Camp Dispatches: Erika Abrantes
Hi! My name is Erika and I was a camper at Footprints last summer. If you are on the fence about applying, just discovered this camp today, or involved in an educational program that may not be directly environmentally related please read this! Or if you simply want to read this, that is wonderful too.
A little about me: I was a nursing student when I applied to Footprints last minute (I mean last minute, last minute) before the application deadline was up. When a person thinks of nursing they may not immediately think of the environment or anything that has to do with the environment.
But in reality, the environment is one of the core principles of nursing. Does your patient have access to clean water? Are they able to safely go outside? Are they breathing clean air? How much pollution is in the area?
All these factors can greatly influence the health outcomes of a person and therefore as a health care professional should be taken into consideration with every patient. To summarize: the environment heavily influences the health of our communities, which greatly impacts nursing as a profession. You do not have to be in an occupation or college program where the label is “environmental engineer” or “environmental science”, you literally can be involved in anything to be a part of this camp.
Erika spent some time taking everyone’s blood pressure one afternoon as part of the development of her project
Speaking of the camp — it was an incredible and amazing experience that sometimes feels like a dream.
It encompasses a week spent in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado where you can let your imagination run wild. You will have zero other life responsibilities other then creating a project (and potentially changing it around a couple times), learning lots about a variety of environmentally-related topics, exploring the mountains every day via your footprints, eating good mountain food, making new friends, and of course sleeping.
Each morning we would wake up at over 11,000 feet in the middle of the San Juan Mountains. Early mornings were when people would watch the sunrise on the hillside outside, grab some coffee and breakfast, and get the plan for the day. Mid-morning until early afternoon would consist of running or hiking (depending on how you were feeling) through different parts of the San Juan mountains.
One day we spent the morning out on the Colorado Trail, another day we went up to Columbine Lake, and another day we did a part of the Hardrock course. Each run or hike was a different adventure that offered a new learning experience and a lifelong memory. Every afternoon we would then come back, have some lunch, take a little break, then dive into learning and planning our projects with our mentors. Following that were some of my favorite moments which were simply talking with and learning about one another during dinner, sitting in the sauna, playing games, and more. The stars would then come out and simply light up the sky. It was by far one of the most crystal-clear starry skies I have ever seen.
If you’re on the fence about applying for whatever the reason may be, this is your sign to simply just apply! As the little three-year-old girl I babysit would sing while dancing in the bathtub, “LET IT GOOOO” and just do it. You will reconnect to your core values, your inner childhood imagination, a new purpose, and simply just how to be one with your surroundings. You will disconnect from the daily life of society, school, work, your phone, all of it. You will make new friends and connections that will last a lifetime. New opportunities will arise and grow. Your body will thank you (hopefully) for the daily movement and great food. I swear I am not exaggerating; it was that great of a camp and a memory. Anyway, long story short, here is your sign to apply!
- Erika Abrantes
“In reality, the environment is one of the core principles of nursing. Does your patient have access to clean water? Are they able to safely go outside? Are they breathing clean air? How much pollution is in the area?”
