On September 30th, my eighth-grade classmates and I departed from Poly Prep and began our trip toward Camp Mason in Hardwick Township, New Jersey. When I arrived at Camp Mason, my first impressions were that it was very rural and seemed like a different environment from what I was used to. At first, I was intimidated by how big it was, and I was worried I might get lost. I wasn’t sure if I could last these couple of days at this camp. 

Upon our arrival, we had lunch and then split up into groups. Each group participated in many different activities, including black bear, giant swing, crate stacking, canoeing, parkour, ziplining, and apple cidering. We had a lot of fun, and it was very different from what I usually do. “It was a good way to find new things and push us out of our comfort zones,” said Drew Brandmeyer ‘29. After the activities, we went to dinner with the whole grade. The food was surprisingly decent, and I had grilled cheese on the first night. After dinner, we headed out to have a night walk, then headed back to our cabins to end our first day.

The next day was our first full day at Camp Mason. We went to do a morning activity with our group, and I did canoeing. It was a lot of fun, even though my pants got wet because I was in the middle of the boat. Even when we were canoeing, our instructor played games with us, and we bonded with our group. Then, we did the giant swing. This was the most fun day at Camp Mason. The activities were fun, and at the end of the day, we had a grade dance. At the grade dance, they had a DJ. Although it was unusual, I think it was cool. Others feel it was not the best part of the Camp Mason experience. “I feel like the dance was just to socialize but did not bond our whole grade,” said Fiona Inamoto ‘29. 

Unfortunately, I couldn’t be there on the last day, but I heard my classmates had a great time. Hudson Whiteley ‘29, played team-building activities with his group, saying, “I thought it was really fun and a perfect way to end the trip.” 

Overall, I thought it was an amazing experience because the experience pushed my classmates and I to go outside our comfort zone. It was also an amazing way to bond and make new friends!