The group had arrived at the Island of St. Johns, U.S. Virgin Islands, to spend six days exploring both the tropical paradise landscape and the surrounding living reefs.

Chief Warrant Officer Brad Schoenwald originated the Coast Guard Kids Camp four years ago after being introduced to VIERS by the National Parks Service.

"It was such a beautiful island and a unique site that I wanted to bring some of the kids over to enjoy it," he said.

"The island is also a great study in Caribbean cultural history," he said. "You can see the remnants of the Tiano Indians the Dutch settlers and the slave trade."

It also provided an opportunity for the kids to hike, snorkel and enjoy the outdoors. Parents chaperoning on the trip said they also had a blast. prior to this year’s camp, Schoenwald was transferred, but Chief Warrant Officer Craig Dawson picked up the duties of "Camp CO" without missing a beat. His duties including planning and coordinating while the many of the parents took on the challenge of funds raising. Upon arrival at the island, it was obvious the tangible excitement of the kids rivaled that of their adult chaperones. Running toward the cabins, they were excited to find a bunk inside the screened-in, single-story, one-room houses. After a few complaints, the kids realized the primitive bunks were built for efficiency, and that shower rooms had private stalls and hot and cold water. Water consumed by the campers was collected from rain and conservation. That meant showers were limited to three minutes. Some of the funds for the ferry and the camp had been raised by selling baked goods and tickets for a raffle for a weekend trip to St. Thomas. As they viewed the campsite around them, the kids knew it had been worth it.

Their historic campsite had been cleared and erected by the U.S. Navy Sea Bees more than 35 years ago. Initially it was base camp during a joint project with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Navy and General Electric for scientists, astronauts and dive teams studying the effects of confined space life and the study of the coral reefs in the beautiful nearby Caribbean sea. Today, the camp plays host to a variety of different groups interested in exploring the island and learning about the area’s marine and terrestrial resources. It's an ideal fit for the Coast Guard camp.

Campers stayed in cabins at the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS). An eco-camp, it was donated to Virgin Islands University by the Navy Research Institute when the training facility was decommissioned in 1970.

Campers developed an affinity for the island, taking off on a hike shortly after their first meal. As they hiked the trails and swam in the clear waters off the coast, they learned about the environment around them. The lesson included immersion in understanding mosquitoes. Each place they visited on the pristine, Caribbean island, they saw tropical plants and varied animal species , beautiful coral, underwater wildlife and brightly colored fish. As they snorkeled over the reefs, campers enjoyed the beautiful array of coral and tropical fish, some were treated to short swims next to sea turtles and octopus. The docile waters allowed for night snorkeling where most of the campers participated and a few even brought back lobster for dinner.

Petty Officer 3rd Class David Tonon accompanied the campers as a chaperone. Although new to MSO San Juan, Tonon has traveled extensively through the United States and Europe. After seeing the shores of St. Johns Island, he said "I have never seen a place as naturally beautiful as this, so green and beautiful."

The campers were treated to seminars on deer in the area by Dr. John Stuht and his wife Carol, a pair of visiting scientists based at VIERS while studying geckoes and their immune systems. Dr. John and his wife Carol, displayed deer bones and skulls depicting different features of different species. Another favorite activity was an introduction to, and taste test of, root teas by a parks service ranger, an expert on indigenous

Alley Langevin, an eight-year-old camper, said she liked learning about the "century plants that grow tall from the center," and her favorite hike was to Ram’s Head Point. "We were way up on the mountain looking over the water, it was far!"

The campers took another long hike to inspect the petroglyphs, and continued to the shores of Sugar Bay. A short stop at a historic site introduced campers to a sugar mill that for more than 100 years, was the site of the island’s refinery of its major export. Remnants of tools lay decaying in their previously productive positions, while the steam engine that provided the industrial strength of the mill stood mostly intact (although now it housed a huge hornets’ nest).

After a long week and a lot of hiking blisters, the campers were full of stories though tired from their adventures. But even as they packed up and headed home on the ferry, they were already discussing plans for the next year’s activities.

Petty Officer 1st Class Brock Nelson, now based at MSO San Francisco, plans to return for a third trip "to chaperone" the kids and enjoy the island himself.

"With an island this beautiful, how can you stay away?"