It’s no secret that summers at Highlander last only eight short weeks … which leaves many people wondering what we do with the other 44 weeks of the year. Some might think we run a year-long therapy session for ourselves as we suffer through camp withdrawals. Some might think we shut down Old Forge and travel all over the world on exhilarating and exotic vacations. Others might think we push aside the dining-room benches, dust off the La-Z-Boy recliners, put our feet up and relax for nine months. The truth, however, is we spend virtually every waking moment of those 44 weeks thinking of, creating and perfecting fun new ways to improve camp and add to the Highlander experience. And we want to share these improvements with you! Over the next couple of weeks, we will walk you through each division of camp (Junior, Intermediate and Senior) to showcase some of the more exciting changes we’re making. But, before we dive into the particulars, we wanted to highlight a few of the bigger camp-wide updates coming your way in the summer of 2017!
What could be better than jumping off the Crow’s Nest and zip-lining through the trees of Old Forge? How about jumping off the Blob Dock and zip-lining through the warm summer air until you drop into the cool waters of Silver Lake? This summer, you’ll be able to do just that on our brand new zip-line at the lake!
Sleep-In Saturday! At least once each session, all of camp will wake up late on a lazy Saturday morning to find breakfast (including Krispy Kreme donuts and chocolate milk) delivered to their cabin!
Master of the Mills program! For all those campers who want to hone their skills, track their growth, measure their achievements and reach new heights, we are launching our Master of the Mills program! If you prove your capability in an activity by completing a set list of requirements, you will be honored as a master of that particular activity. Master seven different activities through your summers at Highlander and you’ll be titled a ‘Master of the Mills’ to be forever enshrined in the history of camp!
We will now have five head counselors! What’s so exciting about that? Well, with a larger leadership team, each head counselor will be able to spend more time focusing on his/her division of camp. This will allow them to promote division-specific activities and programs, to encourage divisional pride through special themes and uniquely designed t-shirts (to be collected over the years), and to foster friendly competition between divisions with fun challenges and contests. Which division is the best on camp? That’s up to you and your head counselor to decide!
And finally, as always, our mountain biking program (which is spoiled every summer by the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina) will be fully equipped with a brand-new fleet of bikes! These bikes, enjoyed only by Highlander counselors and campers, will be available for purchase at the end of the summer as a way for you to take home a piece of camp and continue your mountain-biking journey!
Oh, and one more thing! The newest addition to the Highlander family, Miss Catherine Fitzgerald, can’t wait to meet you and welcome you back to the mountain this summer!
About Camp Highlander
