Sunday started this week off strong with an epic Beach Bonanza! We made the most of our beautiful waterfront Sunday afternoon by getting all of the campers in the water. The campers got to go swimming, kayaking, canoeing, sailing, and play on the raft. Later that evening at Council Fire the long-awaited Challenge Teams were revealed, and we were so excited for everyone going out on the trip.
On Monday The Challenge Team preparation began with a fantastic metaphysical, based on their theme Limitless Love. In the afternoon, the judges, the mother-daughter duo – Jeanie Johnson and Bailey Fuhrmann, watched as the teams began packing for the upcoming trip. For Evening Activity, The Challenge teams learned how to tackle and played some rugby while the rest of camp played an extreme version of Hide & Go Seek. On Tuesday night, the campers played Camo Dodgeball in the Pine Forest. They loved running around the woods and trying to hit each other with dodgeballs. The Challenge girls got their hair braided and prepared to leave for their adventure in the morning.
Wednesday was a huge day for Trips! The Challenge left right after breakfast and began their four-day trip. We also sent out our first Women of the Wilderness (WOW) Trip! This trip gives the opportunity for all of the girls who didn’t go on The Challenge or who are not quite old enough to start learning and practicing some of the skills used on The Challenge. We played a Flames and Navys competition where each group got to practice cooking over fires, building a Judges Tower, and playing Capture The Flag. All of the girls learned so much and got more comfortable in the woods! Back at Camp it was Gulls Nest and Driftwood Takeover Day! The girls got to go on the boat all morning, tubed and played, and in the afternoon, they played on the beach and in Lake Michigan.
Thursday morning the WOW Trip returned to Camp. That evening the campers had a blast playing various different lawn games such as “Where’s My Chicken” and “Captain on Deck”, and running around on the Great Lawn.
On Friday we got to go to a Pit Spitters Baseball Game! Both the campers at Leelanau and Kohahna got to go and everyone was so excited as we headed into Traverse City for a tailgate dinner and the game.
Saturday was a GREAT day because the Challenge girls came home! Everyone greeted them with lots of hugs. We were so excited to hear all the cool stories and learn the new songs they came home with. While the Challenge girls slept the other campers went to Empire to play in South Bar Lake and jump off the dock. We ended the night with an all Camp movie night where we got to watch Tangled.
It was an awesome week. We cannot believe there is only one week left of Camp! It sure has flown by.
Wow things go by quick around here! As the Desk of HQ, I get items piled up on me very rapidly. Thus I apologize for being behind on tracking down the Week 5 Cannon Report. (Also, I get things piled up underneath me too – usually the Head Counselor’s dirty laundry, but I don’t think you all need to hear a description of that.)
Allow me to share with you the past TWO weeks’ worth of Activity Paperwork that has swirled past my upper surface, and occasionally populated my drawers.
I saw a huge stack of paperwork that said “Senior Flag Trip” on it. There were team lists, menu sheets, scoring rubrics, structure descriptions, tackling rules, C.S. readings, and even a topographical map suggesting the Trip would be played on a piece of property no current Senior or Counselor had ever played on before. Exciting stuff. I was able to glean from these papers that they played North v. South, with some delicious and creative sound meals. And I even got a peek at the final score and North came out victorious. Good job, North Team.
That same week I saw papers regarding the Backwoodsman Flag Trip for the younger fellows, a Meatball Trip that involved securing fishing licenses for the older fellows, and even a petty cash request to take the whole Camp over to participate in the Beach Bards event.
Over the weekend I also saw a topographical map of the Glen Lake School Gymnasium, which could only mean we played July Madness – the North/South Basketball competition too! What a week for one little ole desk.
As Sixth Week got up and running, the WAS (weekly activity sheet) shared the devastating news with me that Camp Leelanau wouldn’t have a Sailing class this week. Shame upon those campers that fail to recognize the amazing and unique opportunity we have here to Sail on Lake Michigan.
The other things I saw this week were Trips Forms for a group heading up to Pictured Rocks, a group heading out to South Manitou, and four brave men heading out for their Solos. Since Final Trip Reports have been slow to be filled out this summer, I have to assume everything went smoothly, but I cannot confirm until the paperwork is completed.
