Ever have one of those really GOOD days? And then another, and another, and then you just start to get used to things being so great? That’s where TL 2012 is at these days. The weather is cooperating admirably, giving us the occasional shower with mostly glorious sunny days and colorful sunsets and evenings.
I would like to tell you first about some of the great and noteworthy moments in this cycle. The first was on last Sunday morning, when we had our longer weekly Silent Meeting. This lasted almost 50 minutes and was unusual because no one felt moved to speak. This is a sign of maturity; the willingness to be calm and wait for a great thought or insight to surface. Can you imagine a classroom of 9-14 year olds sitting in complete silence for an entire class period at school? It’s hard to describe the tone of the meeting, but no counselors were “shushing” the kids and no kids were wearing the “I’m fidgety and this is really hard” face. I was very impressed and see this as an indication of a group that is setting the bar high.
Another challenge our group faced and overcame was on the trail. Campers hiked the ridge behind camp, canoed around the Green River lake in central Vermont, hiked to the Ninevah camps and back home to Timberlake, went rock climbing and hiked the Long Trail. One new camper was feeling a bit homesick and although he was one of our youngest in Big Lodge, he insisted on going on “Skyrunners” – our most demanding hike of over 30 miles in four days. I got a call from the trip a few hours after they left that he was still feeling reluctant to hike. I went out to the meet the trip and meet and talk with him about his concerns. Turns out, even though I was there early, the group was so fired up that they had skipped the meeting point and paged me to say they were doing great and our meeting wasn’t necessary. This was a remarkable event where a 10-year-old from New York City, who had never done an overnight hike before, was able to hike over 30 miles. I believe this was due to the camper digging a bit deeper and receiving encouragement from the staff and other campers on his trip.
Back in camp, our Senior Lodgers all worked in different activity areas.
Work Projects: Built bunks and walls for the new cabin.
Outdoor Living Skills: Used axes, saws, knives and log carriers to build a 10’X10’X12′ fire for Interdependence Day.
Arts: Built a 24-foot long dragon float made from natural materials.
Barns and Gardens: Continued work on rebuilding the cider press, along with work on Homesteader ratings.
Waterfront: Leveling up in swim lessons.
We also offered a bit of “guerrilla programming” called Counselor Auctions. Some examples were “Extreme Silent Meeting” – which was having a Silent Meeting while balancing on the Whale Watch element of the Adventure Course. Another was bake treats, sing and give them to another camp. One was even teaching one of our counselors to swim!
Senior Lodgers had a Co-ed with Indian Brook involving an afternoon of work projects, followed by swimming, dinner and a “Coco Fire” skits night. Our goal was to get the camps together, do some work and have some fun without falling into stereotypical gender roles.
If you wonder what a typical day’s menu might look like, here is Tuesday July 3rd’s fare:
Breakfast: Frittata (vegetable and meat ones) Tofu Stir Fry / Homemade hash browns / Fruit / Yogurt
Lunch: Quesadillas (with cauliflower snuck in) / Black Beans & Rice / Kale chips / Salsa / Green Salad / Dressing
Dinner: Shepard’s Pie / Lentil Stew / Rice / Carrots sauteed in butter and molasses / Swiss Chard / Green Salad
I’m proud of our kitchen for those moments when they take the time to scrub and dice local potatoes to make the hash browns when the norm is to save those hours of labor with frozen products. And they welcomed campers who wanted to join in and help with not only the piles of dishes, but also the cooking and the prep. Go TL Kitchen Staff 2012!
The finale of this cycle was when all of us sang our “Interdependence Day” song to all the other camps. We had only been practicing it for two days, but in the last moment we threw away our song cards and did it from memory. The chorus begins “TL’s rocking F&W tonight, everybody’s going to have a good time…” And by the time we had sung, eaten brownies, contra-danced and lit the bonfire, it was a fact. We are still working on getting rid of that hair color and temporary tattoos, but we rocked it out.
What’s next? We have said our goodbyes to our J1 campers and are now preparing for Senior Lodgers to go out on the trail and for Big and First to stay in camp. More good times to come.
Tulio