Every day is a celebration at Merrowvista, and the Fourth of July is no exception. The Canaan Valley is quietly dozing off to sleep as I write this in the Farmhouse, but it has been a full day of Frisbee throwing, paddle rowing, picnic dinner eating, and flag capturing on this beautiful, golden day.
Pioneer and Trailblazer campers woke up with their first day of Go-Getters. Campers have the option of getting up early each morning to go running, swimming, or do another rotating activity like volleyball or Ultimate Frisbee. While it’s an optional activity, the majority of our in-camp campers participate every morning (and get a t-shirt at the end of the summer to celebrate their hard work!).
After Go-Getters, the Voyageur Women lead Flag Raising and shared some of their goals for the session. We focus on goals at Merrowvista from the outset to reinforce the idea that every day should bring healthy challenges for campers and staff to work on. The Voyageurs left soon after breakfast to spend the next three weeks biking around Nova Scotia, and we have high hopes that they will work and reflect on these goals while pedaling their way over hills and through sunny and rainy weather.
After a breakfast of bagels, fresh fruit, oatmeal, and scrambled eggs, Pioneer and Trailblazer campers made their way back to their cabins for a little bit of tidying up before beginning the first round of daily Interest Groups. This round if Interest Groups will last three days, and on Friday, campers will start their next rotation. Interest Group activities are focused around helping campers build new skills that they can carry out of here. The sense of accomplishment campers feel when earning their skippers license, reaching the top of the rock climbing tower, or building their own bird house in the wood shop serves as a starting point for many lifelong hobbies. During this round, campers are serving the community by making granola for the food program to serve during breakfast, taking swimming lessons, and making friendship bracelets, among a long list of other activities.
After the two morning Interest Groups and lunch, campers went back to their cabins for some Easy Time where we encourage them to write letters home and take naps to recharge for the afternoon. Even the most active campers can get worn out from long camp days, so our Health Team is adamant that there is an hour and a half of unstructured relaxation time each day to keep our community well rested and healthy.
The afternoon brought the third daily Interest Group. Another goal we have for these activities is balance – no camper will spend the entire day playing basketball or making friendship bracelets during their time here. To sign up, campers are given a list of activities broken up based on activity area (athletics, waterfront, arts & crafts, outdoor adventure, and performing arts). They rank each activity in the different categories and place six stars on their sheet to represent the activities they are most eager to participate in. They must place stars in at least three different activity areas, ensuring they get some variety in their days. After that, the Activities Team pours over their signup sheets, trying to get each camper their perfect, most balanced day of activities.
After third Interest Group ends, villages reunite for Village Time, where each group gets to do a special activity together. Whitecap village enjoyed time with our resident plant expert, Veronica, and walked to the Waterfall learning about edible plants along the way. Carter Dome worked together on the Team Challenge course while Sentinel village used their senses to try out flavors in the garden during smoothie making. Campers rotate through different activities during this time throughout the summer, trying new things and working over challenges together.
The day ended with a celebratory picnic dinner outside of the eating lodge, complete with burgers, watermelon, and patriotic music. From there, the Trailblazers and Pioneers went separate ways for Night’s Doings. In the Meadow, the Pioneers hunted for gold while trying to elude the gold-hoarding bandits. When caught by bandits, campers were asked to sing a song, do a dance, or give someone a compliment before running off to find more gold. On the Athletic Field, Trailblazers played a Fourth of July themed capture the flag. The winners of these games will be announced tomorrow at lunch, but here at Merrowvista, we know that having fun is the best form of winning.
Villages returned to their cabins for Village Insight early tonight, leaving plenty of time to have honest conversations about what they want out of their summer here at Merrowvista and how their villagemates can best support them while still leaving time to get to bed early. With tired minds and hearts, we are all heading toward our pillows, knowing that tomorrow will be full of new learning and even more fun.
Four Trails Update
Today was a big day for “Alohas” with 5 total villages making their way out of the Canaan Valley!
After a relaxing morning in camp, Chocorua village spent the afternoon hiking to the Ledge and enjoying some on-trail time before heading back into camp to join the community for a July 4th picnic. They made it clear that they had made it to the summit by yelling a loud “TONGO!” down to Dan Hole Pond, where several groups excitedly responded. Nesuntabunt village also spent today in the Ossipee Mountains, hiking up to the summit of Flag Mountain and enjoying some delicious “cold s’mores.” On the summit, they participated in a reflective activity where they were each able to show gratitude for one another, and they came back into camp ready to depart tomorrow morning on their hiking adventure through the Saddleback Mountains. Jefferson village is also in high spirits and they are spending their first night of their hiking trip at Gentian Pond Shelter in the Mahoosuc Mountains. In the past, there have been reported moose sightings at Gentian Pond so our fingers are crossed for Jefferson!
Madison and Shaw villages spent their day in camp, preparing for their upcoming trips. Madison spent the afternoon at the waterfront, exploring the various ways to steer and maneuver a canoe, while Shaw village practiced cycling around camp and learning the proper way to fix a flat tire on a bike. Both Madison and Shaw spent some free time at the waterfront, swimming and enjoying the cool water on what has been a warm and sunny day.
After sorting through some flat tires, Katahdin village successfully biked 17 miles to their campsite and are excited to be well on their way to Ben and Jerry’s. Today, Flag began their grand adventure through the Saddleback Mountains in Maine and are spending the evening at Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To, where they are sleeping near a beautiful still pond with a wide view of the night sky.
The Voyageur Men and Voyageur Women have spent much of their day in transit, first in a van and then on a ferry on their way to Nova Scotia! Their leaders sent us a group picture at the ferry terminal, and they are all smiles and excitement! The Voyageurs were greeted at the ferry terminal by the fully dressed Canadian mounted police, which we’re sure is a memory they’ll all have for a while.
Odyssey has been out of camp for two days now, and they are spending the night at Wilson Valley Lean-To on the Appalachian Trail. They hiked seven miles today after a wonderful home-cooked breakfast at Shaw’s Boarding House in Monson, ME. They will be hiking 10 more miles tomorrow!