I’ve waited a long time, and finally the sounds of laughter, singing, and our bell are filling the valley. On Wednesday evening, our campers built fires and, around them, began to build community by setting up their cabin contracts. I was able to sit in with a couple of cabins, and heard things like: “we should respect each other’s space and things,” “we should listen to each other,” “listen to each other’s feedback about what we can do to make them feel comfortable.” Each camper had the opportunity to share in a small group what their ideal home would include.
On Thursday morning, we held our orientation stations and prepared our campers for what to expect at the waterfront, in their morning activity groups, and as a member of a new culture that values function over looks. In the afternoon, our campers jumped into a wide variety of activities from canoeing to rock climbing to camouflage hikes and spoon-making. During free time, I chatted with a group of girls making friendship bracelets while listening to a camper play jazz on our old piano.
We ended our first full day as a whole camp at our stage. Our staff performed skits/songs for each program area we offer at camp, and we began to learn the song we’re going to perform as a group for all of the F&W camps on Interdependence Day. This morning’s singing left goose bumps on my arms. To hear 175 voices singing together with harmony is unexplainable. After singing, we sat quietly in our Silent Meeting circle and watched the mist rise over the trees as the sun powered its way through our cloudy morning.
Today is our first morning of regular activities. There are campers building a new trash shed, throwing clay on pottery wheels, rock climbing, swimming, learning to use axes, and exploring our gardens and wilderness. Tomorrow, we’ll be offering trips training for both first and big lodge campers because they’ll be leaving for trips on Saturday .
