Today, in the Canaan Valley, life was filled with wonder of all kinds. When over 100 unique and youthful personalities are living in community, so much is possible – and so much occurred in this one day. There was a sunny, bright morning where campers chose to jump out of bed and into Dan Hole Pond, or into the Knock-out line at the basketball court, and get their day started with activity. There was a peaceful, reflective flag raising where the ladies of Chocorua Village shared with the whole camp an important aspect of their own identity.
These campers are in full swing, checking the interest group postings, asking the right questions when they are confused about something, and moving their way around camp like pros already. This high buy-in to all things camp has led to high energy at some points. The Eating Lodge can get loud and crazy (especially at Crazy Dinner tonight), Villages banging on tables and singing songs of affirmation to each other. There’s a special, swirling mass of energy that happens as 100+ children come together. But this group is also capable of channeling that into deep, meaningful moments when it feels right. As I looked around in awe at the spectacle of the White Mountains Eating Lodge, I thought about how our mobile villages of the Four Trails programs might be doing…
In the in-camp program, we get glimpses of the Four Trails world mostly through Explorers. This morning, after a wonderful flag raising, the ladies of Chocorua packed up for their hiking expedition in the Mahoosucs. They have heard about the views and challenges to come from other Explorer Villages, and headed out with confidence and verve this morning. Flag, too, left on their bike trip in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. They are excited to explore a bit more of the front country and be ambassadors of Merrowvista to the local community out here. Madison left for their canoe trip, and were psyched to put their small, but mighty and brotherly group to the test on water. Katahdin had a day in camp, finishing the night by sharing their thoughts on “what it means to be an explorer” with the entire in-camp community at Evening Reflection.
More updates on the Adventurer, Voyageur and Odyssey trips to come in the upcoming blog so stay tuned! We are excited about how these young people represent and continue to challenge their best selves out there, and are proud to be working on developing our own selves here at Merrowvista. Hear hear to another great day.
-Shelby