I spent a good bit of my afternoon at the canoe lake today. Some campers lovingly refer to as the “cake,” because I guess “canoe lake” was just too/two many syllables. I’ll confess that I’m biased from my own love of paddling, but I have a soft spot for the water sports at camp. The … Continued
I grew up at Illahee and spent many years mostly unaware of how lucky I was that this place was my backyard. After moving away in 2021, spending two years in Columbia, SC, my family is settling back in to camp life. While so much is familiar, I am also finding myself getting reacquainted with … Continued
The first day of activities brings a collective sigh of relief for directors, counselors and the campers. I think we all like some routine after opening day. Last week’s orientation and staff training included settling in horses that were shipped in from south Florida and eastern North Carolina lesson barns. The riding staff worked on … Continued
Today felt oddly familiar. I guess that should be no surprise. Laurie and I have watched summers evolve as directors for 34 years. I told somebody that the other day, and her reply was “that’s a long time for anything.” It sort of caught me off guard. It doesn’t really seem that long. “Odd” because … Continued
We are excited to be counting down the weeks to summer 2023 and want to share some exciting updates including some changes to the year round director team.. Gardner and her husband Lucas will be moving to Illahee at the end of May with sons Brooks (age 9) and Jasper (6 mos). Gardner has been … Continued
I can’t help but acknowledge that this week has been tough with recent tragic events in Nashville. We are holding that community in our prayers. Though I write feeling heavy, I do find hope in the months to come. Being a steward of Camp Illahee is such a privilege and I am reminded of the … Continued
A new year is here and we are officially beginning the camp countdown! The time leading up to January generally brings a slower pace for our year-round crew; the phones ring a little less in the office, and the days end a little bit earlier. Everyone has adjusted to the cold, dark evenings and it’s … Continued
Happy December, Illahee Explorers! This summer, hundreds of campers set off on out-of-camp trips. No river was left unpaddled, no rock unclimbed, no trail untrodden. It. was. epic. Then, before we could blink, everyone headed back to their respective corners of the world. We packed away all the PFDs, harnesses, and packs. The leaves turned, … Continued
Gardner and Lucas welcomed Jasper into the world on October 13th, a week ago, in Columbia, SC. At 7lb 11oz and 20″ long, he was the same size as his brother Brooks on his December 25th, 2013 birthday. And both boys were born on a great-grandmother’s birthday- Brooks on Gordon’s mother as well as Laurie’s … Continued
For those of you like me, living in a state where you have endless summer and a couple of “fake-out falls”, it may be hard to believe we are almost a week into the start of this leaf-changing season. Here in Columbia, SC we are still cranking the AC and singing praise when the high … Continued
