Chapter 2

Monday morning before homeroom, Billy caught up with David Beiler in the hallway near his locker. “I’ve a got a couple things I want to discuss with you,” Billy commented.

“Shoot,” David agreed. “What’s up?”

“First, I found a slimy, come filled rubber in my trash can when I was cleaning up Saturday night,” Billy said.

“My bad,” David admitted. “I meant to dispose of it, but you know how it is. Grace and I only had seven minutes and I sort of forgot about the rubber.”

“What do you think would have happened if my parents had found it instead of me?” Billy asked.

“Nothing good, nothing good at all,” David said. “Sorry about getting careless.”

“I cannot believe you and Grace got it on in my bathroom while everyone else is outside the door.”

“Being fourteen sucks,” David retorted. “We can’t drive. Finding privacy is next to impossible. What can I say? Grace and I got horny and had seven minutes to take advantage of the situation.”

“I guess I understand, sort of,” Billy allowed.

“What’s your second thing?” David asked. Just as he said it, the warning buzzer buzzed. “Shit, hit me with it after fifth period. We should have time to talk before gym class starts.”

“See you later,” Billy agreed.

The two boys did meet in the hallway outside the gym after fifth period. They had seven minutes from the start of sixth period to get dressed and get on the gym floor for roll call. Getting dressed didn’t take nearly that long.

David checked up and down the hallway before asking Billy, “What’s the other question you had for me?”

“Um ... I know it’s personal but I had a question about ... uh, sex,” Billy stammered as he blushed. “You’re the only friend my age who has done it. What is like? Is it as good as everyone says?”

“Is sex good?” David laughed. “Do you like jerking off?”

“Well ... duh, yeah,” Billy answered.

“Sex is a thousand times better than jerking off,” David answered.

“Jesus! I’m going to be a hopeless pervert once I get laid,” Billy moaned. “I think about jerking off, girls and sex constantly now. What am I going to be like once I know what sex feels like?”

“Like me,” David replied. “Constantly horny and willing to take crazy risks like Saturday night in order to enjoy screwing. Would you believe that Grace and I having been doing it for two months, want to do it constantly and only have managed to hook up seven times? Having no car sucks.”

“I understand,” Billy allowed. “How did you manage to convince Grace to go all the way? Most of the girls in our grade are terrified at the idea of doing it with a boy.”

“I got lucky,” Dave laughed.

“Well, duh, you got laid,” Billy retorted. “Of course, you’re lucky.”

“That’s not what I mean,” David said. “You can’t tell anyone what I am going to tell you.”

“You know I have your back,” Billy said. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“I am lucky I am dating Grace,” David said. “My luck is that Grace has a big sister. Ellie is in eleventh grade and has a senior for a boyfriend. As you would expect, sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds have sex. Ellie and Jim happen not to care if little sister Grace is home after school when they get busy. Grace has put up with listening to her big sister screw and love screwing all of the school year. I think Grace discussed sex with Ellie too before Grace and I did the deed.

“You remember that teacher in-service day back in January?” Dave asked.

“You mean MLK Day?”

“No, there was a day we had off and the teachers went to school on a Friday, early in the month,” Dave explained. “Anyway, Ellie was supposed to be watching Grace that day while their parents worked. Around nine o’clock, Ellie’s boyfriend Jim shows up and the two of them take off. Grace called me and asked if I could come over and keep her company.”

“You found a ride,” Billy said.

“A big empty house and most of the day alone with my girlfriend?” Dave grinned. “Hell yeah! I walked two and a half miles in the drizzle and fog to get there. Damned straight I did. Now, Grace and I were pretty typical for kids our age before that day. Making out and an occasional feel of her boobies, through her shirt of course.”

“Amber doesn’t allow that,” Billy remarked.

“OK, maybe Grace and I were little ahead of you and Amber back then,” Dave said. “Anyway, we’re making out and next thing I know, Grace agrees to take her top off. Damn, her boobies are spectacular when you get to see and feel them. We watched this teen sex movie while we were making out. That didn’t help us control ourselves at all.”

“An R rated movie,” Billy asked.

“NC-17” Dave replied. “You get to see everything except nudity while the teens screw. They even show the couple screwing, but under a sheet. The guys humping up and down on the girl. You didn’t need much imagination to know what was going on.”

“I bet that really got you worked up,” Billy observed.

