Blog

Packing it up

August 09, 2012

  • If the weather a couple days ago was awesome, it’s pretty ragged today. Cold and rainy. However, we are looking forward to a slightly warmer day tomorrow with lots of sunshine. That’s great. You might grab a jacket on your way up to camp, though. It’s only going to get up to 71° the weatherman is saying! That’s nearly freezing by my Florida-girl standards!
    Tonight the guys will participate in an age-old tradition, the Kerchief Ceremony. It’s another opportunity for boys to reflect on the less obvious benefits of a summer at Camp. Sure, they’re celebrating their achievements in activities, but even more, they are celebrating their bond to 109 summers of young men just like them. Boys that have run on these fields, slept in these cabins. Like many things at Highlands, it’s special. You can read about the ceremony in an essay written by our program director and alumni Craig Ericksen. He’s got a unique perspective as a former camper, father of campers, and staff member.
    The dreary weather is not stopping the packing or the lost and found collection! The laundry is clean(ish), so hopefully, your boys trunks won’t be too terribly stinky upon their return. I’ve heard lots of great ideas on how best to unpack your camper when they come home. Two tips that were passed on to me: unpack the trunk in the driveway (sand!), and just throw the socks away (they’ll never be the same). Moms and dads, do you have any other tips? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below.
    We should probably warn you about your camper’s reentry to the “real world.” I know in *this* Highlands family, we are all a little crabby after camp ends. We’re tired. We have culture shock. Yes, we’re happy to have 247 TV channels at our fingertips high-speed internet, but we are really ships without a rudder since we don’t have the bugle to tell us where to go! We miss our friends, our routines, the lake, Taps. Lois’ meatloaf. It’s hard. Again, moms and dads? Do you have any words of wisdom, or stories you can share to help the new camp parents know what to expect when their kid comes home after a month of living under a bug net?
    Remember the final fun starts tomorrow at 3 pm at the Cub/Colt swim pier for the Water Carnival. You’ll have time to get your camper loaded up, a chance to shop at the camp store, and an opportunity to review the lost and found before supper starts at 6 pm. The banquet wraps up around 8:30. It’s a great way to wrap up the summer, and can help you understand what the last four weeks have been about for your boy. We’ll see you there!
    And on that note…
    I ❤ CH // tracy b.