Week 4

Cannon Report

Kaboom,Kaboom,Kaboom, Kaboom!!!!

Hard to believe we are over halfway through our summer!  The time goes so fast.  Actually, time flies like an arrow, and fruit flies like a banana.  J

Week 4 saw us welcoming a fresh batch of campers and wow were they excited to be at Camp!

A little rain on Opening Day did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm for beginning a new session and a brand new experience for many!  We dove right into a new field game called “Bigfoot’s One Bounce Ball.”  Ask your sons to explain the rules when they get home in August, it will be a fascinating assessment to how much of the incredibly complicated, yet simplistic, game they actually understood.

On Monday we kicked things off properly by taking the whole crew of boys to Bar Lake for their swim assessment – known as the Bar Exam.  Followed by a picnic of fried chicken and watermelon at the Shallows on Little Glen Lake.  One of the significant tasks at the Shallows is to work to know everyone’s name by the end of the evening.  Needless to say, our new-to-Camp twin boys in Black Swan gave everyone a little extra run for their money.  (Not that the Nutwells are making it easy on us with their matching haircuts this year too!)

On Tuesday we sent away ten of our oldest campers for a mighty hiking and canoeing trip in the Porcupine Mountains and down the Ontonagon River.  This area is so far west in the Upper Peninsula that they actually hiked into Central Time halfway through their trip!

Wednesday saw some inspired and fun on Camp Cabin Days for the boys, and even more exciting our first Wednesday Testimony Meeting out in our meadow overlooking Lake Michigan.  The view certainly inspired many testimonies, and we even had a few kids double up they were so inspired.  (One kid tripled up on his testimonies, but he let other kids go between him.)

Thursday saw the senior section hiking to the top of the Sand Bowl after dusk to watch the Full Moon rise in the east.  It may be attributable to the pagan upbringing of the Camp Director, but he’s always prioritized connecting the campers to their natural environment by sharing unique moments like watching the moon rise.

As if that wasn’t enough, on Friday, we rose early to participate in the 5K race we hold here on Camp.  Kohahna joined us on the Soccer Field to cheer and run in the 5K and Fun Run, along with a few Alumni and community members.  The 5K is a highlight for the joy, fun, and freedom expressed, as well as the purity and wholeness of the whole event.

By Saturday it was time to wrap up morning activities and play a whole Camp game of Human Stratego in the morning and have a proper beach bonanza with Kohahna in the afternoon.

As stated above, hard to believe the weeks have gone so fast.  As they say, we have long days at Camp Leelanau, and short weeks.  Three more to go…so, don’t blink!

-From the desk of HQ