“I threw a wicked boner,” Dave said. “Grace was turned on by what we were watching too. God, what a make out session. When the movie ended, we cooled down a little. We grabbed some lunch and then replayed the good parts of the movie. Grace’s top was off and I was playing with those wonderful boobies when we heard Ellie and Jim return. We froze, expecting to get caught. Ellie and Jim bolted upstairs to her room. Within minutes, we heard Ellie’s headboard knocking the wall and the moaning and groaning as they screwed each other’s brains out. That got Grace and me more worked up. I was shocked when Grace reached between my legs and began stroking my boner through my jeans. I decided to go for broke. I slipped my hand into her pants and began playing stink finger.”

“No shit?” Billy gasped, hanging on every word Dave said.

“Really,” Dave confirmed. “Anyway, after a few minutes, things got quiet upstairs – I assume after Jim came. Grace suggested we move upstairs to her bedroom where we’d have more privacy. Neither of us wanted Ellie and Jim to find us half naked downstairs. Anyway, we move upstairs and Grace suggests things would be easier if our pants were off. I didn’t object. So, there we are, in nothing but boxers or panties on Grace’s bed, making out like no tomorrow. Grace is rubbing my boner. I’ve got my hand in her panties fingering her slot. It was heaven. Anyway, Grace decides she wants to see my boner, so I pull off my boxers. She gives me a hand job.” Dave laughs. “If you think jerking yourself off is good, you should try having your girlfriend do it. It is so much better. Grace cleans me up after I spew. I get to finger her. I finally find the bump they talk about.”

“Bump?”

“The one at the top of her slot that girls love you to rub,” Dave explains. “Be very gentle when you get to that stage with your girl. Anyway, after a little rubbing, Grace pulls me on top of her to kiss some more. My boner naturally ends up in her wet slot.”

“Wet?” Bill asked blankly.

“You got a lot to learn, my friend,” Dave sighs. “Girls get wet down there when they get excited. It helps them get ready for sex. It’s lubrication.”

“Oh.”

“We’re kissing and rubbing and next thing, Ellie and Jim start at it again. They’re in the next room and we can hear nearly everything as they screw. Grace and I rubbing together and it feels mind blowing. One time, my boner goes to low and it hits Grace’s hole. Grace stares up at me for a few seconds and says, ‘Do it.’ I gasp, ‘huh?’ Grace moans, ‘Put it in me.’ I’m shocked. I also give a hard hip thrust and bury my boner into her before she changes her mind. A second thrust and I’m balls deep in pussy.”

“Amazing,” Billy murmurs.

“Ellie and Jim are banging away,” Dave said. “I check to make sure Grace is OK. She is. I begin balling too. God, what a feeling. Grace is rubbing my chest and back as I screw her. She’s grinning ear to ear. Finally, I feel the urge. After a few more thrusts I blow my load inside Grace.”

“What about knocking her up?” Billy asked.

“None of this was planned,” Dave explained. “Neither of us gave pregnancy the slightest thought. Thankfully we learned later that we did the deed during a safe day.”

“There are safe days?” Billy asked. Dave sighed before responding.

“Last Saturday night at your party ... that was an unsafe day,” Dave said. “Grace started her period two weeks earlier. I’d have knocked her up Saturday night if I hadn’t used the rubber. If you screw just before or just after a girl’s period, you can do it without rubbers. Without feels much better.”

“It’s not like I need to know about safe days yet,” Billy replied. “Amber’s parents are so strict that she and Lilly can’t even go on a date yet. No way am I getting alone with her and convincing her to go all the way.”

“It will happen sooner or later, buddy,” Dave said. “I never expected it when it happened to Grace and me. Take advantage of whatever opportunities present themselves. God knows, kids our age don’t get many chances for privacy where we can enjoy sex.”

“Good advice,” Billy agreed. He glanced at the hall clock. “We better move it. Mr. Jackson will have our balls if we are late for roll call.”

The whole gang from Billy’s party decided to go to the movies as a group the following Saturday night. Amber and Lilly happily made out with Billy and Brian during the bulk of a less-than-enthralling movie. No surprise to anyone, Dave and Grace made out while Dave played with Grace’s titties most of the movie. To the gang’s surprise, Alexis allowed Tyler the same liberties. Shy Ian and innocent Vicky kissed a little but mostly watched the movie.

