Summer Camp News from Woodcraft
Aug 05, 2023
Just, wow! 41 days have passed since we opened camp for Summer 2023. How is it possible that we will be celebrating Woodcraft’s 99th Candlelight campfire in just one week from today? As a staff, we are at that point where camp feels like a favorite holiday — it took too long to arrive and has passed too quickly. Our campers have grown so much and we all just want to hold on to these beautiful August days with our Woodcraft family a little longer.
Okay, okay… no goodbye tears yet! Let’s focus on the totally amazing and fun times we’ve been having at your favorite summer camp In the Adirondacks. Here we go with a second session camp report:
Overnight Trips
Our Auroras just returned home to us yesterday and concluded our overnight trips for Summer 2023. They set out in beautiful weather on a 3 night trip from Long Lake to Tupper Lake and although they paddled the last few of their 35 mile trip back in heavy rain, the Auroras were in great spirits! This trip is part of the Northern Forest Canoe trail and has one portage.
Trail Camp split up into two trips this session. One trip of hikers set out to one of the most picturesque spots in the Adirondack Park: Indian Head. Out for 3 nights, they hiked Dial, Nippletop, Blake & Colvin. They really enjoyed this region of the high peaks and look some stellar shots from Indian Head where it looked like they were soaring above the clouds during an early morning cloud inversion. Our second group of Trail Campers packed up for a 3 night canoe trip in the St. Regis canoe area from Lake Kushaqua to Little Clear Pond. From this crew we heard comments like “best Woodcraft trip ever” upon their return!
Our IV crew hiked from Moss Lake through Sis & Bibb lakes and back to camp on their 2 night adventure. It was cool to return from a trip by foot instead of by van and they sported great attitudes!
The second session Rangers explored Tirrell Pond to Blue Mountain on their hiking trip and they had a ton of fun camping in the woods and cooking around the campfire.
Our Wenonahs had a great 2 night paddling experience exploring the Stillwater Reservoir. 6,700 acres large, Stillwater is known for beautiful campsites on the water and on the islands. The learned how to stern and improve their paddling skills!
Last but certainly not least, our OLTD crew spent 3 nights out learning how to become trip leaders while canoeing and camping on the Oswegatchie river in the Five Ponds Wilderness. We’re really proud of this crew. At the beginning of the summer, we had just one OLTD who started off by setting a very high bar and the group has now grown to 10 participants who continue to set a great standard for young role models and leaders for Woodcraft.
Day Trips
Awesome hiking trips to Black Bear, Bald, and McCauley mountains as well as a mountain biking trip to McCauley and a Canoe the Moose adventure have all been part of our second session day trips. Adding on to those usual suspects, some of our Wenonahs, Rangers and IV campers also chose to participate in a rock climbing trip to King Philip’s Spring wall outside of Keene. A handful of newly interested sailors were also able to head out onto 4th Lake for Woodcraft’s first Sailing Trip — what a beautiful day on the water! And although it was “just” a morning trip, we can’t forget to mention our optional sunrise hike to Bald Mountain this past week. We set out in fleeces and headlamps and summited with fewer layers on just in time to take in the gorgeous hues of orange and red glowing over a bed of fog nestled in the pine trees surrounding the Fulton Chain of Lakes. We are definitely going to offer another opportunity for this great neighborhood hike for sunrise, or maybe sunset, next week!
Back at Camp
While Woodcraft is famous for helping campers to connect with nature and become great outdoors people out on trips in the Adirondacks, we can’t forget all of the fun we also have “at home.” Woodcrafters have been having such a great time connecting with friends at various activities and also just “chilling” during cabin time or in the main area before meals. We feel really lucky to get to be a part of our campers totally phone-free and carefree summer adventure here. It may sound silly, but it’s so amazing to see campers having the best time just chatting and playing games together, in person! Archery and riflery remain strong activity favorites. Our gorgeous waterfront may top both, and our high ropes course, nature, and OLS are also big contenders.
At the moment, campers are heading from 3rd hour to 4th hour. Swim, zip-lining, baking, fishing, and paddle boarding are a few of the activities underway. It’s a sunny day and we are sure most campers will head to the waterfront for General Swim, our last activity of the day, before dinner. Tomorrow, Carnival fills our program for special Sunday and campers will be earning play money at games and activity stations which they can then use to purchase snacks and dunk counselors in Lake Ka-nac-to! We will close out the week with an all-camp campfire and we already can’t wait to hear the huge variety of songs, jokes and skits around the crackling fire the OLTDs will kindly prepare for us.
That’s all for summer camp news for now! Thank you for tuning in and for supporting Woodcraft!
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