I'm so sad that I have to leave before this camp ends. These children who have cancer or are survivors of cancer have shown me what it means to live life to the fullest, to treat each other with kindness and respect, to love each other unconditionally...

You touch my heart... and you are always on my mind.

Albino praying mantis. We boys are easily entertained.

The archery group. I'm seriously addicted.

Dr. Jeannie and Nurse Susie say "take meds or else!" Peter face-paints.

Doctor Ho Chie can paint dragons too!

I've met some wonderful people here at camp and the kids are adorable. So many of the campers and staff consider this place home, and I can see why. The bonds created here cannot be described. It sounds like a camp I know very well. I have another two more days here before I head back to Berkeley and repack for TAF - my home.

Beautiful Lake Oroville.

Lakefront activities.

Black Oak Cabin on Harmony Ridge.

Fun around the campfire.

The sleeping bag and clothes are packed, the car is ready, and my drive to Camp Okizu begins...

It's good to be back in Berkeley for the day. I spent the past 24 hours catching up on a few movies, running some errands, paying bills, repacking clothes. I am now ready to head back to the outdoors. Tomorrow, I leave for another camp north of Sacramento, near the Plumas National Forest.

A couple of days ago, I went with some of the staff to a little hideaway place called Stony Creek. What a spectacular place! At a juncture of two streams and waterfalls, the stone was smooth enough to slide down. After enjoying our sack lunches, we slid down over the waterfalls and into the water below. Apparently, if you're in your birthday suit, you can slide a little easier and faster. Needless to say, I felt no need for speed...

Hiking to Stony Creek. The edge of a waterfall.

Lunch in the sun.

"Is that a naked Neanderthal man in the background?" Tony asks.

Jason takes a slide. Don't hurt your eyes looking...

Hmm. A bit serious.
Last night was the closing campfire. It was touching to see and hear the voices of the campers and staff as they went around sharing their stories or comments from the past week. At one point, a little boy broke out in tears and tried to express his feelings. He said he always felt like he was a "bad kid" for being a diabetic, but at camp, he discovered that he was OK. At Bearskin Meadow Camp, he had found family - people who understood, accepted him for who he was. Even his mom, who had always thought he was managing well, was surprised. I'll never forget the tears they shed. Nor mine as well.

I am home now.

Random Thoughts from the Mountains:

Since I've been sleeping outside during thd cool nights, I've been waking up and finding dew on my sleeping bag. This is what probably inspired Mountain Dew. It doesn't quite taste the same though. It could use some sugar.

I lay in the darkness of the night and stare up into the starry sky. I've seen a couple of shooting stars and the Milky Way is clearly visible. In the course of the universe and extent of time, humanity is but a blink of an eye in history. We are all nobodies, yet we all try to be somebody.

Kids are awesome little creatures. I can't believe I'm hanging out with them for six weeks. I'm a Toys 'R Us kid for sure.

Through this six-degrees-of-separation site called Friendster, I've been reunited with several long-lost buddies. My most recent reunion was with Susan from Ann Arbor. I wonder where the past decade has taken her and how she's grown and changed over the years. I'm very curious. She still seems very cool.

Mosquitoes seem to like some people more than others. They are not equal-opportunity suckers.

The view from my sleeping bag. Tony, contemplates life.

Man in the Moon. Target practice.

Sequoia Trees.

I drove up late last night and got in to the national parks at 3 am. I was so grateful I didn't drive over a cliff in the darkness. I found some random campsite, parked my car, and fell asleep for three hours. This morning, I found a great site with a panoramic view of the mountains overlooking Lake Hume.


In the scheme of things, how big are we, really?

I'm all rested up, and ready to head back into the Sierra Nevadas for the next session of diabetes camp. I seriously feel like I took a vacation from a vacation. Anyways, here I go again to hide from civilization for another week...

I'm gonna go play on the beach.

I met up with Rick, Cindy, and Chris in K-town for cheap sushi this evening. Good food. Interesting conversation. Updates on mutual friends. I'm almost caught up with world and locals events, too. It's amazing what can happen in the world within a week's time. It's all a bit overwhelming. I'm ready to go back into the mountains to hide...