The following week Billy, Brian, Amber, Lilly, Ian and Vicky hit the movies again, the evening before Easter. Billy and Amber, along with Brian and Lilly, spent a good part of the movie making out. Both boys were well behaved, keeping their hands to their dates’ hands, knees and shoulders. They might have wanted to explore the twins’ breasts, but they didn’t. Kissing was too damned good to risk losing the girl from pressuring them to go to second base. To the other teens’ surprise, Ian and Vicky spent a substantial portion of the movie playing tonsil hockey.

Easter came early in 2016, the 27th of March. Spring break vacation for the Paradise School District ran from the Thursday before Easter to the Tuesday after Easter. The last day before Spring Break, Billy, Amber, Brian and Lilly were sitting down to lunch after their math class.

“What in God’s name was Mrs. Ross talking about?” Lilly groaned. “Pythagorean Theory? I don’t get it.”

“It’s Pythagorean Theorem,” Billy noted.

“Whatever,” Lilly huffed. “This going to be on the mid-term in three weeks and I am lost.”

“My grasp on this a little vague too,” Amber agreed.

“This isn’t that hard,” Brian said. “Billy and I get together to work on it. He’s wiz with math.”

“When and where do you meet?” Lilly asked. “Would you be willing to help me, Billy?”

“Of course, I would,” Billy responded.

“Sometimes we get together at my place, sometimes at Billy’s place,” Brian added. “Which afternoon after school is flexible. It depends on the football team’s off-season study session schedule.”

“We would love to help you out,” Billy agreed. “My house is available and nice and quiet. My parents are both at work when I get home from school.”

“That’s not going to work,” Amber said. “Our parents will never allow us to go to a boy’s house when no one is around to chaperone.”

“My dad is usually home,” Brian said. “He’s a writer and works out of his office at my house, most of the time.”

“Maybe you guys could come over and work with us at our house,” Lilly suggested. “Mom’s at home and I am pretty sure she would allow us to have you two come over, as long as she is home.”

“We could do that,” Billy agreed after getting a smile and a head nod from Brian.

The last Thursday night in March, Billy, Amber, Lilly, Dave and Grace joined Venturing Crew 312. Brian attended the meeting too, as a “prospective member visiting the crew.” He couldn’t officially join until after May 11th, when he turned fourteen. The crew was preparing for their annual white-water rafting trip in the end of April. Brian would be allowed to attend, as a “visitor.” All six new Venturers signed up and paid to secure their spot on the rafting trip.

Billy, Brian, Amber and Lilly settled on the boys coming over to the Burkholder home on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school to work together on homework. Mrs. Burkholder was impressed by the polite and well-spoken young men. Billy and Brian had to be courteous. Their parents would skin them alive if they weren’t.

Their first couple afternoons were spent at the kitchen table, working on math. Mrs. Burkholder hovered around the kitchen as the kids worked. While new to girls and dating, Brian and Billy were bright enough to understand what Mrs. Burkholder was doing; checking up on them to make sure there wasn’t any monkey business going on. The two boys were on their best behavior.

The next week working together Mrs. Burkholder didn’t “happen to go by” nearly as often. Apparently, the boys were gaining her trust. Lilly and Amber improved in math. After two weeks of studying together, the girls felt prepared for next week’s mid-term.

Football forced a change in their study schedule. Their get-togethers switched to Wednesday and Friday while the boys attended the informal spring football training on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Billy was a running back for the JV team. Brian played tight end.

The Friday almost two weeks after Easter brought a surprising development to the two would-be couples. Billy, Amber, Brian and Lilly had already taken seats for lunch when Dave and Grace joined them. The usually easy-going couple had some sort of issue.

“What did I do?” Dave protested.

“You know full well what I am mad about,” Grace huffed as she sat down.

“What?”

“HER!” Grace growled.

“Who? What are you talking about?” Dave whined.

“If you don’t know I am not going to tell you!” Grace snapped.

Dave sat down and stayed quiet. How could he argue with Grace’s logic? The lunch was uncomfortable for the six friends. Billy, Amber, Brian and Lilly tried to keep the conversation going but that was difficult.

Later in the afternoon, Brian met up with Dave before gym class. “What is up with Grace?” Billy asked.

“She told me before fifth period,” Dave said. “She thinks I have been flirting with Emma Smith.”

