with silverware just for us I ate my food so fast it came back up in seconds.
Sadly, I heard the “BING, BING!” and knew it was time for the final activity of the day We swiped on our bathing suits, listening to some safety instructions, and then cannonballed into the lake There were So many kayaks and canoes that everyone hopped in on and had a race I cannot remember which one I was on, but I heard everyone yelling that I won! There was a big area by the dock where we could swim in which was shaped like the letter “m” We were all trying to see if we could touch the bottom but only one person could After a long day, it was time to get back on the bus and go home I couldn’t wait to tell my parents all about this trip. I knew that this was one of my favorite field trips that I could remember going on for a long time.