Thanksgiving At Camp

This year, my mom and I decided to drive up to CLC for Thanksgiving. It was an awesome decision. How could it not be? I mean, it’s camp. We were so ready for a weekend of food, friends and fun in one of the best places on earth. 

It’s so beautifully quiet at camp in the autumn. The air is fresh, crisp, peaceful; at night sounds are magnified in the stillness. There is nothing more familiar to me than arriving at camp and hearing the sounds of my first few footsteps on the gravel road. Each step fills the air with a neat little crunch that immediately brings back years of memories. So, naturally, when I stepped out of the car for the weekend I felt completely at home.

There were only five of us there for the Thanksgiving meal, but we had a variety of food because everyone was excited to contribute their favorite homemade dishes. Thanksgiving day was full of activity as the food was joyfully prepared. We had a beautiful dinner of mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes, cheesy crescent rolls, roasted squash, cranberry jelly, and venison. For dessert we had homemade pecan pie, apple pie, and whipped cream. There was more than enough food for the five of us, and we enjoyed the leftovers for several days. Becca and I especially enjoyed eating the apple pie for breakfast!

We spent the rest of the weekend sitting by the fire, reading, knitting, talking, hiking, eating, playing games and watching our dogs romp around with each other. For a few days, there were the same number of dogs as people! Mason and Lily were especially funny to watch, and they played with each other almost constantly while we were there. Lila tried to join in a few times, but she seemed content to do her own thing the rest of the time. Roxy and Katie Kisses mostly just slept the days away. It was fun to see all of them together, having fun and enjoying camp.

There’s something so refreshing about spending time with a few people and several dogs on top of a mountain. There was so much space to breathe and think and have fun. Something my mom and I both loved about the holiday weekend was that it was full of laughter. Becca and I got quite silly on several occasions, to the point where our laughter made it impossible for anyone to understand what we were saying. It was the classic camp scenario: we started planning a ridiculous dog-themed banquet and the conversation just dissolved into tears of laughter and failed attempts at words.

The whole weekend was characterized by a relaxed and vibrant joy that was infused into every activity – from stoking the fire to walking the dogs around the lake. My mom and I couldn’t have asked for a better holiday weekend. We are so grateful for our CLC family, and we can hardly wait for our next visit to camp!