The final Monday of the camping season has come and gone and it was a day bittersweetness for the staff and new adventures for the campers. None of us can believe that the summer is almost over! It feels like yesterday that we were all in staff training gearing up for the arrival of first session campers! I guess this is the best example of the expression, “Time flies when you are having fun.” J

            Today was a busy day for everyone, especially since the weather was so gorgeous. It was breezy, sunny, and mild, and everyone wanted to take advantage of it by being outside as much as possible with some creative and unique activities. H8 spent a portion of the afternoon harvesting herbs in the camp garden, and H1 and H7 spent their last block of the day stargazing.  P2 went on an arrowhead hunt on Santa Claus Island, and H5 and P3 went “deep sea diving”, more commonly known as bay swimming. Also fairly new activities, P5 went paddleboarding and H3 had a camouflage lesson complete with face paint!

            Even though this is one of our bigger sessions, (about 190 campers!) we still always have room for all the campers to participate in classic camp activities that we have become known for. Some times, that may mean combining two activities into one, like H13 and H6 who had some kids kayaking while the others sailed, and vice versa. APF got to know eachother this morning by playing icebreaker games and lashing at their site during the first block of the day. And P4 did the same later in the day, as they built teamwork skills and got to know each other during a fire building competition.

            In other areas around camp, like the craft shop, H11 made dream catchers and H9 glazed terracotta pots. At the pool, P6 did a monk swim. At the waterfront, H2 caught fiddler crabs to feed to the resident turtles and P1 went on a sunset boat ride. At the high ropes course, H4 went on the swing. And in the rec hall, a place that rarely sees campers, P7 listened to scary stories.

            My personal favorite activity that went on today was a dessert cookout made at the brand new fire pit at my shelter by H10! The fire pit was made as a service to camp by the adventure pathfinders and I was so excited to see it get used for the first time tonight. It was the best Mexican S’more (s’more in a tortilla with peanut butter)  that I have ever eaten.

            It has been a pleasure blogging for you this summer! Until next summer friends,

            Emma

The part of the summer that campers and staff alike look forward to with a burning passion is finally upon us… Color Wars! Fourth session is beloved for it, and our campers were ecstatic this morning when they were told the theme, which is Battle for the Biosphere, a competition of the ecosystems. The teams are Swamp, Grasslands, Tropical Rainforests, and Oceans, and one will rule them all. For those of you who are new to camp, or just new to fourth session and the hype of color wars, here is a brief run down. Campers and staff are divided into these four teams and on Sunday, campers will compete in various competitions to win points for their teams. Some of these events may consist of camp craft activities, like lashing, some may be based on sports, like water basketball, and some could be completely based on creativity and wit, like creating a creature from your ecosystem with random materials. Then the final competition is a giant relay the spans the camp property, and ends with a massive fire building contest. Campers spent this afternoon with their teams, beginning to prep for the big day! Tomorrow will be another prep day, and on Sunday the big showdown begins! Stay tuned for highlights and results! J

           

            Besides color wars craziness, yesterday was the Homestead ice cream social, and tonight was the pioneer dance! Homestead enjoyed a make-your-own-sundae bar in the dining hall, as well as dancing to favorites such as the Cotton-Eyed Joe, and the Macarena. Pioneer had a Christmas in July themed dance in the Pavilion, complete with tradition winter decorations to cool off the balminess of the evening.

            While tomorrow during the day is dedicated to central planning, the evening is dedicated to movies and popcorn for the campers and a Christmas in July social for staff, complete with a handmade gift exchange, White Elephant style. Basically a take a present, leave a present type of thing, J

            As you can probably tell, camp is buzzing with excitement! Here’s hoping for good weather, a rousing and friendly color wars competition, and a great time had by all.

Until next time,

Emma 
Girl's Homestead Unit Leader

The Camp Arrowhead heat wave we all know and love has officially arrived! 

Luckily, we were prepared and set up ice-cold water stations around camp to keep everyone hydrated. And today we were lucky enough to have a wonderful breeze that everyone was grateful for. 

Today was full of wonderful adventures all around camp, but the most 
dventurous of all was an off-camp canoe trip taken by the Adventure Pathfinders to Wolf Pit Pond. The trip lasted all morning and eventually turned into a marsh walk/ slipand-slide session!

Back at camp, many groups stayed cool at the waterfront participating in a variety of activities. P1 went banana boating, P4 went sailing and seining, and P3 went paddle boarding, a new activity offered this year on camp!

The heat didn’t deter anyone from participating in not only beloved classic camp activities like P7 who spent a double block at the rock wall this afternoon, but also new favorites like H3’s camouflage lesson with our low ropes director Harrison. Also doing activities with Harrison were P2, who went on the low ropes course, P6 who made dream catchers, and P5 who listened to scary stories our infamous “haunted” rec hall.

Also happening today, H7 made special greeting cards with our favorite camp alumni Doreen, H10 did archery, H8 and H9 dressed up as ninja turtles and princesses for dinner, and H6 cooked out lunch, just like our pioneer group regularly do! H11 made puppy chow, a delicious concoction of chex mix, chocolate, and optional peanut butter. And in the evening, H1, H2, and H4 had a beach bonfire as the sun went down. 

On a sadder note, We regret to inform you of the passing of our camp guinea pig, Gibbs. He was well loved and we had a funeral for him on the beach during free time, in true Arrowhead style.  We will miss him, but know that he is in guinea pig heaven! 

Now the kids are tucked in bed, ready for more adventures tomorrow!

Until Next Time - 
Emma
Girls Homestead Unit Leader

Session two has officially begun with a bang, literally! We had a little bit of thunder in the morning, but it left us with a mild breezy day that we all are grateful for after the heat we have become used to. 

The units spent the day getting to know each other and participating in an awesome variety of activities. New friendships are being formed all over camp as we begin to settle into a daily routine. P6 started their day with some good ol’ fashioned exercise and participated in an 80’s themed workout right after breakfast! They also teamed up with the ladies of H7 to try and protect eggs with creative materials as they dropped them off of one of the highest structures on camp, the EC Tower. H1 got to enjoy watery thrills together as they went on a banana boat ride. H4 also got to enjoy the bay as they went kayaking. And a little further inshore, P5 worked on their camp craft skills by making their own torches!

Another great thing about the rain we had today was it gave some groups a chance to get crafty! To name just a few of the activities that happened in the craft shop today,  H8 painted their own tiles, P4 made original clay creations, and H11 began making wind chimes. All of those crafts will go through the kiln and come out later in the week looking amazing!

Our courageous adventure staff was working hard around the rain, as many groups participated in our adventure courses today. H2 worked together to climb suspended ladders at the high ropes course, and H9 also worked as a team to conquer the obstacles at the low ropes course

Our Pathfinder groups wasted no time living up to their names today. In the Sailing Pathfinder group, the campers spent their first afternoon on the water, learning the basics of sailing on the sunfish sailboats. The Adventure Pathfinders began christening their brand new campsite by starting their lashing project, an awesome “Adventure!” sign modeled after the Camp Arrowhead sign that hangs in the dining hall.

After dinner, campers finished off the day with a wide variety of nighttime activities. H3 went on a sunset walk through our marsh, which was extra gooey and fun today because of the rain. H10 and H6 got to practice their camp songs as they went on a hayride that went all around camp. And the ladies of P2 and P6 swam away the last of their energy with a monk swim in the pool. Then all of camp settled down, did reflections, and went to bed with dreams of another awesome day tomorrow. Here’s hoping for fair skies and fun memories made when the sun comes up!