It sure was a beautiful and cool morning here up the mountain. The sun was poking through some smokey fog that made it look like the sky was on fire. As the warm lake created some additional steam in the cool mountain air, it sure seemed pretty delightful outside for an August day. My dog Biscuit and I just sat on the deck and took in the moment just before 7:00 am this morning. It was time well spent.
After a little productive time in the office, it was up to breakfast where the boys were mostly in their seats and eating. I grabbed some scratch-made biscuits, eggs, sausage patties, then made my way to the fruit bar to get some cut melon and fresh blueberries. I had to eat fast since I am inspector general for cabin inspections this session. The boys work hard each morning to get it back to a normal state. It is quite a bit to do in the thirty minutes from wake-up bell to breakfast bell. Once the breakfast bell rings, the time is up!
It takes a special sole to organize this bunch to such a productive state so early in the morning. First, get dressed, make your bed, clean up all the items that hit the floor last night, then it is on to the group chores. Sweep, clothesline, bathroom, trash, and more. After a couple of days, it works into a normal rhythm, but the first couple days is a little crazy.
The boys did really well this morning. Of course, there can only be one “Cabin of the Day (COD).” I hope you all have noticed “Larry” our COD trophy. He is a cherished item. This morning the stakes were high, and the competition was really close over in Foxhollow. We decided on a dual of rock, paper, scissors to settle the match. You will see some pictures of the “throw down” that went down at assembly. Alas, Foxhollow I came out victorious for COD. And this was all before our first activity…
Some of the various offerings today included a solid mix of pottery, climbing, and fishing in the morning with some canoeing in the afternoon.
At the 5:00 Choice Period, campers chose from mountain biking, disc golf, tennis, 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.
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.
End Game!
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.
We sure are enjoying your boys! I hope to have you tune in again tomorrow. It’s going to be great!
-Don
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