A week ago the Orcas Island Cross Country team hosted the island’s first cross country meet, which took place on the grounds of Camp Orkila. While walking the route a few times before the meet, I thought about all of the memories our family has there, from festivals to school field trips.
Thanks to the generosity of Orkila’s staff in hosting myriad community events like the Annual Fall Festival, the Community Zip-Line Day, and the Annual Spring ROAR mud run, we’ve had a lot of memorable times there. Not to mention all of the quiet walks I’ve had on the property in the mornings.
Camp Orkila is run by the YMCA. When I think of the Y, I think of busy intercity pools where a lot of kids who don’t know each other are loudly splashing around, provoking feelings that are a mix of fun-ishness, anxiety, and discomfort. Orkila, on the other hand, is a world away from those visuals. Kids from around the state, the country, and even the world return here year after year to experience camaraderie in the peacefulness and beauty that we locals get to experience every day.
I was marveling at the spring scenes all around me last week and had to capture them.
Thank you, Orkila, for all you’ve done to enrich the lives and memories of us locals.
