Camp is getting better with each passing day although it’s hard to believe camp could get any better.  As we get closer to Parent’s Day campers going home realize they have made a connection to a place that will always welcome them with open arms. They begin to realize they will be heading home without the new friends they have made.  The waterfront, cabin life, activities and camp life are cherished more when they come to the realization they will soon be going home to a much more monotonous environment.  Those who were homesick question how they once could have felt that way.  Campers and counselors burst into rounds of “We Don’t Wanna Go Home” whenever anything or anyone reminds them of heading home. 

The last porcupine mountain trip had a large group of girls trekking and backpacking the forest trails. Our trip director, Amy Brickheimer, acknowledged campers Lila Patinkin and Jordyn Chapman as outstanding trippers.  Both campers helped motivated their group when the hike got challenging and carried heavy bags for younger campers going up steep hills.  Tonight cabin 5 heads out of camp for an overnight camping trip. The skies are clear and they made sure they packed a full supply of s’mores for everyone.

Yesterday’s competition with Chippewa went well. It was great to see friends from another camp hugging each other. I think some of them just compete to see their friends.  Whatever the reason it’s a fun day of competition. Our senior team at Agawak won basketball but Chippewa came up on top in the senior soccer game. The junior team won tennis but the seniors lost by one match. Agawak Juniors took soccer but lost to Chippewa in basketball. It was a hot humid day for competition and most of the athletes were exhausted by the end of the afternoon. 

Activities were once again in full swing. Adele Francois from Spain caught ten fish today and three of them were very large rock bass. I wish her parents could have seen the excitement on her face when she reeled them in. As the director, I get to see so many exhilarating things every day. I think that’s why camp goes by so quickly. The activity is constant and moves at high-speed.  One day it’s Monday and the next thing I know its Friday and we’re eating Ducky’s delicious pizza again.

Thursday night we had a long game of Blue and White Stratego.  White discovered three flags and Blue came up with two. It was an intense game. It’s one of the campers’ favorites but for me it’s one of my least favorite competitions due to the number of injuries. The more they run the more ice packs the nurses end up handing out. I’m actually thankful when the game is over. Stratego is another camp tradition they just won’t let me get rid of.

Tonight we celebrated Agawak’s 90th birthday!  Over 35 twelve inch undecorated cakes we place on each table in the lodge. Individual cabins took turns being the “cake boss” and created their own unique Agawak Birthday cake.  After the decorating was complete campers traveled to the campfire to reflect on 90 years of tradition. After campfire we headed back to the lodge for the judges to announce the winners of the cake decorating contest.  Cabin B, cabin 13 and Y won by default since cabin 15 spread frosting all over their faces as well as the lodge floor.  Needless to say they ended up cleaning the floor afterwards.

This evening at campfire I talked about Agawak’s legacy. A legacy is something you leave behind that will benefit others-perhaps those yet unborn. Former directors, staff and campers left a legacy for each of us of a better camp than they found when they arrived. Agawak’s legacies are, more or less, what we remember about this place, the people, the traditions, and the life lessons camp has taught us.  This summer as Agawak celebrates its 90th Birthday I think about the hundreds of thousands of campers who have been molded into the adults they became because of being at camp. I think about the millions of memories that are a part of every camper and staff member since camp began in 1921. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to continue to up hold all of Agawak’s traditions for those yet waiting to come.  All of us here this summer are a part of Agawak’s living legacy. Every day we are making sure the traditions, the songs, the cheers and the spirit of Agawak never dies.  

Jamie Gorchoff said it well tonight in her speech when she said, “Time has changed, and it isn’t 1921 anymore but those precious things that filled the lives of camp girls 90 years ago are still the precious things that fill our camp days and lives in 2011.

Camp is quiet and campers are all nestled in their beds until the morning bell rings. Sweet dreams to all.

Smile on,

Mary and staff