What an amazing day we’ve had on Old Forge today! When the gates of camp flew open this morning and the campers started to arrive, I could literally feel the energy of camp change. I looked at the staff around me and said, “It’s here! THIS is Session C!” Lunch and dinner in the dining hall were just the same…the energy and excitement was truly electric! A new staff member said to me at dinner, “you were right…there is something different about Session C!”
So what’s the difference? Is it because Session C campers have been waiting all summer for camp to arrive that they can hardly contain their excitement? Or is it because this session is filled with the anticipation and expectation of Color War? Maybe it is that we have so many returning campers who bring their love for this mountain and assurance that this will be the best summer ever? Maybe it’s a combination of all these things, I don’t know. What I know for sure is that Session C campers are here for camp! These campers are going to squeeze every good and wonderful gift from our time together at Camp Highlander, and I LOVE IT!!
It was awesome to see every camper jump feet first into camp life today, as if there was no time to waste. We had an exciting afternoon and fun in the sun as we enjoyed some wonderful activities with our favorite friends. I was so happy to see how much your children have grown and changed over the last year, but their love and enthusiasm for Camp Highlander has remained the same. Even more rewarding for me was seeing their love welcoming each and every new camper into our camp family. And it didn’t take long for our new campers to follow suit by embracing this amazing gift we call Camp Highlander!
Over the next two and a half weeks, these campers and cabin groups will become a family, and this mountain will be a home away from home. They will experience true friendship, unconditional love and lots of laughter; they will learn about themselves, learn how to love others and will soon see why Camp Highlander is A Place Like No Other. This session will fly by because we are guaranteed to have too much fun! We want to thank you for making Camp Highlander a part of your summer. We are so grateful for the memories we will share with your children. So stay tuned, because we know there is no time to waste!
Favorite Details of the Day
- Weather: We were blessed with beautiful weather and sunshine this morning to welcome our Session C campers and families. The sun was shining all day long, and the temperature dropped a bit to make our campfire truly magical.
- Meals: For our Opening Day lunch tradition, we had grilled cheese and tomato soup and a salad bar. This year we have added a new menu item to this camp favorite and served grilled ham and cheese, which the campers loved! For dinner we had pot roast, with carrots, potatoes and onions, homemade dinner rolls and a salad bar. After dinner, the disco ball went off letting us know one of two things were about to happen - either we were dancing in the dining hall or we were having dessert. Tonight, we did both! After doing the Cupid Shuffle, we enjoyed some famous Highlander Mudslide! YUM!
- EP: Tonight’s EP was our opening Campfire! This is one of our oldest camp traditions, and it is the perfect way to welcome campers home to Highlander! We sang, we danced, we laughed and we all agree that we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!
About Melissa Fitzgerald
