Hey there!

It’s been another fantastic session up here in the pines (and oaks and cedars and firs)! We are just wrapping up the session with our Talent Scouts, Comic Artists, Camp Olympics, Secret Garden, Energizers, Leaders in Action, Treasure Makers, Dazzling Dancers, Indiana Janes, Back to Basics, and for the end of their 9-day session our Trot n’ Trek campers and Under Construction crew.

Last weekend we had our one and only Two of Us session for this summer with all our campers and their older buddies exploring camp for several days. I got to go with our advanced group to swim through the mystical Natural Bridges cavern and snag some ice cream from the local bistro. The rest of the camp enjoyed an array of choice activities featuring the special talents of our staff and CITs. It was really cool to see everyone bonding with his or her buddy and sharing the camp magic.

Our Trot n’ Trek and Under Construction campers who have been here since last Thursday have been venturing out of camp as well as exploring everything we have here. Under Construction has been working away to create our new Forest Hill staff cabin and they are doing quite an impressive job. The walls went up a few days ago and they’re putting on the finishing touches today! Trot n’ Trek had an adventure on Monday visiting a vet who does horse mircochipping and a specialized horse nutritionist. They spent the night at a campground in Oakdale with our horse staff and even went swimming at a picturesque lake. Both groups also had a pizza party and root beer float dessert on Sunday night.

This session we have a handful of younger girl programs and it’s been fun to have some awesome Girl Scout Brownies around to brighten the camp! Dazzling Dancers made tutus and are practicing all kinds of different dance routines, and the Treasure Makers have been teaming up with their Leaders in Action counterparts to discover all the hidden gems here at Camp Menzies as well as making a few of their own. Secret Garden learned about photosynthesis and are working on their Secret Garden badge. They’ve been spending a lot of time with our Energizers group and seeing the power of the natural world through a green lens.

The Comic Artists have been working on several different comic strips—can’t wait to see the finished products. Camp Olympics put their skills to the test running through an obstacle course this morning… so fun! Indiana Janes and Back to Basics have been teaming up to tackle the wilds of Camp Menzies all the way from up in their unit above camp: Sugar Pine Glen. From Night Hikes to archery they’ve ventured out into the great unknown and discovering more each and every day. The Talent Scouts have been surveying camp for their own unique skills and aptitude and a little birdie told me they might be putting on their very own talent show tonight at campfire.

It’s been a picture-perfect session up here this week and I feel so grateful having an amazing place to spend my summer. Tonight is our Harry Potter Mystery Meal, and I’ve been having tons of fun planning and decorating for this awesome meal. I hope it’s been a great week for everyone at home… I’m off to create the Great Hall. Until next week, happy trails!

~Aster