With the second week of Session 1B winding down more and more every hour, this Tuesday was proof that although time is scarce, it won’t ever be wasted at camp. As we all woke up this morning, we rejoiced as it was revealed that we would be having a camp favorite for breakfast. ‘Geometry Breakfast,’ as it’s often called, is a biscuit-oriented meal where we assemble a very geometrical sandwich consisting of sausage, egg patties, cheese, and oval-shaped hash brown patties. Why is this meal so special? Because we love playing with shapes, that’s why.

After breakfast, we flocked to the chapel and sang some camp classics including “Every Move I Make” and “Pharaoh Pharaoh” before being sent off to the cabins for cabin cleanup. The race for the Golden Plunger is VERY tight, and to quote John Menendez, “Less than a 1% differential between the top two cabins”. Your guess is as good as mine, but I would say that the final stretch for first place is between the cabins of Turtleback and Little Piney. Two unlikely candidates considering the older cabins typically dominate, but these two have consistently been landing scores higher than 9.5 for the entire session. Today, the two tied, both scoring a 9.75 and shaking hands in the dining hall.

As cabin cleanup began, the trips for the day left camp. Notably, a kayaking overnight trip to Section 9 of the French Broad today and the Upper Green tomorrow. Overnight trips are a rarity in themselves, but for the kayaking program it’s an extra-special treat. Trips like these are staples in a camper’s memory of camp because of the amount of time spent with just the people who share the same passion as you. (Take it from me, I went on one kayaking overnight as a camper and can tell you every single detail of it.) Whether it’s kayaking, mountain biking, climbing, or anything else, it’s so special for the advanced-level campers to bond with each other and the instructors over their love of the activity. The trip was attended by Banks P, Henry O, Ryker R, Case M & Wilson B. These advanced paddlers are all pursuing their Gold bars in the Kayaking program, and for many it’s their first overnight. We all wished them well as they departed with backpacks & paddles in hand, and they plan to return tomorrow evening. (Fun fact, Henry O and Banks P both woke up early to secure bars in Pickleball class due to being on this trip.)

In our morning activities today, we saw Jamie V achieve his bronze bar in archery with HP achieving his silver. Also in archery, Lucas O was able to consistently shoot from 50 yards which is astoundingly impressive. In backpacking, Wyatt M, HP, and Aubrey S all accomplished their one-match fire, earning themselves a mark in the Little Chief system for doing so. On the waterfront, Luke T got his backflip in diving and Alex F & David F both got great practice with their roll in kayaking class.

Lunch was simple, but simple is good. Chicken tenders and fries never hurt a soul. During lunch, we found out that the Black Bears won last night’s game of El Presidente, bringing the banner race even tighter. I won’t say how close it is, but I will say that it is genuinely anyone’s game right now despite typically being locked up by one tribe at this point in the session. Only a couple of evenings remain, and we will find out very soon who will reign victorious and have their name written in history as champions. Will it be the Golden Eagles led by Henry O and Sam C, or the Black Bears led by William & Richard B? Only time will tell.

Free time and afternoon activities rolled by without a cloud in the sky, and dinner was a delicious pasta casserole with cherry filled strudels for dessert. After everyone finished eating, the sultan revealed that the evening activity would NOT be between the tribes, but Cabin Night! Cabin Night kicked off with all of Junior Camp participating in the shaving cream war and getting to ride the slip-n-slide, and afterwards they did the following: Huckleberry spent time catching fireflies near Tiger Tooth, Finch’s Landing built some Legos, the Further’s spent some time swimming at the lake, and Hawksbill & Turtleback had a PJ party at the Tuck. As for Senior Camp, Little Piney got some extra time at the slip-n-slide after Junior Camp, Big Piney swam at the lake & had s’mores at the beach, Stomper’s Knob dared to face the challenging canoe bridge, the Slaty’s had another rendition of The Slaty Games, and Greybeard had a cookout at the backpacking hut. After everyone returned to their cabins, (some covered in shaving cream) the sun set on another fantastic day at camp. Happy Tropical Tuesday everyone: it was certainly one for the books!

Graham Ryan

Further In // Kayaking

Proud Golden Eagle