I enjoyed the first glance of the lake this morning as the sun flickered in the slightly rippling water with a few water bugs here and there that looked like rain drops. I enjoyed an early morning up at the camp house with some coffee and a couple of leftover biscuits that I heated up. A little strawberry jam and it made for a delightful early morning treat for my key productivity time. Even when I can, I don’t sleep-in well at camp. The early light and excitement of the coming day always wakes me. Anyhow, Biscuit ws quite calm after her morning feeding and chilled at my feet as I worked on a few things.
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. As I like to say, the youngest kids are super-excited but have no skills. The teenagers actually know what to do, but would really rather sleep.
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, and strawberries.
We then 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 “Yellow Submarine” 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 that settles out in a day or so.
A great first day over at fishing! They were landing bluegill and bass left and right! Sometimes it helps your focus if you simplify first, then add the rest later.
Cabin overnights begin
While our upper seniors (age group 6) had their own overnight adventure, age groups 4 ( Flattop and Overlook) and 5 (Outpost and Sprucepine) 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!
Age Group 1 (Hillside and Connestee): Had a dodgeball throwdown in the gym.
Age Group II (Foxhollow and Lakeside): Spent the evening on the waterslide and the iceberg inflatable.
Age Group III (Chalet and Windswept): Headed down to the docks for one of my favorite events, Canoe Fill-Ups! Take four dudes and a couple buckets and try to sink each others canoes. A perfect controlled chaos!
It’s going to be another awesome day today. We tried our best with pictures today, it looks like the oldest group might be a little light. They tend to start shying away from the camera. We will try harder tomorrow.
All the best,
Don
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