Another beautiful day up here at 9,000ft! The day started out a bit cooler and cloudier than the previous days which was a very welcomed change shortly before the sun came out in all it’s glory later that morning.
Yesterday was another full day of activities for us here at camp. Our sailors had a regatta yesterday while those in fishing class fished from the dock and waded in to catch minnows with nets. All of our kayakers completed their “wet exits” successfully on Tuesday so they were out cruising around on the water, probably secretly thankful not to be tipped over into the lake yet again. Ceramics and Arts and Crafts classes continue to amaze me with the art that has been created within those beautiful canvas tents. Various mugs, pendants, monsters, nature necklaces and bracelets have slowly been starting to be created and the first firing of the kiln has been completed for the session.
Our senior backpackers took off today, as well, all set and ready for a two night backpacking trip up Battle Mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park. The group had spent all of yesterday preparing for the trip by learning how to set up their tents, work their camp stoves, waterproof their bags by packing all of their belongings in a trashbag lined pack, and ended the festivities with a practice hike with all of their gear to ensure that their packs are fit just right. All of the activity areas are moving and grooving and the kids are coming to meals thoroughly exhausted after a day of play and excited to do it all over again.
In the afternoons we have our Organized Free time where the kids get to choose what activities they would like to do for an hour and a half segment. Yesterday campers had the options of slacklining, building forts and shelters, playing games on the field, shooting some hoops at basketball, making lanyards or friendship bracelets at the Town Center, playing music or board games in the lodge, and swimming in the lake was opened up for Intermediate campers. All of our swimmers had a fantastic time swimming out to the dock and jumping off or just wading in the water and catching minnows with their bare hands.
At dinner we had a birthday so our fantastic kitchen staff whipped up a special dessert just for her. Following dinner, our evening program for the night was a bit more of a reflective activity for all of the campers. In their cabin groups, campers had a funeral for the words “I can’t”. One of our big missions here at camp is to allow the space for kids to try things that maybe they would have thought beforehand that they couldn’t do. In their cabin group, sitting around a lantern placed in a fire pit (fire ban improv), they all shared something that maybe they had been told that they couldn’t do or something maybe they told themselves that wasn’t possible for them to accomplish. We end the ceremony by getting rid of all of those slips of papers with our “I can’t” on them and try to make a personal initiative to rid those two words from our vocabulary here at camp.
Following the evening program, campers returned back to their cabins for an early night. Some cabins went for a little night hike around the lake just to get any excess energy out while the Junior campers slept out in the teepees for the night. There is nothing truly greater than to walk into the teepees to see all the campers laying around listening to their counselors read them a story followed by the proper procedures for getting a bug out of the tent.
Another great day with many more to follow!