Also, there were quite a few drafts of the Cabin Day plan swishing back and forth on top of me for a while, but it seems like things settled in for some very fun sounding Off Camp Cabin Days.
Those guys never write down their evening activity plans, but I can surmise based on the use of the décor taken from my bottom drawer that Christmas in July was celebrated this week too. Still waiting for that to be put back in the drawer – not uncommon.
All told from my perspective it was a delightful flurry of amazing activity at Camp Leelanau these past two weeks.
Week 5 started off with a bang! On Sunday afternoon, we had our first ever Lumberjack Festival with Leelanau. Everyone dressed up in their best lumberjack outfit and participated in some crazy competitions such as log standing and ax throwing. The rest of our Sunday moved along as normal with Cookout and Council Fire. On Monday we returned to our regular weekday schedule. We played Sand vs. Pines Superlatives in the evening and had some silly competitions such as who can sing most of the song Bohemian Rhapsody. The campers had a lot of fun and everyone was super excited to go to bed a little early that night and get a little extra rest after the big day we had Sunday.
Tuesday we woke up to some hot weather and had the most refreshing dips of the session! To combat the heat that night we played an epic game of Waterslide Kickball. Everyone had to slide on a slip n slide into each base and slide down our big waterslide at the end into the home if they wanted to score. The campers absolutely loved it and were soaked by the end of the night. We wrapped up just in time for everyone to take a quick shower and head to bed.
By the time Wednesday rolled around all the campers were so excited for Off Camp Cabin Day. We had cabins going all over the place! We had campers taking over the Sand Dunes, surfing the big waves (on cardboard), playing in Empire, doing random acts of kindness in Glen Arbor, and exploring Leland. The campers could not stop talking about all the adventures they went on! We had a lovely rest of the evening with Wednesday Church and Hymn Sing outside.
On Thursday, we introduced a new Evening Activity to the 4 weekers, called Three Blind Mice. On four different teams, the campers had so much fun running around with blindfolds on trying to steal each other’s cheese (a dodgeball).
Friday was super exciting because it was CT DAY!!! The CTs woke the whole camp up yelling and banging on pots and pans and led us down to dip altogether. The CTs really got into leading songs on the deck before Breakfast. They then lead us in some super fun Afternoon Activities such as playing in the zorb ball, slip n slide, and extreme hide and seek. In the evening, they ran an all-camp Zumba activity and the campers had so much fun dancing the night away.
On Saturday we headed down to the beach in the afternoon for an epic beach battle with Leelanau. The campers had to create sand masterpieces, race in canoes, and test their strength in a tug of war competition. We spent plenty of time coming in and out of the water to keep cool since it was HOT! Everyone had so much fun. In the evening, we loaded up the Big Blue Bus and headed to The Shallows to play one of our all-time favorite games – Waterpolo!!! While the Wildwoods played an epic game of Waterpolo, the Waukeenas spent some time playing on the Sand Dunes.
Overall, 5th week was a big hit. We are so excited to see what happens during 6th week with both The Challenge and the Women of the Wilderness trips going out!
Howdy, as the Ump of the Ole Ball Game, I take the 4th week of Camp – though I hear it is also the 1st week of Camp for a handful of youngsters – very seriously. Everything I do at Camp is in a dedicated and specific effort to prepare the boys for the single most important event of their young lives. That’s right the Ole Ball Game. A North-South senior section game of Softball that takes place during Friday evening activity.
I remember when the previous Camp Director founded the Ole Ball Game and brought me in to Ump all those years ago. He tried to make it worth more Stars than the Senior Flag Trip. As well it should be! But I digress…
The first thing we did this week to prepare for the Ole Ball Game was regular afternoon activities, but for the courageous we also offered Home Run Derby practice! That evening we had the Juniors play a game of kickball, to get their base running in. Also, it was my goal for them all to understand what “tagging up” means on a flyball.
