Beach Blast...A Blast!

Yesterday was probably the hottest day of the summer so far. Good thing we planned for a beach blast as our evening program. Just about the entire waterfront area was made available to our campers. We had kids canoeing, swimming, playing beach and water volleyball, jumping off the floats, going for boat rides, and flying off the rope swing. I'd say everyone involved had a relaxing and fun evening!

That Building on the Hill

So what exactly happens inside of Art Hill? It's home to three of our skill classes. Photography, woodworking, and art all call this building home. With over 40 kids inside at one time or another, there is plenty of action for one to see. You go from kids and clay, to campers building their birdhouses, to even more campers developing the photos they just took. Art Hill, anyway you look at it, is definitely a hub of activity at Camp.

Canoe Races!

This morning we had everyone's favorite program...Canoe Races! Here are some great pictures of the madness that went down on a pretty decent morning at Camp.

I guess their theme was Las Vegas...

Come on sevens!

I'm a robot!

Looking tough...right?

Family Tree

So here's the shot of the Mikluski Family Tree that the whole holiday/family reunion themed session is based on. All I have to say is we got some pretty talented staff at Camp, namely our Art Specialist Andrea Morehouse.

Happy Halloween!

We're getting a little crazy already here at Camp. Today's "Holiday" is Halloween, with the evening program tonight being an all camp wide version of trick or treating. Cabins groups will be searching all throughout Camp tonight for places where they can complete challenges to earn points/candy for their efforts. I promise though, no real candy will be distrubited tonight, but there will be a couple ultimate winners from each unit!

And the adventure trips are off

Whether by boat or by land, the adventure trippers who arrived yesterday departed for their one or two week long adventures all over the east coast. Some were headed to Maine for a multitude of activities while another trip tackled the habitat house we've been working on all summer. Below are a few photos from the send-off they got from the overnight campers, about 150 showed up to wave them off!

Opening Day Third Session

The campers are here and we're hoping the weather holds out long enough for us to get a wonderful two weeks of Camp! Right now the last of the campers are finishing their swim checks and after that, we'll be preparing for our opening campfire. Despite the clouds that have rolled in, we are optimistic that we will be able to have a sundown much like the picture above.

Session Three Reminders

We hope you are as excited to kick-off Session Three on Sunday as we are. I wanted to pass along a few reminders that will help simplify your opening day experience at Camp.

· Junior campers (ages 7-12) and adventure trippers may start arriving at 1pm

· Senior campers (ages 13-16) may start arriving at 2:30pm

· Once you have arrived, you will walk to the dining hall for check-in (balances that may be due on your account, camper skill class schedules, health forms and questions for the medical staff, if needed)

· After check-in you will be able to drive your child to their cabin to help them move in and meet their counselors. We do ask that parents leave Camp shortly after meeting the counselor, as campers have a busy schedule and long goodbyes can be difficult

· There will be an optional Welcome Parents session in Rotary Lodge with Summer Camp Director, Aaron Cantor @ 2:30pm

· Save time on opening day by adding money to your child’s store account online before you arrive.

Don’t forget to register with “Parent Communicator”, the one-way email communication software Camp uses that allows your parents to send one-way email to you at camp and view photos that are uploaded several times throughout the session.
The website is www.parentcommunicator.com/CampChingachgook. And the access code is Chingachgook

Drive safe and see you Sunday!Aaron :)

Our newest class

Now that we're finishing up our second two week session at Camp, it's a great time to take a look at the newest arrival to the Chingachgook skill class program, our guitar class. By the end of the summer, almost 100 kids will have either learned to play the guitar or improved their skills while at Camp. Today, I caught them playing some music outside of the office.

Who dunnit?

The great mystery all session has been who dunnit? Who took the famous Phelps diamond that is so important to Kenneth James, the museums curator. The three teams have been trying constantly to collect clues and decipher hidden messages to try and be the team to secure and eventually return the diamond back to the museum. It's all coming to an end tonight as we might finally learn...who dunnit!

Some lovely hikes photos...

As the campers are leaving for their hikes, a lot is going on. Girls are having their hair "prepped" for hikes, which means being put into braids. And regardless of how much is happening, the hiking groups always seem to find time to pose for pictures!

Closing Day reminders for Session Two

I know the last thing we are thinking about is Session Two ending, but I still wanted to pass along some reminders about Closing Day at Camp.

• Junior Campers pick-up is from 4:30-5:30
• Senior Campers pick-up is from 5:00-6:00
• Adventure Trip pick-up is from 5:30-6:00
• The amazing Family BBQ starts at 5:00
• Don't forget about the incredible slideshows (Adventure @ 6:00, Camp @ 6:30)
  

When you return home from Camp make sure you fill out our online survey! Your thoughts and feedback will help us make changes for future summers AND help us for the remainder of the summer!
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB229DYQJT2ZR

All their bags are packed...

They're ready to go! In fact, all the hikes have departed and are out exploring the adirondacks and hopefully having the time of their lives! We've got hikes exploring all parts of the adirondacks right now, and their are even a dozen hikes that took off by boat this morning. Either by kayak, sailboat, canoe, war canoe, or maybe they were just transported from Camp to another location.

Camp Olympics

Yesterday was some great fun at Camp. All afternoon we had all Camp Olympics. Each cabin represented their team in style by completing challenging tasks together throughout Camp. The entire day culminated with an entire relay throughout Camp that saw the green team narrowly escape with a victory. The overall competition for this session's color wars is still undecided as we venture into Chapel tonight. Here are some wonderful photos taken yesterday that help share the fun and craziness that occured.

Red Sox fan...turned Yankees Fan!

Kristen Milano, the senior girls unit director, is a terrific sport and a team player. After the "Phelps Diamond" was stolen, the ransom note had a specific demand...that in order to get the diamond back, Kristen, a devout red sox fan, would have to sport Yankees gear for an entire day. Understanding that this was for the good of the Camp...she complied and here is the photo proof. I am happy to say not only has the diamond been returned...but I was also the thief!

High Ropes at Camp

Here's some action photos of one of our Senior Girls trying their best to complete our balance beam element which also connects to the great zipline we have at Camp. For those unaware high ropes is one of the many skill classes we offer during the Camp season and is available for anyone to use that signs up for any of the weekend programs offered in the spring and fall!

Save the Sage...color wars style

This evening's program is called Save the Sage. The easiest way to explain it is by saying that all over Camp, different "challenges" are set up for the cabin groups to accomplish. Trouble is, the campers do not know where the challenges are and to locate them, they need to decipher riddles on a map for clues...

A Closer look at Color Wars

As you may have heard from your campers, this session is the color wars session at Camp. I thought it would be fun to learn a little more about color wars and the theme. We've divided Camp up into three teams. Doty Bros, Oliver Slueths, and the Baxter Snoops. Each team is trying to discover who stole the famous Phelps Diamond from the Camp Chingachgook Museum. Every night, the teams will compete for points and clues that will eventually help them aprehend the culprit!

Baxter Snoops

Oliver Slueths

Doty Bros

Double Game Switch, twice the fun!

Great fun last night as the junior and senior units both participated in our double game switch. Very simply, the seniors played one game, while the juniors played the other...then they SWITCHED! How creative right?! Anyway, here are some photos from the first part of the senior game, which involved a relay race and pushing a tennis ball with your head!

Tuesday's Happenings at Camp

Here are some great photos from throughout the day today. We've got an incredible evening program planned for tonight...double game switch!

Sailing Class

The boys of Camp!

Flag raising this morning