After quite a bit of rain to freshen up Crystal Lake, the sunshine yesterday brought us our first arrival day for campers! It was a beautiful, warm day (not too hot, not too cold) and allowed us all to enjoy the sunshine while prepping for campers’ arrival and then taking our riding and swim tests!
We began the session with an hour of metaphysical work where every staff member took an hour to find a place to themselves and delve deeper into their own metaphysical readings in preparation for campers to arrive and to set a good and clear mind for the session. We all came together then at the end of the hour and shared our findings and readings, enabling the whole staff to come together and give gratitude for what we already know is going to be a great session.
Campers began arriving in the afternoon! The waterfront was open, as well as the stables, so once campers were all unpacked and settled into their cabins, they could take a quick swim in Crystal Lake and then take a little nature walk up to the stables to meet the horses! There’s nothing like jumping into Crystal Lake for the first time every summer, and we were excited to see all the smiling faces as the Coolest Place at Camp held up to its name.
The evening was a time of bonding and education, as campers and staff all stood in a circle on the game field and introduced themselves. We were told to say our name, where we’re from, where we’re living at camp, and what our second favorite woodland creature was. We had quite a few little furry creatures mentioned anywhere from squirrels, chipmunks, porcupines, hedgehogs, black bears, and even a very special and mysteriously named ghost bear, which is a black bear with white fur! Margie, our Arts & Crafts Director, was excited to hear of the excitement one of our campers had in ghost bears, considering she’d just put a picture of one up in the Long House!
As the evening came to a close, the cabin and non-cabin staff and campers all headed up to Boys’ Camp (known this session as Youth Camp, considering the girls are staying in Dunwoody this session and the boys in Seneca) to play more get-to-know-you games and learn more about what makes Crystal Lake so special.
We started with a name game. And it wasn’t just any name game, but it was the Blanket Game for all who know it well. The rules are as follows: our Head Counsellors (Sam and Rosario) held up a blanket between two teams. Everyone on the teams crowd behind the blanket as it is held up between them and one person crawls forward, awaiting the dropping of the blanket.
Once each team has chosen one person, there’s a quick countdown of 3, 2, 1 before the blanket is dropped and the person across on each side has to quickly call out the opposite person’s name first. Whoever says the name first wins, and the person who loses has to go to the other side.
We had quite a comical time playing the Blanket Game especially this session because we have three Sam’s – two on staff and one as a camper – so at one point two of the Sam’s went up to the blanket and tied, yelling out “Sam!” the second the blanket was dropped.
There were quite some unique variations. Seneca counsellor Daniel Bort was called ‘Dave,’ ‘Jerry,’ and ‘Bart.’ (All of which, are incorrect, nor do we have any Dave’s, Jerry’s, or Bart’s of any kind on camp property). But who knows, maybe Daniel Bort will now have a new nickname.
As it is Sunday, we started today with breakfast (the most important meal of the day) before going into Sunday School and Church. Sunday Schools classes took place on the Outdoor Stage, Alford Hall porch, and out on the trails as we all soaked up the sunshine and talked about this week’s Bible Lesson: Is the Universe, Including Man, Evolved by Atomic Force?
Once Sunday School was over, we all came back together at Alford Hall for the closing hymn and then to all mark books 
together. Learning how to mark books and using them in our daily Quiet Time cabin sessions will help introduce campers to the importance of reading from the books and learning from what Mrs. Eddy called our pastors. Quiet Time – where each cabin reads and studies the Bible Lesson – takes place for an hour each morning after Flag Raising.
We have a fun-filled rest of the afternoon for the campers and staff once we finish marking books and finish lunch. We’ll be down on the waterfront, going over waterfront rules and enjoying free swim as the sun stays high in the sky. We’ll then all retreat to the soccer field where we’ll play a game unique to CLC – 8-sticks. (More on 8-sticks and the wonders of it to come in future blog posts). We’ll then play some game field games and sing some classic camp songs (Anyone have a favorite song they’d like to suggest?) before heading to dinner and then prepping for ……… Barn Dance!
It’s already shaping up to be a bright, sunny and fun Session One with smiling faces and a childlike sense of adventure. If you’re like to see any updates of the time we’re all sharing then make sure to check out our Facebook page where photos will be posted usually every other hour along with videos of what campers and staff are up to. Our Instagram also is updated throughout the day. You can find all the photos taken on our Session 1 Smugmug Album which is usually updated at least three times a day as the photos are coming in.
We can’t wait to continue our day, and hope you’re having a blessed one as well! Happy Sunday from CLC!
– Zoë
Social Media Director/Camp Photographer
zoe@crystallakecamps.org
Share this Post