Lots of Sun and a Little Rain!
Dear Parents and Friends,
It’s been a most pleasant day here at camp. We dodged some scattered showers and the sun was in and out all day long. Everyone had a productive day and the waterfront was a very busy place starting early in the morning, right up until dinner. Campers zipped, swam, learned new strokes, played on the water mat, paddled, and rolled their kayaks. It was a wet and wild day at the waterfront and the perfect day to be there.
Climbing at the wall was going full steam this morning and I say full steam, because it takes some steam to get to the top. Those of you that know a bit about the history of camp know that Shady Grove cabin used to have campers in it. It now houses 10+ wonderful looms that weave all day long. Some beautiful weaving designs have come from those looms already in our first session and campers are beginning to plan their patterns as B Session gets underway. Visit our Shady Grove cabin at closing and have a look around. It’s a beautiful cabin and beautiful things are born there.
Fishing at the mill pond netted some results today as some campers caught their very first trout. I’m sure we’ll catch enough fish this session to have a full GV meal; trout from the pond, cornbread from the Mill and cole slaw from the farm. Can’t wait for that meal. Archery always has a full compliment of participants and Mark runs a tight ship down at the archery field. He also specializes in tomahawk throwing and will pull those out later in the week. That’s right, tomahawk throwing! You throw at a wooden target and it’s very doable by those that have the arm strength to make the toss. It’s primitive and fun. What young boy or girl doesn’t want to try something that comes out of the past and is real and not on some screen. Archery is also one of those activities that I think children sometimes find it harder than it looks. It’s good for hand eye coordination as well as patience and timing. Just imagine having to gather your food at camp with one of those weapons.
Part of the fun of camp is truly getting back to basics in our unplugged world that we refer to as the simple joys. It’s all around us here at GV and we only have to take it by the hand and sometimes step out of our comfort zone for a short time to experience what we can only imagine. Or…take it by the reins and see if you can negotiate the turns required for weaving your horse in and out of the cones. Special relationships with animals and getting close to them is a wonderland experience for many of our campers. Your children may have only fed the family dog or cat and haven’t experienced the hungry calves that think they’re its mother as they inch closer with the giant bottle full of calf formula. And then there’s always milking a goat or cow and the dexterity it takes to get that milk to hit the bottom of that bucket. All this and more is part of playing outside, growing inside and learning by doing here at Gwynn Valley. We’re playing, learning and growing every day and I’m always amazed at the satisfaction and wide eyed wonder coming from all those little faces.
MS1-A going to their final breakfast of the session! We’ll miss them.
On a older note, Riverside is out on their second day of paddling and made another trip to the Green today on a different section of river. They’re improving their skills each day and will head out again tomorrow and Wed. to ply the waters of our western NC rivers. We closed our Mountainside 1-A session today and sent some tired and happy campers home with their parents. Thank you Mountainside parents for sharing your children and we look forward to starting MS1-B on Wed. Gwynn Valley just got a write up on a website for eco-friendly camps . You can check out the article here: http://bit.ly/16yQEOu or go to the GV Facebook site and click on the article there. Stay tuned for more good news from GV!