Today we welcomed Pioneer, Trailblazer, and Odyssey campers to the Canaan Valley alongside their parents, family, and friends –  and what a day it was!  The sun was shining and the mountains were calling; golden days like these wait for no one.

So what else to do than jump right in?!  Indeed, tonight was opening carnival.  After a pasta dinner in the White Mountain Eating Lodge, 2-week and 3-week villages gathered on the A-field for some song, fun and games, including my personal favorite opening carnival game, Doubles.  In Doubles, each village sits in a circle with a pile of crazy clothes in the middle.  One by one, each person rolls a pair of large foam dice with the hope of rolling a set of doubles.  Upon someone finally rolling doubles, the village erupts in excitement while cheering on their village-mate as they attempt to put on all the crazy clothes at once before the next person rolls a “double.”  Sound simple?  I assure you it is not!

In the meantime, 4-week Trailblazer villages – Sentinel & Little Haystack – are on their overnight at Newfound Lake and we look forward to hearing stories about their paddling journey when they return tomorrow.  For now we have been catching up with some of our Explorer villages that returned from the trail this afternoon.

Thank you to all who visited the Valley today – stay tuned for more!!