“Emma?” Brian replied. “Shit!” Emma Smith was in eighth grade too, but usually dated ninth and tenth graders. She had been dumped by Jerry Wenger, her tenth-grade boyfriend a week earlier. When you made a list of the sexually active kids in their grade, Emma was at the top of the dozen or so names on the list. Rumor had that she had given up her virginity back in the fall to a tenth-grade boy. She had three high school age boyfriends since the school year started. She also had the biggest set of tits of any girl in their grade.

“Are you sniffing around her?” Brian asked.

“No, of course not,” Dave answered. “I have Grace. Emma has been hanging around with me a little and she is fun to talk with, but that’s it. Just talking. Why is Grace blowing this all out of proportion?”

“Damned if I know,” Brian said. “Then, what do I know? I’ve never had a girlfriend.” Dave gave his friend a surprised look.

“What about Lilly?”

“We are not officially a couple,” Brian responded. “Her parents won’t allow her to date until high school.” Dave laughed.

“It may not be official, but you most certainly have a girlfriend,” Dave smirked. “You’ve taken no one else to the movies in almost two months. I’ve seen you two making out. She is your girl, whether you say the word girlfriend or not.”

“I guess,” Brian admitted. “Is there anything I can do to help you with Grace?”

“Nothing I can think of,” Dave replied.

The sniping between Dave and Grace continued through the next week. Mid-week, a rumor circulated around the eighth grade. It reported that Dave was going to dump Grace to hook up with Emma Smith. Dave protested indignantly that the rumor was not true. The rumor was the final straw for Grace. She dumped Dave before homeroom on Friday.

At lunch that day, the usual gang sat together. Dave joined Billy, Amber, Brian, Lilly, Ian, Vicky and Tyler. He was coming from the shop wing of the school, a good walk from the cafeteria. The rest came from the first floor, Ian and Tyler from history and the reminder from math class.

“I have to bail on the movie tomorrow night,” Dave commented after he was seated. “No date anymore.”

“Nuts,” Lilly responded. “How can we do a group trip to the movies if the only people left are Brian, Billy and Amber?”

“Our parents will never go for this,” Amber agreed. “This is too much like a date.”

“Well ... that sucks,” Billy added.

“Ian? Vicky?” Brian asked. “How about you guys? Want to join us for a movie tomorrow night?”

“I would if I could,” Vicky answered. “My family is going away this weekend.”

“Dave, come anyway,” Brian said.

“Without a date I would be a fifth wheel,” Dave replied. “No thank you.”

“How about you, Ty?” Billy asked. “Help us out here.”

“I already asked Rebecca out and got shot down,” Tyler answered. “Sorry about that.”

“Our parents will never allow us to go to the movies with two boys,” Lilly said.

“Ask them for permission,” Billy said. “Maybe they will surprise you.”

Amber and Lilly did ask their parents that evening. To their shock, their mom and dad were fine with them going to the movies with Billy and Brian. The twins excitedly texted the boys that the trip to the movies was still on. The twins speculated that their parents getting to know the boys was a good thing.

The group decided to see “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” since the other big movie was “Batman vs. Superman.” They had seen that movie a few weeks earlier when it premiered. The movie was OK. There was more time spent talking than the boys preferred. The two informal couples spent quite a bit of time making out in the back row of the theater.

Monday’s lunch was strained. Grace ate with other girls. Dave seemed to have inherited the group of friends that had been tight all winter. Lilly, Amber and Vicky missed having Grace there with the boys. Dave showed up at the lunch table on Tuesday, escorting Emma Smith. The group welcomed her. Dave spent most of the lunch period flirting with and staring at Emma. She joined the group every day for lunch that week. Dave and Emma were sickeningly sweet on each other.

Wednesday brought the announcement that they were going steady. Emma was fitting in with the others. Thursday, Emma and Dave left lunch about fifteen minutes early. They made an excuse that they needed to stop off at the library before the next class. Later in afternoon, the rumor spread around the eighth grade that Dave and Emma had done the deed in the ADA single stall bathroom on the first floor of the east classroom wing.

Billy had a class with Dave the final period of the day. “Please tell me rumor isn’t true. You didn’t screw Emma in the bathroom during lunch period.”

“I’m a Scout and I am supposed to be trustworthy,” Dave answered, grinning ear to ear. “I will not confirm or deny the rumor.” He laughed. “Do you know, it’s been three weeks since I got laid the last time?”

“You are too much,” Billy replied.

“You’ll see one of these days,” Dave responded. “Once you have sex, you’ll be just as horny and desperate as I am to get more.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Billy replied. “Amber keeps me on a very short leash.”

