Ruth is an elder of this Tlingit Tribe. She was someone we bonded with very quickly. She shared many stories with us, taught us a song in Tlingit, and also taught us Tlingit words. One of those words was "Lai li'-" meaning tired and limp like a gunnysack. Throughout the week we heard and used this word many times. It became humorous between us. On the last day of camp, Temperance and I presented Ruth with a one of a kind chair. The chair has her name on it and Temperance stitched on a boa for some flare. I wrote the words, "for when camp makes you lai li'-" on the back. We topped it off with bows made of Bounce dryer sheets to keep the mosquitoes away. She really loved it and we loved her smile and special laugh as she received our gift.

It was an exciting time when a boat was seen approaching the beach. This meant that someone was coming to donate something to the camp. Donations throughout the week included a deer, salmon, halibut, seal, and crabs. This gave campers and ourselves an opportunity to learn about skinning, cutting up, and putting away these traditional foods.

One of our first experiences at camp was one of the most challenging. This is a picture of the boys climbing a tree in order to pull the tarp up high. This would protect us from the rain. Putting up the tarp was a long and hard process that took many hands. It was an important time of getting to know each other and learning to work together.