What a Wednesday

Our Waikiki Wednesday dawned prettily with blue skies and excited chatter amongst the cabins. That chatter increased to a friendly roar as soon as the wake up bell tolled out and the day was officially going. 

After working as a group through the morning chores, our guys appeared at the dining hall ready for some eats. They were not disappointed in the breakfast awaiting, and that same trend has continued throughout the foodie times of the day:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, sausage, oatmeal, coffee cake, yogurt, fruit bar, and assorted cereals.

Lunch:  Pizza, fried pickles, mini-corn dogs, pineapple, broccoli salad, tossed salad. 

Dinner: Chicken sandwiches with all of the fixings, caramelized onions with cauliflower, chips, tossed salad, and peach cobbler.

The crew then headed for morning assembly and off to start their activity day. It was noticeable today how smooth the transitions were on this third day of camp. The guys know the timing and what is coming next now and already there is a flow to the day that has taken hold. It is fun to see the group feeling comfortable and beginning to take a little ownership of the place!

Some of the various offerings today included the High Ropes course for Windswept and then a solid mix of horseback riding, pottery, climbing, archery and riflery, hiking, fishing, canoeing, and tennis. At the barn, there was a neat moment with a young man who was nervous to the point of not wanting to get on a horse. With some friendly counselor coaching and encouragement, nerves were surmounted to the point of agreeing to mount, though with the promise that he could immediately get back off again… 30 minutes later, the same young sir was arguing to stay on the horse and keep the party going. Though this was the moment I got to see, I believe similar moments are happening around camp as our guys encounter opportunities to be a little scared and then the time/help to get through that challenge. It is one of the things I enjoy most about dropping into activities and getting a pulse of the place.

At the 5:00 Choice Period, campers chose from mountain biking, tennis, pavilion games, and a favorite of canoe fill-ups. Its like battleship with 3-4 campers in a boat armed with buckets and attempting to sink all other such boats. Needless to say, it was heavily attended and became a raucous, splashy mess of fun, which I believe appears in some pictures this evening!

Speaking of activities, rock climbing at High Rocks is one of our most popular activities.  Like all of our activities, climbing follows a very purposeful progression. The boys all learn how to put on their harnesses and helmet.  They learn the knots, safety calls, and rules.  Finally, they get right to climbing on our 50-foot tower.  Our tower has six different sides, each with different features and difficulties. While the one-week session does not go beyond the tower, our focus of the program in all of the other sessions is to get them out on the real rock.  We have numerous locations locally right in Pisgah National Forest. We also make use of several other climbing locations within the state and local areas.  During their lessons at the tower, they learn all sorts of techniques and maneuvers to help them get up the tower or rock.

After a full day of activities, the evening wrapped up with a high energy event called End Games. With much paint and whooping/yelling, two teams divided and commenced a game essentially of capture-the-flag with several additional layers. It was a hit, and you could hear the noise generated all around camp. Then on to evening snack to let the blood cool down a bit before heading back to cabins for the nightly call-to-quarters routine.

I hope you enjoy this evening’s pictures and we look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow!

Have a good night,

Woody

Today’s Pictures