Summer Fun has Begun!
After months of planning, weeks of training and days of anticipation, we are SO excited summer has arrived at Gwynn Valley! Yesterday’s Opening Day kicked off our 90th summer of simple joys and we welcomed around 200 campers to what some call a home away from home. Greeted by horses on one side of the driveway and calves on the other, our summer staff checked in families, made up bunks and plugged campers into activities whilst creating new friends along the way.
Our campers had a full first day of camp swimming in the pool and trying a few of the activities at camp with their cabin mates and counselors. That evening we enjoyed the Kitchen’s signature Pasta Bolognese, caprese salad, green beans and Big Cookie while learning who’s here for their first summer and who’s a returning camper able to show cabin mates how to clear the dining table. Following dinner, we enjoyed a brief After Supper Activity naturally interrupted by a classic Western North Carolina thunderstorm.
My favorite part of the start of summer is the energy and joy campers bring to camp. The foggy mountain mornings feel a bit warmer and brighter as I hear verses of ‘Alice the Camel’ being sung outside the Dining Hall. Through transition times, downtown GV is filled with bobbing heads scurrying with excitement from one program to the next. Conversations flowed throughout meal time as we learned who traveled the furthest and shortest to connect at Gwynn Valley for another memorable summer of fun. Connection happens so seamlessly and quaintly at camp, the simple shared experiences in nature amongst campers make for wholesome, even life long bonds.
If our campers bring the energy and joy, our traditions hold space for whimsy and culture to flourish amidst them. Whether it’s the inevitable thunderstorm on the tin roofs of the cabin or hayride at Tajar Ball, these expected experiences for our returning campers become sense memories to share with new friends at camp. It is such a joy to watch young children’s faces light up as they get to teach their peers how to clear the table or tell them what– no who! – the Tajar is…oftentimes just as much as the new campers their teaching to!
We like to say camp is filled with simple joys; memories, adventures, friendships, crafted items and more. The simple joys we speak about include the children that visit camp in summer. With them they bring creativity, kindness, excitement and curiosity. Thank you for entrusting us with your children at Gwynn Valley. It’s a special opportunity to guide them to grow, to create a safe space for them to challenge themselves and for them to flourish in the natural world.
