At home, he said, "your friends are still there for you, and they understand to a point what you go through, but here everyone's gone through almost exactly the same thing."

This is 16-year-old Ann Ness' fourth and final year at Camp Goodtimes.

"I'm kind of bummed about it. It's just a great place to be," said the Kamloops resident, still wearing her helmet from the high rope course.

"It's like automatic - you walk in and you feel accepted. It's like you've known each other for so long because you have this connection."

Ness, diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 11, spent months recovering from a bone marrow transplant last October. She still has a central line so can't swim, but she can kayak and canoe and do one of her favourite things - hang out and talk.

"The last year has been sort of a rough year. It's good to be able to come here and forget about it for a week."

At the same time, though, it's a relief not to constantly encounter fear when cancer is brought up.

"I've heard a lot of people say it's such an ugly word, but once you understand it, it's not so bad. Here, all these kids have gone through it, and it's not so bad," Ness said. "At home, none of my friends can really understand how it is. When you have to explain things, you're sort of put in an uncomfortable position, but here there's no questions."

On the route down to a Loon Lake swimming hole, wooden railings, chainlink fences and chair backs are strewn with colourful swimsuits and beach towels. Orange and red life preservers dry in the sun.