Back To Camp has come and gone, and the official countdown to summer 2017 has begun! The weekend was filled with laughter, new friends, plenty of hot chocolate, and even some snow!
Counselors traveled from around the country to join in on the amazing weekend back at camp. On Saturday morning we picked up a bus load of eager campers, some veterans and some first timers, from Los Angeles and made our way up to Canyon Creek.
Once we arrived, the campers met their counselors and began to settle into their new bunks. After a quick lunch, we were out at the soccer field playing a camp classic; Barnacle! You could tell the campers were in for a fun weekend as they followed the counselors instructions to act like a mermaid, roll around on their back like a ‘crazy crab’, or to pile into the largest make believe boat and sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”.
The rest of the afternoon was filled with Free Choice activities ranging from Arts & Crafts to Minibikes to Soccer; there was something for every camper!
Back To Camp always holds a special place in our hearts as a time to remember what we miss about the days of summer camp. At Back To Camp it feels as if anything is possible. There’s a special magic in the air, even the hot chocolate tastes a little better! 🙂
Saturday night found our Back To Campers in a lively game of Bingo which somehow turned into a spontaneous karaoke/dance party in between each number called.
After an electric first campfire that saw classics such as “Moose Alpaca” and “Ronald McDonald” belted out from our oldest campers to our newest, the campers made their way back to the bunks for a much deserved sleep.
Sunday saw our campers tackle the heights of the ropes course, race around the go kart track, and try their hand at scoring a bullseye at archery.
The surprise of the weekend was after lunch…a Winter Wonderland! Being a sleep away camp located in Souther California, we don’t see much snow during the year, but that didn’t stop us from bringing in the ‘white stuff’.
There was a snowman building contest, snowball toss, and of course…sledding! Campers took turns flying down the sled run and then making their way over to the snowman building area. Appropriately enough, the Winter Wonderland ended in a big snowball fight!
Back To Camp is a taste of summer packed into one weekend, which meant Sunday night was Lip Sync! During the summer, cabins select their Lip Sync song, but this weekend we switched things up! Counselors picked from a bag of songs and had to make up a performance based on what song they selected. To say it was a huge hit would be an understatement!
The cabins brought so much energy to songs like, “Don’t Stop Believing” and “It’s Tearin’ Up My Heart”. Each performance seemed to bring the house down and it was a definite highlight to the weekend.
The power of camp is a special thing to witness, and this weekend was no different. In just three short days we saw new friendships form, fears conquered, and memories made. The only thing that it made us long for were the days of summer.
Another Back To Camp has come and gone and that has us counting down the days until we are reunited back at The Creek this summer. The only question is…will you be there?!