“Patience,” Dave counseled. “Grace took a while to get comfortable with sex too. Your girlfriend will come around too.”

Billy didn’t comment about the fact that Amber wasn’t allowed to date, so she wasn’t quite his girlfriend yet.

More fallout from the breakup between Dave and Grace became apparent at the April Venturer crew meeting. Dave showed up with Emma. She signed up to join the crew. Andrew Bennett, the crew president, announced that there was an opening for the end of the month rafting trip. Grace Martin had dropped out of the trip. Emma jumped at the chance to spend a weekend with Dave. Her dad paid for the trip at the end of the meeting when he came to pick her up.

Billy and Brian’s Scout troop went camping the following weekend. The troop went ziplining and did a high wire course down in Delaware. It was fun, but not as much fun as the Venturer crew’s trip the following weekend. What they did was good for the eleven- and twelve-year-old Scouts but Billy and Brian were ready for something more adventurous like rafting Class II and III rapids in the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.

The Venturer crew met at the church that sponsored their unit Friday evening, April 22nd. Departure was scheduled for 5:00PM. Billy’s Uncle Joe, the crew’s advisor, was strict about that. Show up at 5:01 and all you will see was the tail lights of the caravan heading west on Route 30 for Wellsboro.

The 26 Venturers and 5 adults assembled at the church. Billy, Amber, Brian, Lilly, Dave and Emma snagged seats in Billy’s mom’s Caravan. The trip north to their camping area near Wellsboro took four and a half hours. The group arrived at the primitive campsite in the state forest near Blackwell.

Set up was lit by propane lanterns. Crew 312 was well organized. Andrew Bennett and his quartermaster, Jessie Summers, organized unloading and setting up the campsite. Billy and his carload of friends, by chance, ended up near the front of the line as tents were handed out. Billy and Brian tented together, as they usually did in Boy Scouts. Grace and Lilly took a tent. Dave hooked up with Jerry Weiler, a ninth grader. Emma agreed to stay with Kaitlyn Wilson, another ninth grader. Kaitlyn and Emma knew each other because her boyfriend was close friends with one of Emma’s ex-boyfriends.

Billy and Brian helped the twins set up their tent. The boys had no problem. The tents belonged to their Troop 312 and were on loan to the crew. Once Amber and Lilly’s tent was up, the boys pitched their own tent. Just as Billy and Brian finished moving their personal gear into their tent, Jessie Summers called for everyone to gather for cracker barrel – a traditional Scouting bed time snack. They didn’t have anything fancy, just cheeses slices with crackers and some bug juice.

Andrew Bennett grabbed Billy, Brian, Amber, Lilly, Dave and Emma after the snack was over.

“You’re new to tent camping with the crew,” Andrew announced. “Some of the things here may surprise you. We have five tents with boy-girl couples sharing tents this weekend. That is OK with the crew leadership. What is said and done here on a crew trip STAYS on the crew trip. You can’t screw up a good thing we have by blabbing back home to anyone? Is that clear?”

The six teens nodded their assent. “Good,” Andrew continued. “Mr. Baer treats us as responsible young people capable of making our own decisions. It is fine if a guy and a girl want to share a tent. No one questions what may go on in the tent with two exceptions. Everything done must be consensual and protection must be used. Guys, did you bring condoms this weekend?”

“Um ... no,” Billy stuttered. Brian indicated he hadn’t brought protection either. Dave smiled and said, “I got it covered.”

“Billy, Brian, if you need anything, let me know,” Andrew said. “The crew members chip in to keep a big bag of condoms around, so everyone is protected. We don’t want any more accidents.”

“Have there been some?” Dave asked.

“Four times that I have heard of,” Andrew said.

“Billy and I are the result of two of those accidents,” Brian commented. “Who else?”

“There was a kid a couple years after you guys were born that knocked up his girlfriend on a crew trip,” Andrew replied. “I don’t know his name. The fourth was more recent, since I joined the crew. Three years ago, Ryan Kauffman spent half the weekend doing the deed with Missy Showalter. They used rubbers Friday night and got three more for Saturday night. They blew through those before they fell asleep. Early Sunday morning, the two got horny and went at it again, bareback. Sure enough, Missy ended up pregnant. Your Uncle Joe and Aunt Barb were pissed. Be smart and ask for protection. It’s here and it’s free.”

