The Upper Senior Challenge
July 21, 2013 by Don Gentle
Our wonderful Sunday morning was quiet and reserved. The Krispy Kreme Fairy arrived overnight once again to leave us delightful doughnuts to complement our Sunday breakfast. From there, we headed down to the lake. Will Brechter lead us in a great presentation about service, charity, and philanthropy a details and a perspective from his experiences leading Habitat for Humanity programs. The rest of the morning was all sorts of great choice activities. The guys enjoyed the freedom of choice and leisure. The waterfront was a buzz of activity with boys paddling kayaks, canoes, and stand-up boards. There was a group just chilling out in tubes, while some chose to fish and swim. A great sunny morning on the lake.
The boys divided up for the afternoon in their age-groups, each choosing a different venue for some fun activities. I really enjoyed the Middler and Upper-Middler “Island Siege” event. The guys divide up, half of them defend the island, while the other half plans a marine attack. My favorite part is the bold opera music blasting in the background. How can you not get excited when Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” is playing as loud as possible through camp?
The big excitement this afternoon was the Annual Upper Senior Challenge. It’s an age-group event for the oldest group of boys. They guys run through many of the activities they have learned throughout the years here at camp, but most importantly it’s about the cabin; sticking together, helping each other, and working through problems as a team. I love this event. I really enjoy watching the guys work together and work so hard to finish. We finished on campfire hill with some Gatorade, freeze pops, and a grand applause for all.
I can’t believe we only have five days of camp until parent’s day. What an awesome time we are having! The four week guys have some of their most advanced trips coming up this week, while the mini IIs will be venturing out on some of their first. It’s an exciting week. Stay tuned for the details. We have a few shots from today and a bunch of square dance pictures from last night’s event with Keystone Camp. More to come tomorrow!
Don