Tikvah Etgar- in rain and shine!

Every summer the participants of the Tikvah program have a chance to go on a one night, two day etgar (literally meaning challenge) camping trip. On Monday morning we set out to Quabbin Reservoir to watch a short movie on the history of the area and take a beautiful nature walk across the Winsor Dam. Everyone had a great time exploring, taking pictures and enjoying their time outside. Here are a few photos from the walk:  While at Quabbin we also went to a lookout tower where we got to climb the tower and eat lunch on top of the hill looking out on many beautiful sites. We had a great time relaxing outside and truly enjoyed all of the amazing water and mountains that surrounded us. Here is a group climbing to the top of the tower:   After the tower it was time to get back on the bus and head to Nourse farms where we went blueberry picking! We picked enough blueberries to eat as a snack and use in our breakfast the following morning. After the farm we got to the campsite and it was time to set up our tents. It began to rain, but with the help of our amazing staff, some were able to set up camp while others  were able to stay warm in the local nature center; everyone kept their smiles on. We cooked dinner, had a medurah (campfire), made s'mores and got ready to go to bed in our tents.
This morning we had a spirited t'filot (prayer service) on our campsite. There was so much spirit we even got comments from others on the campsite that they "loved our singing." We then spent the rest of the morning canoeing, swimming, packing up and headed back to camp. Thanks to our talented group of staff, chanichim (campers) and voc-eders, we were able to have one extremely successful etgar both in the rain and in the sun shine!