Wow! What an amazing group of campers we have! Cabin trips returned on Thursday afternoon, just before the rain began to pour. Wet and happy campers rushed to grab a shower and eat warm food before sharing their cabin skits. We all enjoyed plenty of laughs and funny stories from the trail.
The American Camp Association visited us Friday morning for breakfast and the morning, and we were on our best behavior! Dishes moved at lighting speed and campers were happy to show off the community, charm and beauty of SAM camp. We think we impressed them! In the meantime, we’ve been blessed by a hot weather stretch, so there has been plenty of scuba diving, games outside, and swimming at Buttermilk Falls on our day trip. On Saturday we set off to spend the morning singing at Merten’s House retirement center. The folks there were very appreciative of our voices and talent, and we had time to share a few stories and cookies before heading back to SAM. Afterwards, campers reflected on the meaningful aspect of sharing stories with their elders. At lunch that day, we moved right into a social justice activity. Campers had time to think about gender and sexuality, and share how these ideas can be safely expressed within the community. Cabin counselors were blown away by the camper responses in regards to openness and wisdom.
One of the biggest parts of SAM camp is the time we get to spend with campers on trail. Rather than talk about it, we like to go out and do it! This experiential style of learning is one of the biggest takeaways for campers at the end of their summer, and we are excited to go out on the final long trips of the season! This week, campers will be heading out to Mount Mansfield in Vermont, Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine, the Mahoosuc Notch on the Appalachian Trial and the beauty of the Adirondacks. Lucky us! Today is all about packing out, and building group cohesion for our time together on trail.
We return next Saturday, and can’t wait to share stories with each other.
Here’s to some final, great weeks at camp,
-Josie Nickum, SAM Staffer