We’re one week into this two-week session and the friendships are blooming. It’s wild how quickly girls can become friends, ready to take on camp (and subsequently the world) together. I’ve seen it at the tables in the dining hall, on tubes in the swim lake, and in the enthusiastic words of “you’ve got this!” … Continued
If you’re a loyal reader to the blog you know there are certain phrases we repeat. One being, “camp is a well-oiled machine” or “camp is our mission trip”. We also like to compare camp preparation to party planning. We spend the entire off-season planning one giant party for over 1200 people who don’t know … Continued
We saw lots of big grins and enthusiastic smiles as your cars rolled through the gates this morning. Gardner and I enjoyed being part of the welcome team getting to peek into your windows to say hello and give out cabin assignments. We noticed a few jitters and lots of excitement. Lucas, Gordon, and Phil … Continued
Way back in May (what feels like a year ago) during staff orientation, I led an exercise with our counselors. We handed out notecards and on each side we asked them to write one word: Why? On the first side they responded to the prompt: “Why is Camp Illahee here?” And on the other side … Continued
Today’s wakeup routine was slightly different than my norm. Last night Pineview campers spent the night at Hannah Ford Farm, camp’s 125 acre farm property 4 miles away. Each session we take Heigh Ho and Pineview out to cookout, play games, and enjoy a movie and sleep under the stars. It’s one of my favorite … Continued
One of the best parts of working with kids is getting to occasionally act like one. I definitely felt like a kid today tubing down the river with the Sparks. Compared to our mini campers who left today (we’re all still sad about it), our rising 10th grade Sparks are on the other end of … Continued
In what seems like a blink, Laurie and I have been camp directors for a long time. We have stewarded three different camps through good times and challenges, and I was along for the ride at a fourth! We have weathered recessions, the dawn of the digital age, pandemics… and through it all, I remain … Continued