On Tuesday we played Water Polo for the Seniors and Soccer for the Juniors. Also known as, two evening activities that did not progress meaningfully toward a successful Ole Ball Game. Though I’ll concede the spirit of Sportsmanship and Positive Competition were extremely high at these two events, so perhaps we are molding a more complete individual through this process. (chin scratching emoji)
On Wednesday they really overturned the apple cart in terms of my singular focus and goal of creating the greatest Ole Ball Game Camp Leelanau has ever seen. They sent a whole bunch of Cabins on Cabin Trips! Can you believe it? Camping! Can’t be good for the throwing arm. Black Swan hiked the Platte Plains, Barbados canoed the Platte River, Sea Hornet biked the Heritage Trail, Cherokee hiked and orienteered to the Palmer Woods. The other Cabins explored various reaches of Leelanau County for their Cabin Day. Madness, I say! Though, I’ll concede the camaraderie developed within those cabins on those trips was very impressive, and perhaps will prove useful for the Ole Ball Game.
On Thursday, now t-minus one day away from the Ole Ball Game, HQ mixed up the schedule again and sent the entire Senior Section out into the woods for the afternoon for something called the Flag Trip Combine. I mean, I’m all for a good combination of outs in a single play, but a whole afternoon dedicated to running through the woods, learning to lash, building fires, and tackling each other just seems odd. But again, those boys sure had a good time and seemed to grow closer to God for it all. That evening they played various versions of Dodgeball, some in the Woods, some on the Courts. At least that will keep a kids arm loose for the Big Game.
At last, Friday arrives, the day of the Ole Ball Game – the single most important event at Camp Leelanau, and perhaps at all or ever in these young mens’ lives…
-From the Desk of HQ (sorry we had to cut off that long winded Umpire. But we figure you got the important parts of what happened at Camp this week.)
NEW CAMPERS HAVE ARRIVED! Everyone was overjoyed when cars started flooding into camp. Campers got to greet old friends and meet some pretty awesome new ones. Each bench at Council Fire was filled.
On Monday we started Morning Activities and did the Swim Test. It was a great day for it since it was nice and warm. We ended the day with a couple of rounds of Bombardment. Waukeena Sands did a great job, winning 2-0 and the Wildwood Pines won 2-1. But of course, the Sky Team won 2-0 against the campers. On Tuesday, we played the game Pumpkin Ball which is a baseball style game but with a dodgeball. In true Kohahna fashion the teams were themed country girls versus city girls and all the campers wore their best country and city outfits. At the end of the game, we held a Home Run Derby to see who could hit the dodgeball the farthest.
Cabin Day on Wednesday was a big hit this week! Every Wildwood cabin got to do our High Ropes Course. This is always a super unique and challenging activity that older girls love doing. It pushes everyone to challenge themselves and step outside of their comfort zone. The Waukeenas had picnics, did scavenger hunts, and a cookie bake-off! Of course, we ended the night with a wonderful Wednesday Night Church Service and Hymn Sing with our Leelanau brothers.
The whole camp spent the afternoon prepping for the Pine and Sand shows on Thursday. The campers were writing and learning different skits and learning their kicklines! That evening the campers had a blast playing 8-sticks. A game similar to Capture the Flag, but it is played with pool noodles to tag each other. The campers always love being silly and wacking each other with pool noodles.
Friday morning we woke up a few minutes early to hold our 9th annual Camp Leelanau and Kohahna 5k and Fun Run Event. All of the runners that participated did a wonderful job expressing Life and energy. The campers that didn’t run, got to cheer on their peers at cheering stations all dressed as different holidays. Everyone had a wonderful time and ended the event with a quick breakfast at the Lodge. Friday afternoon followed with more preparation for the team shows. That evening we finally got to see all of the camper’s hard work as both teams performed their shows! The Pine team put on a hilarious Scooby-Doo themed show and the Sands displayed a fantastic Monsters Inc. themed show.
On Saturday we started the day with a metaphysical about Womanhood and an intense clean up. After Rest Hour we went cherry picking! We went cherry picking at the Kabat’s orchard in Cedar. And of course, we ended the day with a classic first saturday of the session Evening Activity… LIP SYNC! We heard Selena Gomez, Justin Beiber, Shania Twain, Bon Jovi, and so many more artists. The campers were creative in their choreography and excited to dance and sing.
