I enjoyed the first glance of the lake this morning in a bit of a mountain fog as it slowly lifted into the sky. Not too far behind was the first wake-up bell of the season. It is almost always followed by a primal “Good Morning High Rocks” that echoes through the hills. Soon after, camp comes alive. The first morning is always a lot to take in, even for some of the seasoned veterans. Some of the boys are so excited that they have probably been up for a while. Nonetheless, it was time to get dressed and ready for the day! We have about 30 minutes to clean up our own mess like our bed, clothes, wet, towel, and various shoes. Finally, we have to get on to the group chores of the cabin.
The breakfast bell rang soon after. The boys were ready to eat! Our breakfast is always assorted cereals, hot bar items, and an amazing fruit bar. The hot bar today included scrambled eggs, scratch-made blueberry muffins, sausage, and oatmeal. The fruit bar had sliced apples, blueberries, strawberries, and melon.
We headed out to our first assembly, where we all bounced around and got excited about the day. I heard several guys (and even some staff) singing Twist and Shout throughout the day.
Finally, off to activities we went. The boys hit all five of their selected activities today. Our first day of activities set a baseline that will springboard into some real learning through the session. The boys were eager to get started. I saw some of the basics for our mountain bikers and fishermen today. Others were making their first shots at archery. Speaking of activities, you should have received an email with your son’s schedule and a few details this afternoon. I hope that is helpful. The boys will typically keep those for the session, but they can change if they want. The first couple of days has a little movement.
It’s an interesting event getting 4-7 guys to clean up their cabin every day. It is certainly not an easy task at times, but it teaches us how to keep up with and clean up our own things, while also making sure we are doing our part for the community we live with in this cabin. Assembly time is a moment where the boys get timely and specific feedback on how they did for the day. It’s a constant learning event for even us adults.
The favorite part of my day was watching and helping our oldest group of campers with their annual overnight. This group enjoys a campout in our upper pasture that sits wonderfully just north of main camp. I had purchased some new tents for this group and I let them at it. Andy and I just but the bag on the ground and watched them figure it out. We were mostly their to keep items from breaking and tearing and they tend to force things that don’t always fit at this age. What fun! They were so proud, and even took the feedback as they worked through their adventure.
Cabin overnights begin
While our upper seniors had their own overnight adventure, age group 4 (Chalet and Overlook) headed out to one of our open-air shelters for the night to enjoy the traditional pita pizzas, s’mores, and games around the campfire. I can’t wait to see them in the morning on their way back into main camp. Always a sight!
We are off to a great start! It’s hard to believe it is just our first full day!!! It is going to be such a wonderful adventure!
Don’t forget to write. I love that summer camp still keeps the traditional letter alive! Tomorrow is going to be another big event!
-Don Gentle
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