2011

For the past three evenings at camp, a similar scene has played out in the Dining Hall. As everybody finishes dinner, the usual din fades into a softer lull as a full day of activities finally catches up with the campers. The bounty of pink cheeks, grass stains, and wet hair all serve as signs of a day well spent at camp.  For one brief moment, it appears the campers might be slowing down for the day. Suddenly, while a counselor announces the evening activity, the dining hall comes back to life. Campers are high-fiving their neighbors and the shouts of excitement make the rest of the announcement nearly inaudible.

Evenings are a time for the entire camp to gather and participate in the same activity. Counselor skit night kicked off the evening activities at Community Week and judging from the amount of laughter, the campers thoroughly enjoyed watching their counselors perform in silly skits and singing songs. On Sunday night, camp turned into a “war-zone” as one massive game of Capture the Flag spanned across the Point. Campers clad in either red or blue, with war paint smeared across their cheeks darted through trees, snuck behind rocks, and sprinted across fields all for the sake of retrieving the “flag” or releasing their team members from “jail”. On Monday night, the entire evening activity was devoted to one of our favorite things around here at camp: water. The soccer field hosted water-balloon tosses and all sorts of water-related relay races which left every single person dripping wet. Saving the best for last, a giant water slide awaited the campers which stretched from the top of the hill, all the way to the bottom. Regardless of the activity, the time to re-group and squeeze out the last usable bits of the day together is one of the most memorable and exciting parts of time spent here at Chop Point.

Yesterday morning, a group of counselors trudged up the hill at 8:00 in the morning and spotted a large group of people congregating near the entrance to the lodge. Who could they be? Certainly not campers, Community Week registration was not even open for another hour!  As the counselors walked closer, they spotted the mass of sleeping bags, duffel bags, bathing suits, and towels tossed over the shoulders of the people. The campers had undoubtedly arrived. This enthusiasm for camp truly sums up Community Week, our five-day camp program for local kids between the ages of twelve and seventeen.  From the moment the campers arrived hardly twenty-four hours ago, they have jumped into camp with both feet. Activities are in full swing and campers and counselors alike are loving every minute of it. The sun is shining and there are blue skies as far as we can see. With Capture the Flag planned as the evening activity, it will certainly be an exciting end to the first full day of camp.