All the campers trudged along the dirt path towards the kitchen and dining area, eager to enjoy the food promised by the appetizer of songs and announcements of “dinner circle,” which had just ended in the teepee circle. It had been a long hot day, and the sun had long since dried from the ground any moisture the cool morning may have delicately deposited as the sun rose at the start of the day. Walking next to me, my fellow Teen Staff member took up a common refrain during those long summer days, “Pick up your feet! Pick up your feet! Dust is the worst thing you could ever eat!” A little exaggerated, perhaps, but a useful tool to get the kids to recognize that every foot dragged along the ground with the satisfied weariness of another long day of camp life was sending clouds of whirling dust in the eyes and mouth of those walking behind.
We reached the kitchen area and the campers dutifully arrayed themselves around the picnic tables set with plates, cups and silverware. The other Teen Staff members and I went into the kitchen, each grabbing one of the pitchers of water sitting inside on the counter. One of the counselors then raised a final pitcher. Another traditional camp saying followed. “Water!” he rejoiced, and the rest of the camp joined in, “Without it, you die!” Such was the way at Camp Winnarainbow, where it would never rain, or if it ever did, I never got to experience it during my four summers as camper and final summer as Teen Staff. The importance of hydration could not be emphasized enough to the campers, even with the mandated cup of water before each meal.
Camp Winnarainbow, a circus performing arts camp situated in the open countryside of Northern California, was not focused on water in any explicit form, more prominent focuses might include the giant rainbow stage, unicycle track or trapeze swing, yet water was a necessary facet of life in many memorable ways. From drinking cups of water before meals to congregating around the small nearby lake on scorching afternoons, water was a defining characteristic of many camp experiences, and my strongest associations with the importance of this life-giving liquid have always come from these blissful summers of my childhood. “Water! Without it, you die!”
Camp Winnarainbow is a circus performing arts camp in Northern California run by Wavy Gravy! I went to this camp for 5 years, and was a Teen Staff member for one. It is an incredible place, and is 100% as ridiculous as the name makes it sound. You sleep in teepees, perform on a rainbow stage, sing around a campfire, walk through a sand labyrinth at midnight, swim in a muddy lake, and learn to juggle, unicycle, dance, do improv, be a clown, and much much more. I love to talk about this camp and how much it has meant to me in my life so feel free to ask me about it! Finally, they have Adult Camp sessions for those of us who just don't want to grow up! (Unfortunately it is usually spring finals week because of Stanford's quarter schedule, but I plan to go as soon as I possibly can and you should too!)
Some pictures so you can get a visual:
Wavy Gravy reads on the rainbow stage, teepee sleeping accommodations in the background.
The labyrinth in the light of day. It feels 10x bigger and more awesome when the only light is the stars and a small candle in the center, and the experience is completed by Wavy fanning sage incense in your direction. On your last night as a camper (when you're 14 and can't come back the next year =[ ), you get to walk to center of the labyrinth and take a small crystal out with you. I still have my crystal, it's one of my most prized possessions!
I dress up as... I coudn't really say... for a dance party with friends.
-Cole
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