C-2 Opening as C Dances On!
Dear Parents and Friends,
It’s been a great day to open our C-2 Session and thanks for bringing your children to camp this morning. Everyone is in their cabins after a great first day here in the Valley. Old Mr. Sol shined throughout the day and into the evening. No rain again today but we may get some needed relief tomorrow. C-2 campers signed up for activities today and will begin their Morning Discoveries tomorrow. They chose four which will meet every other day -2 each day and of course in the afternoon free choice for everyone for our 2 activity periods in the afternoon. All C-2 campers went right into assigned programs for just this afternoon which included a swim assessment. We don’t waste too much time around here and like to get right into it.
We also received our new table assignments tonight and were discussing what everyone was looking forward to doing here at camp. Climbing was high on my table’s list as was Blacksmithing. The Climbing Wall has been a hot ticket this summer due to our addition of two new Auto Belays systems on the intermediate wall. Usually, our climbers are belayed by a climbing staff member from the ground. The Auto Belays are hung over the climbs and retract automatically as the climber ascends the wall and then when they decide to descend it gently lowers them back to their starting point. This has been a great addition to our program and I’ve been researching these units for a couple of years. True Blue is the company name if you want to check them out. The company has over 16,000 of these in operation all over our country. We send them off to be inspected each year as well as perform a daily and thorough weekly inspection on them.
The other hot ticket has also been anything water over the last couple of weeks. From creek hiking, the Water Mat (Scream Machine), swim lessons for beginners at the pool, the rope swing, sit on top kayaks, SUP Boards, Whitewater Canoeing for Mountainside and Riverside, Whitewater Kayaking for Main Camp, and the Traverse Line all keep us cool on these hot days. I spent two days on the river on Monday and Tuesday with our Main Camp kayakers and our Mountainside Canoers. The kayakers will be going out on the Green next week and Mountainside will begin their paddling adventures on Sunday.
Riverside returned today after spending 4 days out paddling. They ended their week on the Nantahala where the water temp year-round is just plain cold. Only a couple of boats went into the drink and they were all smiles at dinner tonight. Riverside and Mountainside joined Debbie (our piano magician), Kevin on fiddle and me calling in the Lodge for some good ole Mountain Dancing. They danced continuously for over an hour with lots of laughter, swinging and hand clapping. These groups love anything social so a chance to come together in a fun community event is like having a huge piece of your favorite cake with all the trimmings. Mountainside and Riverside is a great age at camp and I feel these programs bring out the sparkle in these campers. It’s perfect for challenge, the social interaction without screens, and gaining new skills under the guidance of staff who excel in their particular areas.
Whether you were a new arrival today or a veteran camper from C-1 we are looking forward to this next 10 days. If you’re a new camper to Gwynn Valley, we welcome you and know you will have many opportunities to make new friends, experience many new activities, and live the camp life where memories are made for a lifetime. We’re so glad you’re here! Stay tuned!
