March 28, 2024

Local kids shake ‘Cabin Fever’ with Jasper County Conservation day camp

Jasper County Conservation naturalist Katie Cantu (above) helps Sergio Perez-Valentin of Grinnell adjust his snow shoes before heading out on a hike during JCC’s Cabin Fever day camp on Thursday afternoon at the Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve south of Grinnell.

The camp invited local middle schoolers to “spend a couple afternoons exploring the park on snowshoes, building outdoor shelters, cross-country skiing and ice fishing.” Campers even learned to make s’mores and apple pies over a wood fire, Cantu said.

“We started this a few years ago, but didn’t have it last year because we didn’t have snow,” she explained. “This year, I decided we were doing it no matter what, but we got lucky and had snow. Sometimes we go ice fishing and skiing too, and there’s food involved!”

The camp, which ran both Thursday and today, attracted six campers, all of whom were glad to get outside and shake their own Christmas break cabin fever during the aptly-named day camp.