Snowblast...is a BLAST!

As you might have guessed from the title, we had a great time when the Southern Saratoga Adventure Princesses visited Chingachgook for a day not too long ago. We had fun tubing, sledding, playing ice hockey (or just sliding on the ice), there were crazy crafts, fun winter hikes, and of course a dutch auction. But the smashing hit? It was our egg drop of course. The picture below was how my egg did...not too well huh? That makes four consecutive years my egg hasn't survived the drop from the dining hall....maybe next year!

You don't always see them

The number of staff on July 1 differs quite a bit from the number of staff on January 1 each year. Yesterday, we gathered the entire Chingachgook staff, 19 of us, for a group photo on the Veranda. To recap, January - 19 staff, July 180 staff. Quite a difference of numbers between the two months huh? For those of you wondering, it was a warm 11 degrees outside when we took this picture but we still managed to see smiles across the board from everyone. We're definitely counting down the days until we see some new faces and warmer weather at Camp!

Alumni Staff Reunion!

This past weekend, close to 100 of our past staff members met up together for a day of fun. It had been quite some time since many of us have seen each other, so it was a great day to catch up with old friends. Some older staff from years ago were in attendance as well as much of our current staff, which made for a nice mix of stories and memories!
Some went down our tubing hill, others played some broomball at the center green which was transformed into an ice rink, and still others gathered by the fire to chat and catch up.

At 3:00, the bravest of Chingachgook staff gathered for a polar bear plunge into icy Lake George! Of course, all participants had to recite the "We are the Polar Bears" song while they stood in the snow before they went for the dip. The rest of camp watched from the bay!

After the polar bear jump, everyone gathered for a great dinner up in the dining hall. We sang our dinnertime grace before digging in. The man of the hour, George Painter, addressed the exuberant staff in his annual "State of the Camp!" It was really a great gathering.

Thank you to all who attended this great reunion. It is always wonderful to see old friends. Remember to always keep in touch with your old camp friends and that you are truly always welcome back at camp! Take care!

A favorite skill class from last summer

New things don't often reach fast success at Camp, but our Guitar class quickly became a must-dp event at Camp. Armed with 14 brand new guitars, almost 100 campers learned to play guitars at Camp. The best part? The class was a roaming one. Sometimes the class was located right outside of Rotary Lodge, other times the class could be found near Rockewell, or perhaps down at the waterfront. For those of you who took part in Guitar class, what did you think? Is it a keeper?

See Ya in 2010

2009 showed Chingachgook a lot of great things. We had a new junior boys bathhouse, our first full summer with Baxter Park, two new skill classes (guitar and softball), more campers then ever before, and of course...a staff that was second to none! I'd like to thank all of our CITs, counselors and program/waterfront staff from last summer for helping us achieve the many things that we did, and the Support Staff; Mike (SBU), Alex (JBU), Kristen (SGU), Lori (JGU), Tressie/Carlos/Richy (CITs), Katie (Aquatics), Jason (Boating), Heather (Skill Classes), Ken (Special Events), and of course Nicole (Day Camp) for helping me all throughout the summer. Chingachgook couldn't have done it without any of you! See you in 2010!

Barn is Done...But where'd the bridge go?

After working quite hard for an extended period of time, our maintenance crew was able to complete the new barn in just over a week. As soon as the weather warms up (April probably), you'll find it getting a fresh coat of paint. Any color ideas?

As for the bridge...well, guess who needed a new one? That's right, we did! A couple of days ago the old bridge was taken out, now the foundation is being put together for the new bridge that will be much fancier then our old one. Anyone want to see how many people we can fit on the new bridge next summer?...Just kidding...sort of.

The Barn is coming

You read that correctly, the barn is coming! As part of our ever growing farm at Camp, the climbing tower bathhouse is getting a tremendous makeover, both inside and out. First, the outside is be made to look like a barn from the present farm location. As you can see from the pictures, the construction is well under way, and we're hoping to be finished sometime before 2010. Now, the inside! Just like our junior boys bathhouse got a new interior, so is the climbing tower KYBO. We completely gutted the inside, and everything will be brand new for the upcoming summer giving Camp another wonderful and new bathhouse!