This past Sunday we got to do a Lumberjack Event with the Leelanau Boys! We were psyched to try this new event and we learned so much about using different pioneer tools. Since it was such a toasty day we ended the activity with a dip in the lake. We then continued our typical Sunday with Cookout and Council Fire. This week was a perfect start to the second session, and we are so grateful everyone is here!
An overheard conversation between Leelanau Trips Counselors Japhet Hoff and Jacob Warrick (nickname JCB):
“JCB, we did a ton of stuff this week at Camp while you were gone.”
“Japhet, I’m willing to believe that a large number of activities occurred, however referring to those activities as a measure of weight seems highly inaccurate.”
“Okay, well, while you were canoeing down the Paint River with the CT’s all week, we were celebrating the heck out of the Fourth of July. We finally went back to the Glen Arbor Parade and threw candy from the bus, we played some games on the Soccer Field, and there was some nonsensical story line about Liam and Everett getting brainwashed by Pippi and Weldon. I didn’t totally understand that part, but Weldon was dressed up like Kurt Zimmerle and was a bad guy. Obviously, it ended with a melee battle in Lake Michigan and waving the Flag around enthusiastically.”
“That sounds fun, did they get to see any fireworks? We canoed through a local waterski show on the Menomonee River. It was rather unexpected and surprising to see floating ramps on what we expected to be a wilderness experience.”
“What? Say that part again. But no, no fireworks, it started to rain in the evening, so we wrapped up with Co-Ed Council Fire Games in the Lodge. It was a hoot. Now go back to the waterskiing show.”
“There isn’t much more to say, it was a good CT Trip to the Upper Peninsula. Did you get out on any trips this week? That is your job you know.”
“Wow, okay. Yes, in fact I did take seven campers, an Instructor!, and Grizz down to the Nordhouse Dunes Area for a one night trip. The kids loved it, we played in the dunes, our campsite was beautiful.”
“That sounds nice, how did the Instructor do? Did he pass?”
“He did great! He definitely passed and the kids loved it.”
“Nice, anything else fun happen while I was away?”
“Usual camp stuff, I don’t know everything that happens on the other side of the Ottawa Bridge. I know they took the whole Camp to the dunes for Dune Football on Thursday. I think they played Water Polo on Tuesday and –“
“I missed WaPo again!”
“Yeah, and it was a really good game, the sportsmanship was top notch. It really feels like the boys have grown a ton this session.”
“That’s good. I’m glad I’m going to be back in Camp a little more during Week 4. And I’m grateful I was home in time for Funny Awards. Those were particularly special this year.”
“Agreed. We better stop chatting and get some rest. I have an airport run to Grand Rapids tomorrow with Larry Olsen.”
What another whirlwind of a week! We can’t believe that the first session is coming to an end already.
The Fourth of July was packed with super fun activities! Everyone at both Camps Leelanau and Kohahna got to be a part of the parade in Glen Arbor. The Waukeenas were in the Big Blue Bus and threw candy at everyone while the Wildwoods walked together singing camp songs throughout the whole parade. In the afternoon they got to do a plethora of activities. They got to do an obstacle course, play in a Zorb Ball, go down the Water Slide, decorate cookies, get their faces painted, and spit watermelon seeds. We finished the day with Cookout and both Leelanau and Kohahna campers doing Council Fire games in the Lodge.
On Tuesday the campers began a normal week, starting new Morning Activities and signing up for some fun Afternoon ones. Our Evening Activity was Human Stratego, since our CTs were not there we got to see the oldest campers take a larger leadership role in their absence. We were so impressed by the way they led kindly and confidently.
Every cabin got to do their last Cabin Day together off camp property on Wednesday. Cabins went tubing, on nature scavenger hunts, played on the playground at Old Settlers Park, and so much more. When they got back on the bus there were a lot of smiling faces with ice cream cones or soda bottles in their hands. Of course, we had a great Wednesday Night Church ending with a Hymn Sing with the Leelanau boys.
