Savor the Moment

In what has become a common trend towards the latter part of this session, the morning began cool with some clouds in the sky. A light breeze was blowing that made that second blanket on the bunks seem very appealing! The bell rang, chores commenced, and hordes arrived for a breakfast of eggs, cream of wheat, cinnamon apples, yogurts, fruits, and cereals.

Trips busted out of camp as breakfast was wrapping up, focused on squeezing the camp day for all its worth. Mountain bikers took a young crew of riders to Dupont for a cruise to Wintergreen Falls and back, with the inevitable detours and discoveries along the way. Climbers also had a full load bound for Pisgah where they spent the day on the South Side of Looking Glass, one of the classic sites in the county.

Our paddlers ate an early breakfast and were actually leaving camp as the rest of the community was making it into the dining hall. With a group of older and skilled boaters, they headed out for an overnight trip with today spent on the Upper Green as a narrow river run similar to creek boating. Then this afternoon they are making the drive over to the Pigeon River, camping quite close, and preparing for a run in the morning. Compared to the narrow run today, the Pigeon River is a wider, faster river with a lot more water pumping down rapids that throw bigger water features at our boaters. I look forward to hearing their stories tomorrow evening!

A group of hikers returned late this afternoon after completing their own two day adventure in Pisgah from Pilot Cove up to Mt. Pisgah. As with most overnight adventures in Pisgah, the hikers were rather impressed with the amount of rain that can fall in a short amount of time, though they had already prepared their campsite and were ready. They were also impressed with how clean the stream was by their site, and how good it tasted once filtered into their bottles. Quesadillas were on order last night for dinner, of which they ate many. That was good, because today their hike ended with just over three thousand feet of elevation gained in three quarters of a mile. That is seriously steep! Spirits were great for the van pickup at the Mt. Pisgah parking lot, and Chadwick reported that all of the campers were knocked out asleep before they made it off the Parkway.

In camp, the younger side of the camper crew was having quite the day. Connestee had their crack at the high ropes course and were loudly enthusiastic about the fun being had up on top of the tower. Age Group 1, after being stormed out of their rope swing/water slide evening yesterday, had a make up session during their rest hour! Perhaps the best rest hour of the summer so far. In addition, several cabins in that age group also had their Camp Auction moment pay off with ice cream floats and party music this afternoon. AND they get their Chill Night tonight on Sliding Rock and Dollies… Our youngest fellas are feeling mighty smug right about now.

The rest of camp was also doing just fine for themselves. Campers are beginning to wrap up goals for the session with just two and half days of activity after today. Seeing the end of the session nigh, campers are also fully embracing camp life in an effort to savor the last days of camp. The number of guys rocking around camp in pajama pants has noticeably increased! It also means campers are seeking time with friends playing disc golf, hanging in boats on the lake, or gathering over a board game in the dining hall. The excitement-mixed-with-sadness that is the end of camp can be felt already.

Our campers being who they are, the answer is typically to keep themselves busy. Horseback riders were hitting trails and cantering in the rings. They also got to see the process of shoeing a horse performed by our farrier. Hiking was working on making fire with bow drills (not easy!) and pottery was finishing the firing of some really fun pieces. Mountain bikers were chanting “Pumptrack Party!” as they rode out from the shop. Swimmers were practicing shallow dives while shooting sports saw a frenetic push to achieve that next rank up before the close of the session. The ability to mix high energy output and rather amazing levels of relaxation from hour to hour continues!