July 2 2025

It’s Main Camp Challenge Day, one of the best days of the year. Opening Day is more satisfying, Closing Day more poignant, but Challenge Day is just plain fun. Campers delight in the games, relays, matches, and races (all of which were challenges formally made and accepted at Morning Assembly). Counselors appreciate the break from the normal class schedule (they are watching, officiating, and cheering with just as much enthusiasm as the girls).

The slower pace of the day (no classes all morning and a relaxed Council Fire tonight) suits our expectations of an ideal summer vacation. A spirited game of Volleyball was watched by the entire camp as the traditional first challenge of the day kicked things off, and we then spread out around camp to compete for points and cheer on our friends. The riding Jump Off brought a crowd of horse fans who lobbied for a big horse show (we are bringing back English Riding next year, if all goes well). The morning ends at Softball (when we will hand out cold Shasta cola and some kind of snack) and a Senior Tug-a-War. Challenge Day is appreciated not only for the games but also for the significant moment it marks in our camp experience.

We have now been at camp for ten days, the point in the summer when we always relax into camp life with unfettered delight. Dr. Sevier noted this fact during his first summer in 1920. For some reason, it takes us ten days to form a completely comfortable community. We certainly run a really wonderful camp in less time, but it is not in the same ballpark as a longer session. Many are satisfied with the shorter timeframe, but they also quickly outgrow such an experience. This unique community experience is what sets us apart and makes our camp special.

We love short camp sessions; they’re a lot of fun. Most camps operate using a template based on two weeks (it is a “sweet spot” for a fun camp experience). Still, we find that significant growth consistently happens if we allow time for the community to mature (as with wine, there is no substitute for time). Time for us to let our guard down, to be ourselves, and perhaps not be on our best behavior. To be ourselves. Now, our friendships have grown solid enough for us to ask for and extend forgiveness confidently. We learn to trust each other, confide our hopes, confess our insecurities, celebrate our gifts, and relax in a gloriously full life.

By this point, we appreciate camp in a different way. We find our “tribe” (a benefit of larger camp communities is that more people form more groups). We discover our gifts, surprising ourselves with a capacity we did not previously know we had. We find we have an eye for art or are good at tennis. Perhaps we are acknowledged as the “blob queen” of the Waterpark class or the best shot in riflery. Throughout the camp, our abilities are celebrated in both large and small settings, and our confidence grows. We find ourselves having long, deep, meaningful conversations with new friends at surprising moments of the day.

We now anticipate each moment of the day in different ways… mealtime in the dining hall; the breakfast club joke; around the world camper/counselor games at tennis; lounging by the lake; reading a book in an Eno. We discover other campers and counselors who share our interests. We start new fads, learn new skills, make new friends, and the hours and days FLY BY. We will be shocked when Closing Vespers arrives in a few weeks. Ten days mark the point when time shifts, and we find life passes in a flash.

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