Members of the water and fire teams walked up the path and gathered at the top of the hill. We walked down our groups' old, long, and woody dirt path, surrounded by pines towering over our heads. As we neared the bottom of the hill, we started to chant Water Team slogans as we made our way down to the pit. The first challenge was Tug-O-War. As the rain splashed on our backs, we stepped into the muddy pit that was pure slush. We were not intimidated by the fierce look in the Fire Team's eyes because we knew they were no challenge for us. Trying to get a grip in the pit was like running across black ice with roller shoes. Then it began 3…2...1...TUG! We overwhelmed them with a mighty first push pulling them 10 feet toward us and only leaving two more feet to go as we tried to shove our feet into any ground we could get. For the next 20 seconds, we started to lose our big lead, but our anchor came in for a giant tug that sealed the match for us!

    After winning Tug-O-War, we headed down to musty wooden docks for paddleboard, canoe, and kayak races. We had a team with skilled kids that did racing outside of camp, so we knew we would win easily. After an hour of watching our team wipe out all other competition and come in 1st in all races, we knew we were in a great spot heading to lunch. As we ate lunch, everybody could tell that The Water Team was in the lead quickly, but nobody knew what would happen the next day. As I finished eating my baked mac n cheese, the sky became darker, and then the sky opened up and started pouring on us like a little kid spilling a full watering can on a single flower. Everyone headed back to their cabin and played board games while waiting for the skies to clear, but it never did, and all competition was canceled for the rest of the day, so we got some rest to prepare for the busy day ahead.

    Well rested, I woke up early to the sound of birds chirping and the wet trees brushing against each other. As I rested in my bed, I looked out the window at the lake and saw that it was a crystal clear day in the reflection. I looked across the room at my friend Jake, and we signaled to each other quietly that we should head out early. As soon as we left the cabin, Jake unexpectedly shouted back at the cabin, "WAKE UP!" and then he swore like a sailor as we ran away to the dining hall laughing our heads off. We had the type of counselors that were fun and relaxed instead of strict, but they would get revenge if you did something wrong. As I ate breakfast with Jake, one of my counselors, John, who was mad from waking up, took a bucket of ice water and dumped it on me and Jake leaving us freezing and soaked while we finished eating our waffles and yogurt. It was relay day, which meant that if we won the all-camp relay, we would win Eco-Challenge; However, if we came in last we’d fall to last. The relay is a 2-5 hour event that involves everybody completing different tasks, and runners pass the baton off at the next stop until the final stop, which is where the team captains build these massive bonfires to burn through a six-inch thick rope hanging above the fire. A relay win would seal the deal for my team, which was in the lead.

    Preparation for the relay began right after breakfast. The camp spent two hours collecting wood and fuel for their team's bonfire, which would be lit ablaze just a few hours later. Because it had poured the day before, everybody was scouring the woods for dry wood like ants trying to find food. Fifteen minutes before 1:00  in the afternoon, we journeyed to our stations for the relay. I had a half-mile run as part of the relay, which came towards the end, so I knew I would have to wait a while before getting the baton. After waiting a long time, I could see that the baton was running toward me out of the corner of my eye. I could not believe it because water was the first team to arrive at the station, so as soon as I got the baton, I started sprinting like there was no tomorrow to get the most significant lead possible. When I finished my run, I was exhausted because I flew most of the way, so it took 5 minutes to catch my breath and head toward the fire pit. 

    When I arrived at the fire pit, we had already finished the race and started building our fire with no other team's insight. Our captains started building a tall fire and got ready to light it. As two different groups came in ten minutes later, we lit the fire, and it instantly roared and started lighting up the pit. Thirty minutes after our fire was burning strong, and all teams had arrived, built, and lit their bonfires for all to see, but this was the best state everything would be in for the rest of the day. That's when the trouble started. Our fire went entirely out unexpectedly, then the Air Team and the Fire Team. We found out the cause was the wood was too wet, so we tried building a new fire this time in a different style, and it worked! That was for 10 minutes. With most of the ropes ¾ burned, nobody could seem to build a lasting fire. Every fire was out, but the head of the camp insisted we finish that day, so they started letting older campers help build a fire. The fires were super intense but so inconsistent that people would have to get close to the fire to keep it going. After another very long, tiresome, and hot two hours, things went way downhill. The Fire Team burnt through their rope, and now all the teams were desperate to come in second place and stay in the competition. Every one worked as fast as possible and as hard as possible to maintain their team's fire, but that led to disaster. Exhausting heat had taken over the relay, and they called off the rest of the race. In the end, 3 counselors passed out, 3 got burns, AND 6 CIT AND CAMPERS PASSED OUT of heat exhaustion. I WAS SHOCKED. As we headed back to the cabins, we could see and hear four ambulances coming down the hill to help those hurt.

    Back in the cabin, we were so shocked at what had just happened and worried for those hurt as we took our showers. We ate dinner in silence, and the camp's mood was gloomy and depressed. The rest of Eco-Challenge was canceled, so we headed down to the docks to lay down as a cabin and talk. We were furious that the owners and directors that made people still build the fires after hours of being around intense burning heat. We felt like their decisions caused the tragedy. The whole camp was mad and wanted answers, but they passed it along like it was no big deal by saying everyone was "ok" and we needed to stop talking about it. As midnight approached, we laid on the docks and looked up at the sky and the stars like we do every night, but this time things were different as chills of anger and sadness shot through my spine. All I took away from that night was one message:

When forced to be victorious, everyone fails.