First Day of Discovery!
Dear Parents & Friends,
Welcome to another day of GV news and what’s happening at camp. Certainly way too much to write about. Our day started off pretty normal like most camp days; beautiful weather, cool temps, and everyone ready to start their Discovery activities this morning. I elected to spend some time with our young mountain bikers for most of the morning. Our beginner intermediate group warmed up near the soccer field and then went to the Green to learn their gearing, peddling uphill, attack position and peddling out of the saddle. This was all done using cones and peddling on grass back and forth uphill and downhill. By the end of the period, almost everyone was able to complete the course without dabbing (putting a foot down). Our next lesson will be shifting your weight for different situations and taking on some level single track here at camp.
Our second group of riders was either veterans from last year or from the previous session. We went straight to the trail after doing bike checks. We broke the trail down into segments and even walked it before we mounted up and tested our skills. We placed staff along the trail at various points to help with spotting in case anyone started to tumble. Learning to move quicker in a tricky spot going up and downhill helps with the overall balance. Slow is good and we stress know your limits but sometimes a bit of acceleration helps with balance. After challenging ourselves going uphill through various obstacles then it was all downhill to home and the biking shed.
Just at the end of lunch, we had a shower come through with a lot of rain and a little thunder. Our Thorguard system gave us a chance to stay in the dining room, play some games, hear a story and hold sign-ups for the afternoon. We used most of our rest hour but since it was the first full day of camp and everyone is pretty rested. The afternoon activities were fun for all with lots going on at the waterfront. Camping skills and Nature made fire starters in hopes of using them tomorrow when they’ll need to build fires. The Nature side of that group dissected owl pellets which are pretty interesting. After an owl eats the small rodents, birds, and bugs that are a part of its nightly diet, its stomach cannot digest the fur, bones, teeth, feathers, and insect shells from that food. These “extra” parts are formed into a tight PELLET inside the owl and are then are later SPIT UP by the owl. Darci orders these and we don’t find them here at GV although I’m sure they are in the woods.
The Mill was grinding corn today and making cornmeal as well as cooking up some Johnny Cakes. Not far from the Mill there was Felting going on at arts and crafts. We have three very talented women working with our children. Tamara was felting, Pamela was weaving, and Daisy was working with dyes and colors all creating some amazing outcomes.
After dinner and After Supper Activities, we held FARM CAMPFIRE in the Lodge. It was hilarious as usual with storytelling, music, skits, a carrot eating contest, goat bridges, chicken dancing, and clogging. All this was topped off with Granny’s carrot cake for all of camp. I have been remiss by not telling you that our piglets were born on Tues. morning early as you can see by the above pics. I think there are 8 or 9 at this juncture. Mountainside and Riverside came to campfire tonight as well and we had a blast. It’s a one-time offering during the summer and a special evening. To tell the truth, every evening is special here. Camp is happy, fun, and challenging in all the good ways. Camp helps to build character, resilience and is a stepping stone for parts of life to come. We encourage children to value their uniqueness and to understand and appreciate their part in the larger community. Camp gives kids a world of good! Stay tuned!
