Where Giants Walk
Sunday, July 20th, 2025
LAKE SHUTTLE circa 2pm—The AC struggles against the accumulated heat from a morning of sitting in the unshaded parking lot. I crack a window for the wind chill in the meantime. Scraggly trees with clumps of mistletoe and large swaths of blackberry line the windy easement. Having just dropped off the lifeguards, I drive with only the arid scenery for company. Suddenly two quails dart across the road, followed by a line of baby quails. I pause to take their family portrait as they skitter through the dry grass.
Back in Camp, I load up the Ford Explorer with a rowdy group of campers who fill the ride with an uninterrupted cascade of inanities. Back at the Lake, the campers disembark and I take a moment to appreciate their finger-drawn graffiti on the Shuttle’s dusty exterior.
The middle Sunday of every two-week session is graced with a late wake-up time. Campers and counselors are free to sleep in until 10am, if they so desire, though the relaxation doesn’t last long. Starting at 10:30am today, all of Camp was marshalled into performing the much-feared Mid-Term Tipi Clean-Up. Today I interviewed some of the survivors of this grueling ritual.
“We’re using a two-pile system,” said Django, 12, Flame Tipi, wiping a mat with broad, circular strokes. “We’re in it to win it! I think the prize for cleanest tipi is ice cream or something. Definitely worth it for a little extra effort. For the second week I’m looking forward to doing stilt walks and Adventure Night—I mean, Tipi Clean-Up Night.”
“We’ve been cleaning every morning, so today’s clean-up was pretty painless,” said Wyatt, 13, Green Tipi. “We worked as a team, but I did most of the work—no, I’m just playin’. Doing big clean-up makes me feel like I’m leaving and arriving at the same time, you know? The first week of Camp was pretty fire, and the second week looks like it’s gonna be even more fire.”
“Tipi clean-up is the epitome of teamwork, and the realistic part of communal living,” said Administrative Manager Mayahuel Montoya. “Each tipi has an area to clean up around camp, in addition to their physical tipis. We try to match up counselors with their teaching areas. I like to think of it as the counselors helps the campers, and then the campers help the counselors.”
“Sometimes, over the course of a session, conflicts can build up between people,” continued Mayahuel. “Mid-Term Clean-Up is infused with the grand spirit of a social reset. It’s like putting gesso on a canvas, so it can be ready for the masterpiece of the Big Show. It’s also a great opportunity for us Camper Advocates to have a window into the team dynamics developing in each tipi, to see how they’re vibing.”
“There’s more important things than leaving evidence for archaeologists of the future,” complained Clowning Instructor Riley Soloner, brandishing a plastic bag full of micro-trash. “I want to preserve the present, so we can have a future!”
“We’re doing everything in groups,” said Tess, 15, Purple Tipi. “We had an inside crew wearing only socks, so that we could maintain a dust-free zone—a dust quarantine, if you will. Cleaning the Costume Barn was really challenging. It’s just such a large area with so many obstacles. I found some sparkly pom-poms on the ground, and they were low-key pretty. It was with a heavy heart that I threw them in the trash.”
“Clean-up was a little stressful, but our tipi worked well together,” said Eloui, 14, Purple Tipi. “I found a piece of peppermint candy. I didn’t eat it; it was very dirty. The tipi is frustrating to sweep because of the shape of the walls and of the tarp floor. Overall, it was a good teamwork experience, and it brought us closer together as a tipi.”
At noon, campers were summoned to the Rainbow Theater for the Lost & Found Fashion Show, after which Riley, assuming his recurring gnome persona, recited a delightful poem about micro-trash:
“
I frolic out of giants sight
where gnomes commune in earthly delight
But where giants walk and stomp and prance
they leave behind their evidence
Micro Trash! A likely story…
Scraps and shreds and pieces and bits
I remain peaceful, I don’t throw a fit
I pick it up, do my inspection
then catalog the items in my collection
What’s that resting in my dirt?
A tag torn from young giant’s shirt
What layeth before my two gnome feet?
A wet wipe dried up in the heat
Pen cap, costume scrap, popsicle stick
Dropped, discarded, flung, flicked
A hair tie knotted with dusty strands
Ribbons, wrappers, rubber bands
Pillow feathers, old name tags,
Torn off corners from candy bags
Scotch tape, duct tape, masking tape
Plastic chunks of every shape
Buttons, string, beads, thrown
Cast to the wind like seeds, sown
What’s hiding ‘neath my leaves and moss?
How lovely, your used dental floss
Paper towel, paper cup
I see the trash, I pick it up
Paper cup, paper towel
Walking past micro trash? That’s foul
Micro trash: barely perceptible
Deliver it to the nearest receptacle
If you pick a piece once left behind
Just once per day, that would be just fine
To clean a mess, no matter who made it
The gnomes will thank you, we appreciate it
“
Stay hydrated,
—J. Payseno, Editor
