It’s time for the final Four Trails Update of the summer. Tomorrow is an exciting day for Four Trails as all the campers return from their adventures and we have Voyageur and Odyssey ride-in. The next few days of camp are about closing it all out and enjoying the company of the community we’ve built together these past few weeks and this entire summer. The past few days in review:
Trailblazers finished out their session by putting their handprints on the wall at Graceland. It’s been fun watching them come up with funny catchphrases and inside jokes to write on the wall alongside their handprints. It’s such a great tradition to be able to see campers put their handprints on the wall, leaving a true imprint on this place that represents the larger impact they’ve had and will continue to have on their communities.
Explorers are riding into Graceland as I write this with cheers from the Adventurer pals who are finishing up packing in their gear after ride-in this morning. Ride-in for Adventurer is quite the thing to see—check out the photos and videos on SmugMug for a taste of what it looks and feels like—but watching them come over to Graceland and cheer on their fellow campers is just as beautiful. Adventurers had several delightful days on their ride-in toward camp. They had some bike trouble up near Manistee so our 4T Coordinator David went up and did some quick repairs so they could keep moving forward. From there it was easy riding all the way back to camp. Our Explorers experienced some pretty intense thunderstorms after getting into their campground last night, but thankfully the wonderful campground owners opened up their indoor space for them to sleep in. We’re so grateful that everyone was able to be safe and sound inside during the night.
Voyageurs are mere miles from camp as I write this. They’re being transported to our Well Site camping location for the night to be ready for ride-in tomorrow morning. We’ll bring them pizza and sit by the campfire with them tonight while they tell us all about their adventures.
Odyssey campers are in Michigan and are riding to our registrar Cassidy’s farm to camp tonight. We’ll drive out in just a little while to meet them and provide all the necessary supplies for a celebratory cookout. They’ve had two days on a bus riding back from New Hampshire so we know they’re ready for some good food and time with Cassidy’s cows and pigs (and dogs). We can’t wait to see everyone.
A final note: Thank you all so much for following along this summer. It’s been an incredible summer of adventure, stunning landscapes, positive mobile communities, and life-changing experiences and we’re so grateful to be able to facilitate that for all of our campers. Check out the SmugMug for our final photos of the session and we’ll see all of you in just a few short days when we close it all out!
Andrew