We had a fantastic day here on Old Forge Mountain! The weather was absolutely beautiful and the sun was shining all day. The camp director’s dream weather is sun all day and rain all night (well, maybe not all night, but at night). Of course, weather doesn’t always work out the way we want it to, but today it was perfect. We had sunshine all day, and just now as cabins are getting ready for bed and I sit here typing, the rain has started to fall. As much as we hate the rain, we need it, and a night rainfall is the perfect sound machine for restful night’s sleep.
Today our campers enjoyed a full day of activities and making memories with their cabinmates. In week two of camp, some cabins were scheduled for a camp activity for the second time, offering them an opportunity to sharpen their skills, and still there are some activiites they did for the first time this session. I love that our cabin unit allows our campers to experience different activities at camp. I love that campers can challenge themselves by trying new things, as well as discover new passions and hidden talents. The cabin unit provides a safe place for campers to fail and try again, and a place to be genuinely celebrated when they succeed or face their fears.
Favorites Details of the Day
- Reflect: This morning at reflect, Beth talked about the words that we speak to ourselves. We all have an inner monologue. The words we say to ourselves can shape what we believe to be true about who we are. Beth reminded us to make sure we are speaking truthful, loving and gracious words to ourselves. If we can’t love ourselves, it is impossible for us to love others. If we can’t forgive ourselves, forgiving others will be challenging. In order to treat others kindly, we must first be kind to ourselves.
- Meals: This morning we enjoyed some delicious french toast sticks for breakfast with eggs, bacon and fruit. For lunch we had sloppy joes, sweet potato fries and a garden salad. We finished off our day with jambalaya, cornbread, and sensation salad for dinner. The Louisiana themed dinner was the perfect compliment to our evening program and absolutley delicious! (Fun Fact: Our kitchen manager, Michael, is a LSU graduate and his jambalaya is as authentic as it gets!)
- Weather: Another beautiful day on the mountain. The rain started right after EP, just in time for bed.
- EP: Tonight’s evening program was Mardi Gras! A parade rolled through Old Forge, with the activity staff and leadership team in fun costumes throwing colorful beads and gold coins. Campers competed in Mardi Gras-themed activities to collect as many coins as they could in an effort to win the prestigious EP trophy. At the end of the night, Cabin 26 took home the gold!
Mardi Gras was a huge hit tonight at camp! Campers and staff LOVED the parade. Cabins lined the blacktop road through camp in their purple, green and gold costumes. As we passed through camp and threw beads and gold coins to the crowds, we were so happy to see the joy on each and every face. Their smiles were literally melting my heart. You would have thought the beads were precious jewels and the coins were 24 karat gold by the way they were screaming, begging and pleading for more. Our very amateur parade felt like the Canal Street in New Orleans to them. Their excitement and enthusiasm made the night so much fun!
Since we have been in our camp bubble for 8 days, we announced tonight at dinner that we were easing our mask policy outdoors and opening up all areas of camp for free time. The dining hall erupted with cheers and applause, and the biggest cheers were coming from Bryan and I! We are so grateful to be able to give this freedom to our campers with confidence. Thank you to our amazing camp parents for respecting our family bubble and pre-camp policies, so we could have a safe and healthy camp session. Because we are happy and healthy at Highlander, we were able to share an unforgettable outdoor parade and party tonight to celebrate!
About Melissa Fitzgerald
