Taking in Our Surroundings

I remember last summer one of my favorite emails I got was from a dad from Atlanta writing in to “please remind my daughter to look up at the starry night sky while she is at camp”. Growing up in the bustling metropolis Atlanta, there aren’t always opportunities to see the night sky. Not only … Continued

A Summer of Growth

This time of year, I admire the resiliency of trees. I respect and hope to emulate how they emerge from a dark winter, bigger and brighter than ever. Stepping out of Curtis (the camp office) you can’t help but stand in awe as you’re surrounded by these decades, even centuries-old behemoths. One of my favorites … Continued

Potential Energy

There was a short-lived time when I thought I wanted to be a physicist. I sat in IB Physics during my Junior year of high school completely enthralled with all the talk of energy, gravity, force, and more. If I were to try and describe camp in one word (impossible I know), I might use … Continued

Preparing for Camp-Insider Tips!

Camper forms, activity sign-ups, and store orders have been submitted!  THANK YOU to everyone who completed them on time. It makes planning for camp much easier. After reading through responses and talking with families over the last few weeks, we thought we would address some of our top-asked questions and offer some “tips” for our … Continued

Looking during Holy Week and beyond

“He’s not here.” It’s a phrase simultaneously simple and earth shattering; Frightening and hopeful. It’s spoken by an angel to a stunned group: Women who were terrified, mourning, exhausted, and now confused as to what has happened to the body of their rabbi and friend. For an Illahee Girl, this would be even more shocking … Continued

What’s a Pine and Tree Day?!

At Illahee we offer a ton of different activities, and if you’re attending any of our two, three, or four-week sessions then you, YES YOU get the chance to choose your activities! I love activities. It’s where we get to see campers find their groove and discover new life long passions. In preparation for the … Continued

Cold Feet Leads to Growth

Why the cold feet? We get it, and it’s a conversation we have every year around this time as campers feel the distance between their lives at home and their awesome memories of camp. Their experiences are a little fuzzier, and the smells and sounds of camp are no longer palpable. The jitters are creeping … Continued

Christmas: Tradition and Hope

Last friday I spent a good part of my day cleaning up my office. Anyone on our year round team can attest that my office needed it most. Spring cleaning might be the norm for most folks, but in the camp world, December is when we are able to catch our breath, so I chose … Continued

Illahee: A new or maybe an old meaning?

For millennia, our histories have been passed down through stories. These “Oral Traditions” are powerful in the meaning and wisdom that are communicated. We all love a good story, right? But occasionally, as new information is gleaned, in hindsight we find some inaccuracies. We at Camp Illahee have been told and told others that the … Continued

Full of Gratitude

Moving back to Brevard in May was a huge transition for our family of four. A significant aspect of that transition was my stepson Brooks (9) starting at a new school. At his school, class begins each day with a pledge of gratitude. Singing in the beautiful unison of off-key, 4th grade voices they shout: … Continued