It was a delightful morning here on the mountain. Life at 3000 feet has its advantages. The blue sky stayed nearly all day. The morning breeze picked up as the temperature began to change. It made for a welcoming morning. While it was warm today, we still save a few degrees from Brevard which is another 1000 feet down the mountain. While Brevard was hitting 86 degrees, we hit 81 today. Plenty warm, but not too hot. And, then around 3:30pm a nice afternoon shower came by and brought it back down to 74 degrees! That’s is the magic!
After breakfast, morning assembly was the next big event of the day. The ever-important motion song is a key part of our day. Assembly serves several purposes, but mostly it’s about getting our bodies and minds ready for the day. After a few hilarious stretches lead by some of the staff, our assembly today included several motion songs as well as some other sing-alongs. We then talked a little bit about cabin clean-up as our age group inspectors give the boys some feedback about their morning duties. Max then leads us in our daily ESPN Sports Report to keep the boys up to date on all the sports happenings. Finally, it is the BOE (Best of Everything) Board. The daily board of special events, birthdays, silly questions, and even a motto to live by for the day. Then it is off to activities!
The boys played hard as the cool morning warmed up to somewhat hot. Not quite, but if you were active, it was hotter than you like. Nobody was complaining, it just meant the lake felt even better. The pictures tell it all! You should see several Hawaiian-themed shirts out there today in honor of Waikiki Wednesday!
Our youngest age group of boys headed out for ‘Chill Night.” After an early dinner, the boys head to Sliding Rock, a natural water slide that is one of the coolest natural features in our area. After several trips down the rock, they all load up and head to Dolly’s, a wonderful ice cream shop known for its fantastic ice cream and funky flavors named after more than 20 local summer camps. After the double-chill, these guys will return just before the lights-out bell.
Also tonight, we had our first group of cabin overnights head out into the “1000-acre wood.” Pinnacle, Halfway, Lookout, Windswept, and Overlook all headed out for overnights. It’s always an adventure and a ton of fun for the guys. Each of our five shelters is situated on the property in a special location that shows the beauty of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Nestled in mixed hardwoods and towering rhododendron, these shelter sites are a young boy’s playground. They will stay out all night, enjoy some games around the fire, and then come back just before breakfast.
We are beginning our rhythm of camp. It’s wonderful to see these boys already working through their plan and enjoying the challenge that comes to them every day.
-Don Gentle
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