I heard the beach beckoning. So I am in Huntington Beach. And, oh yes, I heard the bubble tea and TAF buddies beckoning too.

This session of teen diabetes camp is over. I have a three day break before the next session starts. I think I shall just drive and see where I end up. I could be in Berkeley, LA, Huntington Beach, or anywhere in between tonight...

What a crazy day! It all started out fairly routine, but I got pulled out of the lunch line because two camper groups that had gone on hikes didn't show up at the pick-up point some two hours later. Adam, one of the staff members, and I were selected to track them down. We ran the trails through the wooded forests trying to make good time. It was a tough run up and down elevations of maybe 1500 ft and probably five miles of dirt and rock paths. We found the first group at a creek, and they were doing OK, so we passed some medical supplies to them and ran onward. The second group had gotten a little bit lost, but we found them at the end of the trail at the lake. On our way, though, Adam managed to encounter a rattle snake, which he was lucky enough to get away from without more than a scare for both. It was a tough run, and we managed to get through in a little bit over an hour's time. When we got to the lake, I promptly dived in to cool off. I'll consider that my workout for the day... A tough one at that, given we're at about 6,000 ft elevation at the moment. Oxygen feels a little thin out here...

Today, one of the staff members, Jessica, and I transported a kid with an injury down to the Children's Hospital in Fresno. It was a long drive – 2 hours each way. We also made pitstops at Burger King and Starbucks. It's amazing what a Whopper and a Frappucino will do for the psyche. It was nice getting away from camp and seeing civilization again for a little while. On the way back and forth, we passed the town of Minkler, population 30. Perhaps I should consider moving there. I could become both city council president and part-time fireman as a side job. Or maybe I could bring my own job title; I look pretty darn good as a burger King, I think.


I'm getting so used to the outdoors that I actually look forward to sleeping out on deck at night. And I love my sleeping bag. It's comfy and keeps me just warm enough even through the midnight chill. One of the other staff members told me that last month she woke up with frost covering her sleeping bag. And just to think that the daytime highs reach the high 90's. It reminds of Chicago summers and winters cycling within a period of 24 hours. I think that if I were stranded up in the mountains alone and I lost my sleeping bag, I would die pretty fast.

I'm a wimp. I belong on a tropical island.

Brrrr... I can't feel my toes.

Fellow medical staff.

Bearskin Meadow Camp set in the woods.

Taming those wild beasts.

I meet with the "basketball" and "soccer" groups before meals and every few hours to check their blood sugars. I'm the "doc" who helps to adjust their insulin schedules, but I have to say, I really admire so many of these kids because of the level of responsibility and maturity they demonstrate, in part because they have to. I will miss them.

I've been out here a few days now, and I can't explain in words how amazing the views within the Sequoia National Park are. I have simply been in awe at every turn. The campsite where I'm staying is also very rustic and secluded. We sleep "on deck," meaning we sleep in the open outdoors, underneath the glimmering stars. The nights can get really chilly, but when I lay there in my cozy sleeping bag and look up into the open starry night, everything just feels right. Even the dew that forms on my sleeping bag in the wee hours of the morning.

Last night, I went on my first overnight hiking trip with some of the kids. We didn't go far, but the half-hour walk was breath taking. At one point, the creek was flowing from one small stone reservoir into another, as if one were pouring water from one cup into another step-wise all the way down the hill. At the very top of the hill, we could see the other magnificent mountain ranges in the distance. Our final destination was a site called Big Trees, where one of the largest sequoia trees could be found. We set up camp there, next to a bubbling creek. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows around a campfire, and when it came time to settle in, I decided to sleep next to the campfire and creek. In a picture-perfect setting, I watched the nearly full moon set behind the silhouette of the sequoia grove surrounding us. As it got darker and darker, I tried not to be afraid of bears, which I know are running freely in the woods around here... Please don't eat me, Mr. Bear.

A couple of spectacular views.

Camping out at Big Trees and keeping warm.

The "basketball" group, heading home after the night out.

An amazing panoramic view.

Lake Hume, a nice little get-away area from camp.

Lunch with some of the resident medical staff.