A great week of camp!

A great week of camp! 

Our first full week of camp programming is concluding with our traditional Sunday programming. A gentle rain is the perfect backdrop for our more reflective time of the week as we gathered in Tattersall Hall due to the rain for Garrett Farley’s chapel talk earlier this morning. We’re looking forward to our Council Fire this evening, which will also be in the Tattersall Hall. And while we have had more rain than usual, it has not dampened our spirits one bit. Most of the days have been rain free but slightly overcast. The rain may even have some benefits as our campers seem to be less tired than usual. We even had an incredible triple rainbow over camp on Thursday evening during our free evening activities. I hope you saw photos of it on the Campanion app! 

The past week saw many highlights, including our first camping trips of the summer for the Crows, Cardinals and Ravens. Upon return to Timanous, a camper provides a report to the rest of the camp on the highlights of the experience. I enjoy these reports for several reasons. They remind me of the days when I used to lead camping trips with my campers and the special moments of cabin bonding- sometimes through adversity- while away from the creature comforts of camp. I also value the opportunity for our campers to practice public speaking in front of the entire camp. 

On Friday afternoon, campers participated in their first Friday Trips of the summer. These brief outings are a great break from the routine of our regular activities and give campers a chance to explore the area immediately around camp. Outings included a traditional hike up nearby Rattlesnake Mountain, a sailing trip to the middle of the lake, and a canoe trip in our beautiful wooden war canoes to Hawthorne Point. On Saturday morning, we played our first games of Capture the Flag of the summer. The action was intense, with the Green and Gray playing to a tie in both games. C-Flag always raises energy levels to some of the highest levels of the summer!

We’re looking forward to our celebration of July 4th later this week with a cookout and the traditional burning of our bonfire, weather permitting. 

I hope you enjoy the following summary of the Cardinals camping trip Lake Umbagog from trip leader Reid Temple as we prepare for another exciting week at camp. 

This week at Timanous included many adventures, chief among them being the Cardinals trip to Lake Umbagog on the Maine-New Hampshire border. 12 campers and 4 counselors set out Monday Morning. While we had to pivot and change campsites halfway through the trip due to weather, we were still able to spend a huge amount of our time on the lake, swimming and taking in the wildlife. Highlights included sighting an osprey, golden eagle, and loon babies! Campers had the opportunity to exercise some campcraft skills like tent construction, camp cooking, fire making and wood chopping (with counselor supervision) It was a great three day trip, and the campers had a blast being outside!

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