Well, week five snuck past without our even realizing it, thanks in large part to trips!
Flying Cloud ran five trips this half, all of which were three days and two nights.
Woodward Service came down to the Woodward camps (Indian Brook, Tamarack Farm, Timberlake and the Barn Day Camp) and did work projects for a few days. They were graciously hosted for lunch by IB (barbecue chicken was a highlight for our guys) and did trail work, spent some time in the garden, swam in the reservoir and ended up hiking almost eighteen miles!
Ninevah Canoe went down to our nearby Lake Ninevah just two miles away and spent three days exploring this lovely lake. They tried their hands at fishing, played in the muck and took a day hike to the top of Gork in search of blueberries. Sadly, they weren’t ripe yet….
Worchester Buzzwick (Worcester Bushwack) had better luck though! After two and a half days of hiking along the Worcester range in Worcester, Vermont, this trip concluded with an afternoon at a local pick-your-own blueberry farm. Highlights included spectacular views and a cool mossy balsam fir forest along the ridge.
Closer to home, we sent out the Little Rock Pond hiking trip, to travel a nearby section of the Long Trail. This mellow hiking adventure started with some time to play at the pond it’s named for before traveling on to Clarendon Gorge. The Long Trail runs the full length of Vermont, as well as sharing a section with the Appalachian trail that runs from Georgia to Maine, and now even up into Canada! Perhaps they can do that section next year….
Finally, what summer at Flying Cloud would be complete without some time spent Foraging for Fun!? These guys hiked just a couple miles out of camp and set up a base where they harvested and ate wild edible plants, got covered in mud and snuck up on one another and of course built a few debris huts. The whole trip centered about learning how to provide for shelter, water, fire and food in the outdoors, including a challenge on the last day that they couldn’t have lunch until the group lit a fire with a bowdrill. They ate late, but I bet it was the best lunch of the trip!
After trips, we sent out a group of campers to receive their Flying Cloud names, and this was one of the best parties of the summer. We had guests from Timberlake and Indian Brook camps, as well as a few former staff and campers. The fire was one of the most pleasing to look at that I’ve ever seen, and the names are wonderful.
In closing, please join me in welcoming into the Flying Cloud community:
Tends the Grove
Zephyr Moon
Boulder Bear
Coyote Path
and
Daybreak Surf.