Lilly and Amber were blushing. Dave and Emma were excited after the revelation. They hurried off to find Jerry and Kaitlyn to arrange a tentmate swap.

“Do you want to swap tentmates?” Billy offered. “Alone time is hard to get.”

“I don’t think so,” Amber said. “Two full nights together is probably too long. There would be too many temptations and I am not ready for what some of these kids are doing.”

“Definitely too soon,” Lilly agreed. The four headed for their tents. Dave passed Billy and Brian just before the two climbed into their tent.

“Fricking Jerry and Kaitlyn,” Dave grumbled. “They’ve got some sort of feud between them. The absolutely refuse to consider moving in together, even if all they do is sleep in the same tent. Emma and I would love to spend two nights together.”

“That sucks for you,” Billy commented. “Well, at least we will know about tenting arrangements for the trip in June.”

When the boys had settled in for bed and the campsite became quiet, the two could overhear noises from a couple nearby tents. Two couples were busy screwing each other’s brains out. When the first two quieted, another couple started up. By the time the fourth couple got it on, Billy and Brian both sported raging boners.

Brian looked over at Billy. “Do you mind if I whack off? I’ve got a bad case of blue balls.”

“I won’t mind if you don’t mind if I do the same.” Neither teen was shy around his best friend. The two boys opened up their sleeping bags, pulled down their boxers and whacked off to the sounds of teens screwing. They exploded with come within seconds of each other. Clean up was messy.

“I wish Amber was with me tonight,” Billy commented.

“I feel the same about Lilly,” Billy agreed. “Do you think they’ll be willing to go all the way, one these days?”

“Everybody loses their cherry some time,” Billy commented. “Why not to us? I enjoy hanging with them, regardless of whether we get to screw or not.”

“Yeah ... I guess I agree,” Brian agreed. “Still, I would like to be one of the guys doing the screwing instead being a virgin wishing I was doing it.”

The crew was up early on Saturday morning. The cooks got busy as the rest of the crew got up and prepared for a day on the creek. Billy and Brian overheard an exchange between Dave and Emma.

“Where’s the shower house?” Emma asked her boyfriend.

“This is a primitive campsite,” Dave replied. “There’s no shower house.”

“I guess the bathrooms will do to clean up,” Emma said. “Where is it?”

“This is primitive,” Dave repeated. “There is trowel and some toilet paper over by the fly. Go at least 200 feet uphill from the creek.”

“You have GOT to be joking,” Emma snapped. “No bathrooms? I’m supposed to go out in the woods?”

“I am sure they have regular bathrooms at the outfitters,” Dave offered. “Can you wait until we get there this morning?”

“Do I have a choice?” Emma snipped. “I am not some animal.”

Dave saw Billy and Brian watching the exchange after Emma stalked away. He just shrugged his shoulders to his friends. What could he do? Most everyone knew this was a primitive campsite when the trip was planned.

The group gobbled down breakfast then dressed for the river. Swim suit and quick-dry shirts went on under their outer clothes. The temperature was below freezing when they got out of bed. The weatherman predicted the temperature would rise to the low 60s by mid-day. Thankfully, the clouds were clearing as they loaded up in the cars for the ride upstream to the outfitters.

Emma dashed for the bathroom when they arrived at the outfitters. The group hung out while Joe Baer got their group registered. There was more hurry up and wait while they got their wet suits, PFDs and helmets. Almost an hour later the group gathered down at the boat landing. Billy, Amber, Brian, Lilly, Dave and Emma managed to grab a raft for the six of them.

The rafting adventure lasted almost six hours. The group splashed and plunged down the creek through Class II and III rapids. Everyone had a blast, including the two teens who fell out and needed pulled in by the guides. The outfitter provided a lunch half way down the creek. 31 tired, wet but happy campers pulled off the creek at the Blackwell boat landing.

Andrew Bennett organized the crew for the hike back to their campsite, about a half mile away. The outfitters collected the gear and hauled the adult drivers back to the outfitters to pick up their cars or vans. Dinner was almost ready when the drivers returned to camp. Their meal was simple; spaghetti, garlic bread, salad and pudding pie for dessert.

The members of the crew hung out in the evening, talking, playing cards or other games some of the kids brought. The six eighth-graders spent an hour or two with a deck of cards. By 8:30 it was starting to get dark. Brian suggested to Lilly that the two of them take a walk so they could have some alone time. Billy and Amber took the hint and took off in a different direction for their “walk.”