Well the 2009 2nd session of Saltash Mountain Camp is well underway. As soon as this group of 34 SAMmers and 8 Questers arrived we could tell it was a special group. These campers have alreadydove in with a genuine enthusiasm for this new experiences, openness to new friendships, and a positive outlook on the natural adversities that come with Farm and Wilderness Camps.
Campers were greeted with a beautiful opening day that allowed for lots of field games in the evening before heading off to the cabins for Cabin Discussions. The Cabin Discussions were very healthy and it was great to see an awesome tone set by our 12 full season campers as well as receiving lots of input from new campers. The SAM staff has the packing out process down by this point, and it was wonderful to see campers rolling through our systematic process in a way that they learned the reason for what they were doing as well as being given the oppourtunity to give pointers and recommendations. Our second evening program was the Magical Mystery Tour. This is our way of running campers through a whirlwind of outdoor skills while orienting them to the important places around camp.
Our third day of camp may have been the most beautiful I’ve seen all summer. Sunny skies, warm temps and a cool breeze had spirits super high as we departed for cabin trips. These 3-day adventures leave right from camp. Two of our trips combined both hiking and canoeing, another participated in trail work to help the rerouting of the Catamount Trail, a cross country ski trail traveling the entire length of Vermont, and some even had the opportunity to visit Flying Cloud, our brother camp, where they joined in for activities and got to know our neighbors a bit better. These trips weathered an amazing storm and I was honestly a little worried about what condition they might return in. The wonderful spirits they returned in as the region recovered from flooding and downed trees showed me that this crew was determined to have a fantastic summer. Last night we were privileged to have a visit from former staff member Mary Murphy, who was on here way past while hiking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail. Each cabin performed a skit to celebrate all those silly and uncomfortable moments of their trips and Mary shared some of her adventures from her previous 1600 miles since beginning at Springer Mountain, Georgia.
This morning I’ve been able to reflect on what “Farm” and “Wilderness” is, not just as a name for great summer camps but on the fact that farming is incredibly difficult and there are tons of obstacles thrown in the way while attempting this feat. Wilderness is right in there with unpredictable weather, vast tracts of uncharted who-knows-what, and something always testing your skill and ability. But on the other hand both farm and wilderness have long histories of being places that wonderful discoveries have been made, human innovation has won out, the human spirit has be tried and forged, and now we celebrate them as wonderful places for our kids to grow and learn. Here’s to the next two weeks!