On Thursday it was… SEAFARERS DAY! We were so excited to do our first themed day of the summer. The counselors planned an epic day where we got to dress up as mermaids, pirates, sailors, anything you could think of. For Afternoon Activity we did Camp Appreciation with Sea-themed names. The girls signed up to write thank you notes to our support staff, muck, pick up fish at the beach, and more activities to beautify Camp. In the evening, we played Clue, and of course it was sea themed.
We can’t believe it is the last full day of Camp for most of these girls! They will truly be missed. On Friday we had a normal morning followed by a Packing Party in the afternoon. We ended the night with Final Banquet and Pine Bows. Each cabin got to pick a theme to dress up for the banquet. We got to see lots of Pippis, underwater creatures, multiples of counselors, hippies, and more! It was so fun to see everyone so excited to dress-up with their cabin and get creative.
On Saturday we said farewell to our 3-weekers! We are so grateful for all they did to be a part of camp and to help cultivate a positive and loving environment. While we were so sad to see them go, we are so excited to welcome the 4-weekers on Sunday. We are more than ready for the beginning of the new session and all the wonderful growth and joy that will occur over the next four weeks.
Much Love,
North Star
Greetings from the RCA Shed. I, Josh Sablan, Director of all RCA (Really Cool Activities) will be reporting out regarding the happenings at Camp Leelanau from my view of things from the dusty corner of the Maintenance Pole Barn known fondly as the RCA Studio.
It was quite a week for Camp Leelanau, as far as I could tell. The boys walked back and forth on the trail past my shed many times a day, mostly heading to meals I assume. Turns out we are feeding these youngsters three times a day!
On Wednesday all of the Juniors showed up to my activity in dark green clothes. I assumed they wanted the glue sticks and paint to stop showing up on their usual uniforms of Generally Athletic Clothing and Close Toed Shoes. Boy was I wrong! The Juniors were actually dressed in their Camos in preparation for the Junior Flag Trip. I heard the Caughts and Flags called up on the back property ridges, and could feel the positive Sportsmanship brimming all the way down here in the RCA Shed that afternoon as the young men stepped into the hollowed tradition of Capture the Flag in the woods.
Since they didn’t ask me, I didn’t provide them with green and black tempera paint for camouflage. And since they did ask me, I also did not provide them with their handmade wooden swords for this exciting event.
Word around the shop, (I saw the actual Maintenance Team working on this) is that the Canoe Trailers were in high demand this week. A handful of Boys headed to the Picture Rocks National Lakeshore with kayaks for some up close and personal opportunities to Picture the Rocks from their boats. This sounds like an RCA project that I should have been a part of. I’m a bit miffed I was not invited to participate, I mean, Pictures and Rocks are fundamental to any good RCA project.
The other significant use of the Canoe Trailers, I learned, was the CT Boys preparing for their week-long Trip to the U.P. From the shed I observed them coming and going in their paddling gear, as they learned more skills throughout the week.
Toward the end of the week there was quite a bit of skuttle about an event called the Comedic War of Attrition, a North-South Comedy and Talent Competition. Wow, I could hear the hoots of laughter even while running the jig saw and sander for the 87th wooden sword I was helping an Argonaut craft. Sounds like both teams brought their best for the joy of Camp.
All in all, it was a good and productive week at Camp Leelanau – as seen from the RCA Studio. While other folks rate things in stars or thumbs, I’d give this week a three out of three Glue Sticks!
The second week of camp flew by and we are so grateful for such a wonderful week! We can’t believe that there is only one week left until we have to say goodbye to our three-weekers! Sunday was a perfect day with donuts for breakfast at North Star and full Sunday School classes. As an all camp activity, the girls played two rounds of Hunger Games. The competition and sportsmanship demonstrated was outstanding. It was fun to see everyone fully commit to the game. We finished the day with Cookout, sibling pictures (make sure to check them out on SmugMug), and of course, Council Fire.
On Monday, everyone started their new Morning Activities. A small group of campers left Monday morning for a hiking trip at Pictured Rocks and Monday evening we played an intense game of Soccer. Pines won the Wildwood game and Sands won the Waukeena game. On Tuesday the Wildwoods were able to attend a lecture by Tom McElroy on the topic of “Prayer”. We appreciated their insights on it after the lecture. During the lecture, the Waukeenas played Extreme Sardines and enjoyed an early bedtime.
