We’ve reached the halfway point of our incredible summer at North Country Camps. Week 4 was wonderful, filled with fun activities, adventurous trips, and memorable events.

 

The weather was on our side, providing us with plenty of sunshine and blue skies, and our campers took full advantage of the beautiful days.  Riders cared for their horses each morning, grooming them, tacking them up and then working on their form as they rode.  At the ropes course, a new group of boys and girls worked together to tackle the challenges presented there (some on the ground and others requiring roping up and heading into the treetops!). Mountain bikers zipped around camp, playing with the topography of the land.  Both camp fields were a hub of activity, with field sports, archery, and tennis.  Down at the waterfronts there has been plenty of wind for our sailors and windsurfers, with kayakers, canoers and swimmers learning new skills.   Campers have begun carving their names in the initial boards, a historic tradition dating back to camp’s first summer. We’re also excited to share that our Work Groupers have begun helping with the construction of a new director cabin at Lincoln!

 

 

For the last few weeks the actors and artists among us have been working hard to prepare for this afternoon’s production of “Alice in Wonderland.” Participants have been memorizing their lines while the craft house was bustling with prop and set design. This enthusiastic and joyful group was fully engaged in making this year’s play a resounding success! We also held our annual County Fair, to the theme of the Olympics, with each cabin designing a carnival booth and the whole camp enjoying an afternoon of events on the field.

 

 

At Whippoorwill, Jen hosted a massive cookout and sleepover on Birdie Beach for 19 campers. They prepared a feast and then drifted off to sleep, lulled by the soothing calls of loons. The Whip Work Group hosted a flashlight sing.  Last Sunday at Lincoln, we held our annual “Final Four” event, which culminates in a huge, all-team relay race, the final leg of which is a pudding-eating contest. At Sunday night’s council fire, campers were recognized for their accomplishments with ranks like “Tracker,” “Pathfinder” and “Guide.” Many of the former campers among you will remember the pride of receiving a sought-after award in front of the whole camp!

 

Day trips continued at a steady pace, with groups climbing Green Mountain, Giant and Rocky Peak, Rattlesnake, Hopkins and Hurricane and others paddling down the Ausable River and into Lake Champlain where they cooked burgers on a beach before returning to camp.  We also launched our extended trips, with hiking groups spending several nights in the Dixes, Marcy Dam and Heart Lake, and canoers enjoying multi-day adventures in the Saranacs and on the Oswegatchie River.  At Whippoorwill, every trip writes a song to sum up their adventures and performs it in front of the dining hall upon their return, and it's always fun to see what they can come up with. 

 

 

We have a marvelous community of happy, adventurous kids and can’t wait to share more next week!