Article November 19, 2012 Issue

Not so solo

Kaiana Bradley

Courtesy photo

I was at a camp for Christian Scientists this last summer, and we were on a four-day camping trip. My group was told we would each be going on a “solo” for one night. A solo is when a counselor leads you to a specific spot in the wilderness and you prepare to spend the night all by yourself. The purpose is to be away from other people and just be alone with your thoughts, talking with God. (Counselors camp out at a distance, but are in the area.)

We were each given a Christian Science Hymnal, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, a whistle, a chocolate bar, and a backpack. At first I was pretty nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I got to my spot, set up where I’d sleep, and walked around. We’d been given an assignment—to answer a few questions about our time at camp in our journals, so I did those as well. I was doing fine until it started getting colder and darker. I remembered the counselors saying they would stop by once the sun went down, and I was determined to stay awake for that.

As it got darker, I became more frightened since I could no longer see what was making the sounds I was hearing, such as the scratching of something on the dry ground and an unknown hiss, which I now know was from an owl. I let fear creep in and forgot about my Hymnal, the Christian Science Bible Lesson, and Christian Science articles I had packed. As I lay awake, I kept hearing those strange noises that I’d never heard. I finally saw flashlights in the distance and signaled my flashlight in that direction. One of my counselors found me and came over to me. 