Wednesday was a jam-packed day filled with Morning Activities, Cabin Day, and Wednesday Night Church. This Wednesday it was an on-camp Cabin Day and the cabins enjoyed activities like Paint Twister, Dune Sledding, a Tea Party, and Ziplining. Clifftop and Falling Star each went on an Overnight, one to girls’ council fire and the other to the DH Day Group Campground. Wednesday night church here at camp was inspiring as there were many great testimonies shared, and, as always, Hymn Sing was the perfect end to another wonderful Wednesday.
On Thursday we mixed up the schedule with a sleep-in! The Pictured Rocks campers returned in time for dinner, and we loved hearing all of their stories. Our Evening Activity was Brown Bag Skits. During this particular rendition of Brown Bag Skits, each cabin had a Bible story to act out, but they had random phrases, objects, and characters they had to include. So we had the pleasure of watching a spicy version of Daniel and the Lions Den, Noah in The Ark, the Last Supper and more. Good (and hilarious) times!
We finished the week right on Friday by ending the day with Newlyweds and… TRUNK CLEANING! Trunks were squeaky clean and ready for Saturday Inspection by the end of the night. On Saturday we said goodbye to our two-weekers and prepared for our CTs to leave for their canoeing trip early Sunday morning. The whole camp is looking forward to celebrating The Fourth of July and another awesome week of camp!
Ahoy, Director Nut, your joyful and cuddly Waterfront Director, here to deliver the Weekly Report from the eyes of Lake Michigan.
It is wonderful to see all those land-loving scallywags back at good ole’ Camp Leelanau for Boys. Sunday afternoon brought them all down to my beach for some “Welcome Home to Camp” frolicking. They spent a little too much time on the Courts, in my opinion, before jumping into that great big, beautiful Lake I call home.
That evening at Council Fire the “Great Siam” called down with an important message for all of the First Year Campers. Though I noticed that while they called “Oh Wa” to the Sky, and “Ta Goo” to the Trees, and “Siam” to the Ground, they never mention anything about the Lake. Seems like an oversight, I’ll be sure rectify that in 2nd Session.
On Monday Lake Michigan and I kicked up a Small Craft Advisory during Morning Activities. It’s probably best for those sailors and sea kayakers to learn a little early respect for our Waterfront. We are not to be taken lightly.
So, Monday afternoon we headed over to North Bar Lake for the annual Bar Exam. While I am working towards a Law Degree, this particular little assessment does not change state by state, but in fact universally assesses the Camper’s readiness for Water-based Activities. It pleases me to say that a large portion of our Camp are competent and boat safe swimmers. For those that are not…well, I guess there is always room in Borja’s swimming class.
On Tuesday, again, we kicked up a Small Craft just to remind those Poznick’s who is really in charge around here. Without Lake Michigan to play in, and a very warm day developing, I conceded and allowed a different body of water to be utilized by Camp. We took the crew over to the Shallows on Little Glen Lake for a rowdy game of Water Polo and a fun picnic on the lawn right there.
By Wednesday it was clear we needed to get some sailors and sea kayakers out onto the Lake. We kept it warm throughout the day too, to ensure that every single Cabin Day ended on our beach with a dip, a splash, or a full swim around. The kids loved it, and that is what Lake Michigan, and I are really here for.
On Thursday, Lake Michigan and I thought it would be good to up the ante a little bit, so we took five brave young men out on the Charter Fishing Boat, and sailed way out on the Big Water to catch some very substantial Lake Trout. Those will be good eatin’ on Sunday at Cookout.
On Friday, I cooked up some more big waves in the morning, and converted a few afternoon activities from boating to body surfing by coaxing my buddy, Lake Michigan, into a goodly stir. But calmed things down nicely by the end of evening activity so the Seniors could enjoy a beautiful sunset Soap Dip.
What an amazing first Week for Lake Michigan and myself. I’m sure HQ thinks we accomplished other things this week, but let’s be honest, this was the important stuff!
