Bugle Call – Week 2 – 2018
What a seriously fun, adventure packed week we had at camp during Trips Week! Every camper, C.T., and counselor was able to go out on a trip and practice/learn camping skills, demonstrate their grit and grace, and learn more about how truly capable each of us are. Whether they were canoeing down the Little Manistique River in the Upper Peninsula, rock climbing in Marquette, or exploring on South Manitou Island, each camper grew and learned so much.
We celebrated all things Trips related this week. On Monday morning, our C.Ts headed North to the Upper Peninsula to canoe the Manistique River. The weather was perfect, sunny the whole time, and they spent their days paddling and camping on the side of river banks. The wildlife included Bald Eagles (prepping for the patriotic holiday ahead), a baby beaver, ducklings, and deer. In the end, they canoed around 60 miles, navigating the twists and turns the Manistique offers. The cabin of Falling Star departed from the Leland Harbor Monday morning, taking the ferry to our neighbor island, South Manitou. They explored the lighthouses, learned about different shipwrecks, hiked around the island, and got to cook all their meals on the beach. Gull’s Nest and Driftwood had a blast on their ‘Lost Girls’ overnight- minnow catching in the Crystal River, practicing their outdoor skills, and treasure map making. Our Wildwood ladies went North to the U.P where they explored waterfalls, rock climbed, and hiked around Marquette Mountain. Our Evergreen and Juniper 6th grade campers learned canoeing skills in nearby School Lake, and then put their skills to the test on the Platte River and camped along the riverbank.
We had such a fun variety of morning activities this week, for those who weren’t on long trips. The Wakeena cabins were able to try activities they hadn’t tried before. We were able to spend the mornings doing some of the classic morning activities – from Silversmithing to Horseback Riding and we were also able to do some more unique activities too- like watercolor painting in our beautiful Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore and working together to choreograph and perform a dance in only two days!
On Monday evening we explored the front side of the Sand Dunes- jumping, flipping, and tumbling down the sandy sides and soaking in the afterglow of a perfect Michigan sunset. Everyone was off on a trip on Tuesday evening and we joined our Leelanau brothers for church in the meadow on Wednesday. Thursday we had a boating adventure on Glen Lake and concluded the evening with a beach dinner on the shores of Lake Michigan. Everyone was finally back from all their trips by the weekend and we splashed around in Bar Lake, played a thrilling Kohahna Games in the evening. We finished off the week with the Kohahna classic, the Newlywed game (how well do you know your cabinmates?) and Council Fire where we got to sing the songs each trip wrote that re-capped our trip adventures.
Trip’s week left us with SO MANY highlights. Some of the favorite moments from the week included going on the Zip Line, various goofy moments from the trips, getting everyone back together, dipping all together Saturday morning, playing the Kohahna Games, learning new skills (like canoeing), bonfire & s’mores, going on the Ropes Course, and being able to bond more and share funny moments with the campers and counselors this week.
Trips week provided us with a special opportunity to explore our theme of “This is Me!” which celebrates each campers unique expression of God. We loved seeing how each camper grew in confidence and strength, growing in their understanding of our God-given perfection- never doubting their abilities or gifts. We were able to keep exploring this week’s quality, Purity. We highlighted the accomplishments of young activist, Malala Yousafzai, focusing on her strong sense of forgiveness and pure motives, despite facing a lot of opposition. Additionally, we discussed how purity is clear thinking and loving others unconditionally, as well as honesty, integrity and authenticity. Our K-Quality this past week was Initiative (name that bead color! Hint—think the team color for the Pine team) We saw many demonstrations of Initiative on the trail this week where campers were able to step up and recognize when they were needed in a situation and lend a helping hand.
That’s all from us for now (time to ring the bell for the end of morning activities). Stay tuned next week for all the goodness that third week has to offer. And thanks again for sharing your daughters with us- we are confident that the joy, compassion, and love they express will continue to bless all, both in and out of camp.
xo North Star
