C-1er’s We Will Miss You and What a Last Great Day!
Dear Parents & Friends,
It was a brilliant day at camp as we wound down in our C-1 Session. Trips out of camp today were great and the campers took advantage of our warm and clear weather to bike, climb, and paddle. I went out with the Kayakers to the French Broad this morning. We ran section zero which is a good beginner river with enough rock jumble and riffles to certainly turn over a boat. Several campers took a swim and all got back on that horse and tried it again. We spent time learning ferrying, peel-outs, eddy turns and maneuvering around rocks and strainers on the river. The coolness coming off the water was a welcome relief to the heat that was everywhere else. Climbers went to the Nose area today which has a wonderful view once you climb over the height of the trees at the base of the rock. Once you reach that point it’s like earth and sky just opens up before you. It’s as though you could reach out and touch most of Pisgah National Forest at your fingertips. The bikers headed to Dupont to tackle the ups and downs of single track and found Ridgeline to be their favorite trail. Most folks like it because it’s downhill flow and no pedaling to speak of is required. Just keeping it between the lines is pretty important. They had a great time and enjoyed the coolness of biking in the shade of rocks, roots, mud, sweat and gears!
These trips really propel campers into new areas they may not have tried before. Athleticism isn’t always just about traditional sports, but those we that we focus on at camp that have an outdoor bend and that flesh out those hidden talents. It’s fun to see campers come alive and excel in new environs. These trips are a culmination of building skills throughout camp in each activity. Our main camp training provides a solid foundation for expeditionary learning outside the “nest”. Taking on new environs, relying on the skills you’ve learned at camp, taking it to the next level and pushing yourself a little harder than you’ve done before, creates new found confidence and stepping stones for greater things to come.
Our Fine Arts group put on a familiar favorite tonight at campfire that everyone loves called “The Cat in the Hat”. It was a crowd pleaser and the campers did a great job with their parts, sets and costumes. Many thanks to Lauren, Debbie and Drew for directing and writing some music. Before the play started Anne and I also recognized our campers who had been at camp for 4 and 5 years or longer. Afterward we looked at pics from the session and a short video from C-1 that is linked here.
This afternoon while our C campers went to regular signups, our C-1 campers began to pack for tomorrow’s departure and then went to what we call pillowcase day where it’s a final swim with your cabin and taking along your pillowcase and learning how to make it float. I will leave the details of this magical transformation to be told to you by your children. It’s another simple skill we learn at camp.
We also ate our last meal together as a table group during tonight’s dinner. We will eat by cabins in the morning and for lunch and dinner tomorrow. Meal times are special because you get to be with a whole new group of people. Our table has been a lot of fun and we’ve had lots of laughs and many conversations. Our last meal tonight was Pizza, salad from the farm, watermelon and of course brownies. The pizza was made here at camp including the crust all from scratch. The brownies were beyond heavenly and it was a great dinner to end on.
It’s been a wonderful session and we know you will be excited to greet your children and hear about their camp experiences. We hope they will consider a longer session next summer and join us for perhaps 2 or 3 weeks. I have heard many of them say that they miss their parents but don’t want to leave camp. We will certainly miss them. Stay tuned and see you soon!