Bright smiles and a Good Morning from Camp Pinnacle!
Camp woke up at 7:30 a.m. this morning, with activity buzzing all across the property. Many of our cabins were hard at work making their cabins spotless as their daily cleaning routines became more familiar. Taking responsibility for their cabin helps campers grow into respectful individuals who know how to care for their belongings and keep their space clean and organized. It also encourages teamwork, as each cabin works together to earn Check Pluses. After earning five consecutive Check Pluses, cabins receive a special prize as a reward for their hard work!
Not everyone woke up in their cabin this morning! Last night marked our first in-camp overnights of the session. Cabins ventured out to one of the many beautiful spots around camp to spend the night camping with their counselors and cabin mates. This is such a wonderful bonding experience, especially for some of our younger campers, like our Chipmunk cohort, who may have never slept outdoors before. Making s’mores, playing games, and even keeping an eye out for a possible visit from the ‘Noodle People’ are just a few of the fun memories created during this adventure. They returned just in time for breakfast, refreshed and ready to begin another exciting day.
Before long, 8:15 a.m. rolled around, and everyone gathered for a family-style breakfast. This morning’s menu featured French toast sticks, eggs, and bacon, along with cereal and our fresh fruit bar. After a quick dance to the Macarena, we were off to Lakeside – eager to see which songs and dances we would learn down by Wolfe Lake!
Lakeside is one of our favorite morning traditions because it brings the entire camp together to start the day. Each cabin performs a creative roll call. This fun tradition gives campers the chance to work together and use their imaginations while competing to win ‘BOSS’ (Bag of Some Stuff). The winning cabin gets to add something new to the bag each day, and today, Wolfe Pack Year 2 contributed some fun photos to the bag of goodies. Congratulations to Devil’s Courthouse, our creative winners today, whose hilarious stick-themed roll call showed their appreciation for their counselors. With the Soccer World Cup Final approaching, campers were also excited to hear the results from the previous night’s match.
By 9:30 a.m., Lakeside had wrapped up, and campers headed off to their first two activity periods, each lasting an hour. After a very wet start to the session, the sunshine finally made an appearance! Campers are becoming more confident with their cabin mates and are building friendships that will last a lifetime. Along the way, they’re also facing challenges with resilience. Activities like Sky Park and Mountain Biking can feel intimidating for campers trying them for the first time, but we encourage everyone to embrace the unknown. Often, trying something new leads to discovering a favorite activity.
Hypetivity is one of our campers’ favorite activity periods at 11:30am because they get to buddy up with a friend and choose whichever open activity excites them most. Whether it’s Archery, Nature, Tiny Boats, or many others, campers have the opportunity to work toward earning activity patches that recognize the progress they’ve made. To earn a patch, campers must meet the expectations for each skill and demonstrate confidence and growth. Receiving a patch in front of the entire camp during lunch or dinner is always a very special moment of accomplishment.
At 12:30 p.m., there was only one thing on everyone’s mind—buffet-style lunch! Today’s menu was a huge hit with mini cheeseburger sliders. Campers could choose between beef or chicken sliders topped with lettuce and pickles, including delicious homegrown pickles kindly provided by our Family Engagement Officer, Kaylie! Curly fries and fresh watermelon completed the meal, and lunch was an absolute blast.
While campers enjoyed another three activity periods during the afternoon, our two day backpacking groups returned to camp. Our older cabins enjoy a bonding trip specially curated by our trip leaders, where they explore the beautiful backcountry of Western North Carolina and learn what it’s like to live with only what they can carry. Backpacking is an experience many campers look forward to every summer. For some, it’s their very first overnight wilderness adventure, teaching valuable outdoor skills while reinforcing the importance of our Five R’s.
By 6:30 p.m., everyone was ready for dinner. Cabins gathered once again for a family-style meal featuring pulled marinated brisket, potatoes, carrots, green beans, steamed white rice and fresh bread rolls. Dessert was a crowd favorite—a delicious no-forks chocolate pudding treat that campers couldn’t get enough of!
Tonight’s evening program is one every camper eagerly anticipates each session: Rainbow Tag! Campers race around camp collecting colored strips from counselors, each representing a different color of the rainbow. But they’ll need to watch out for the Greenie Meanies—if they’re caught, they’ll have to start collecting their colors all over again!
It was another incredible day here at Camp Pinnacle, and we can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store!
