The logistics of it are incredible. Think about it, over the course of a mere three hours camp goes from a relatively empty 77 acres of land to a place filled with screams, laughter, and PURE ENERGY!
But getting from empty to energy is no easy task. It was the result of over 35 airline flights, two 200 mile bus trips, and two 450 mile bus trips. With campers arriving from the East Coast, the West Coast, the Deep South, the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, California, all over the Midwest, Hong Kong, Austraila, Mexico, Canada, and Croatia, the opportunities for logistical complications are incredible. But armed with an amazing airport and Chicago pick-up crew, as well as an associate director that at this point has turned logistics into an art form, the complications that invariably arise are akin to mosquitoes trying to bring down Superman….can’t be done.
Truthfully, it comes as no shock to me that our staff performed beautifully. Despite the fact that the travel overlords threw some curveballs at us today, our staff handled all of those pitches as though they were the very same weak hanging curveballs that I threw throughout my very short lived career on the Grinnell College baseball team (yes…..it still smarts!). This is something that I have come to expect over the course of working with them for the past twenty summers. They were amazing. They were everywhere they needed to be precisely when they needed to be there. They had their eyes open for the boys that needed that little bit of extra attention, and they executed the day perfectly.
SO:
LET THIS SERVE AS YOUR OFFICIAL NOTICATION THAT ALL OF THE BOYS THAT WERE EXPECTED TO ARRIVE TODAY HAVE DONE SO AND ARE SAFELY AT CAMP.
As I sit and write this, I have all the windows open in my office. Some folks like to listen to music when they work – I am with them. But my music is a bit unconventional. My symphony of choice is the sounds of camp. I can hear four-square balls bouncing, ping pong balls clicking (Ok, I can’t really hear them, but I saw them playing ping pong on my walk up here, so I have convinced myself that indeed I actually can hear it!), boys shouting and laughing. It is indeed great music.
The boys will split their time tonight between these games, wandering around this new place, connecting with old and new family members, and “nesting” in their new homes. A very exciting night…
Admittedly, this is a bit of an odd night for me as well. (Really camp director? You are going to describe the first night of camp as “odd”? Shouldn’t this note be solely focused on all of the happiness and magic that has descended upon the grounds?) After doing several laps around the place, I made a pit stop at my home at camp, the Little House. It was empty….Over the past couple of weeks, my three children (16, 20, and 23) all working at camp this summer, were often to be found in the Little House hanging out. Today there is no trace of them. (OK, maybe my middle, Ben, did leave a towel on the floor of the bathroom…and his razor on the sink….and his shaving cream can open and dribbling out some shave gel onto that same sink!) They are at camp…
And in that moment, I was whacked back from my reverie about a full and alive camp into reality, and what should have been a self-evident fact. That, while of course I am very aware of the campers and what a big deal this summer experience is to them, I sometimes forget what a big deal this is for our parents too. They are sending their favorite humans on the planet away for four or eight weeks. It’s a big deal. They have all just swallowed deeply and sent these beloved treasures off into our care for the summer, willing to endure the difficulty of being without their sons in the faith that giving them up for four or eight weeks will provide them with something meaningful and important.
So parents, please know this. All of us here at camp take our jobs very seriously and take our roles of taking care of your favorite humans on the planet very personally, providing them with innumerable growth opportunities, and just plain showing them a great time. And the fact that we have a great time doing it makes it a true joy. Thanks for trusting them to us.
Personally speaking, as someone that spends his entire year sitting in a basement and planning for a 54 day flurry of excitement, I cannot tell you how gratifying it is to finally have it underway. I could not be more excited that June 19th has finally arrived…. GAME ON!
If you are new to these “updates” you can expect to hear about the goings on at camp every other day on this page. While I can never adequately convey to you what it really feels like up here, I will do my best to share as much as I can in order to give you some sense of what is going on. To be clear, this is not done to make you jealous, it is to try to help you understand something of your son’s experience. I am looking forward to sharing it with you…
All is well in the North Woods…(so nice to be able to type that again)
