It's a Big Moment

Look carefully otherwise you might not see it...but yes, Buck Mountain has snow! I'm sure some of you have already seen snow, but this is a historic day at Chingachgook. The first Buck snowfall/accumulation of the year. Which brings us to the next question. When will Lake George freeze? Post your guess in the comments section, anyone who guesses correctly will win a free Chingachgook Sweatshirt!

Polar Bears!

Hey gang! This morning, about 10 (maybe more) Camp staff jumped into the waters of Lake George keeping the Polar Bear tradition at Camp alive. The water was a brisk fifty degrees and the air temperature was much colder, only thirty-five degrees. Why did we do it? For the t-shirt of course and the joy being a member of this very exclusive Camp club! Are you a Polar Bear? If not, there's always next summer!

Fall Foliage in the ADK

Greetings everyone,

Josh here with another update for you. It’s been a fantastic October up at camp. After starting off with a great reunion, the Fall has only gotten more beautiful!

Here is what Autumn looks like at camp
A view of Tall Pines field:


Rotary Lodge:
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On our time off, a lot of us have headed to the mountains to take advantage of the beautiful foliage. Here’s a recent shot of me with a camp alumnus in the high peaks over Columbus Day Weekend. It was gorgeous!
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Finally, all of the staff got into the sprit recently, as we held our annual pumpkin carving contest on Tuesday. The results speak for themselves! Check it out:

Weekend Programs Coordinator Robin Zitter hard at work:
Front row: Works of art by Summer Camp Director Aaron (left) and Executive Assistant Aimee (right):
Amazing pumpkin carvings by outdoor educators:
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It's been so exciting for us to watch as campers sign-up for Summer 2009. Click on the link to the left to enroll online!

As always, feel free to stop by for a visit some time. It's a beautiful time of year!
-Josh

2008 Fall Outdoor Education Staff

Hey everyone, above is your 2008 Chingachgook OE Staff! These are the brave souls who teach the thousands of school children who visit Chingachgook in the months after Camp has ended and helps them learn and play in the outdoors. Activities like canoeing, high ropes, climbing tower, hiking, and archery are combined with educational classes like stream & wetlands, lake study, nature hikes, and an animal instincts class. Several of these folk were around this summer both as adventure trip leaders and summer staff. Who do you recognize?

Girl Scout Badge Day a success!!

This past weekend at Camp over 125 girl scouts came and took part in many different activities all in an effort to get one of many badges available to them. Girl Scouts participated in Camp related activities that included sailing, kayaking, canoeing, climbing, outdoor cooking, orienteering, outdoor art, and much more. Interested in bringing a troop here? We have several days scheduled in the spring. March 8 and April 4 are the next two available days. Call Camp for more information! See you there :)

Registration is now open

Registration for next summer at Chingachgook is available for all Campers who took part in a summer program in 2008. Sign up for resident camp or adventure trips. We look forward to seeing you at Camp again in 2009 and stay tuned in the coming months for updates on returning staff members!

Register for Camp

Camp Reunion a success

Yesterday, about forty brave souls joined Josh and me at Camp and climbed all the way to the summit of Buck Mountain. The weather held out nicely with some great patches of sun along the way. As we reached the top, we were greeted with a crisp cool breeze. Josh and I estimate that with the wind chill, it was a brisk 40 degrees on the top. If you're bummed about missing this reunion, fear not, there will be another reunion in May where we will open up a couple of program areas for you to enjoy. Until then, get ready to register for Camp in a few days!!

European Traveler

Another Chingachgook staff member took some time to travel the world recently. Erica Schlachter in all her awesomeness traveled throughout France this summer before stopping by and acting as a counselor for a few weeks. This is a picture of her in front of a building in the Castle of Edinbough. Where have you guys traveled? Anyone been to Germany?