By James Tauber

At Camp Kooch-i-ching, we pride ourselves on adhering to all twelve laws of the Law of the Woods. While I would not dare to prioritize one law over another, the last one—be joyful—takes a unique spot in the Kooch-i-ching zeitgeist. But what is the joy we are seeking, and how does Kooch-i-ching facilitate being joyful in a way that does not exist elsewhere?

To me, the answer has always lain in type two fun. What is type two fun and how is it different from type one fun? We are all familiar with our basic type one fun. At Kooch-i-ching, it is fairly common to experience type one fun, whether it is during your favorite afternoon activity on Deer Island or on a trip when you bake that perfect calzone. It generally consists of the ups of life, those little experiences that blend together to make your memory of the whole summer good.

Type two fun, on the other hand, is not pleasant. It generally comprises the adversity that makes life worth living. Whether it is the hardest day at Projects, paddling fifty klicks through the rain, or having a no-food day, type two fun requires pushing your mind and body to their limits. It is through this type two fun that the most fundamental type of joy is found.

In addition to simply being a unique category and source of joy, type two fun is also a highly effective way of making memories that last for the rest of your life. Five years later, you may not remember an individual afternoon activity too well, but you remember the most difficult or sketchy type two fun moments for the rest of your life. I personally have noticed this to be especially the case when I talk to older Kooch-i-ching guys. One of the first things they always mention is that forest fire on the Bloodvein they got lifted over in the 1970s, or the Junior biffy they built in the 1980s, or that time they got separated from the other guys on the Bay in the 1990s. Type one fun may last a summer, but type two fun lasts a lifetime.