Camp News

It’s incredibly natural to go into apocalyptic mode this month.

You know what we’re talking about:

What do you want your last meal to be?
Do you want to see a final movie tonight or just relax and hug?
When would you like to take Rover for a final walk?
How about Grandma and Grandpa? Let’s give them one final call!
Give your sister one huge final good kiss goodnight! You won’t again till August!

We know you’re well-meaning, but we have some advice for what it’s worth: Stop. STOP! You’re freaking them out! Let’s all try to remain normal and happy and calm. Be cool! Let’s enjoy final pre-camp moments but not belabor them. Let’s focus not on what your kids are missing at home but what they’re about to embark upon at camp. In our experience, end-of-world conversations and conversations focusing on home breed anxiety for a number of reasons. Here are a few of those reasons, and here’s what your kids may be thinking: I don’t know what I want my last meal to be! Oh my gosh, but what if I pick the wrong one and I want mom’s mac & cheese tomorrow and I can’t have it! How can I live with that regret! I hadn’t thought about seeing a movie or walking Rover, and I’d sort of forgotten that I wasn’t kissing my little sister goodnight all summer. AH! That’s scary! Am I SURE I want to give all of this up?

Of course the answer is a resounding “YES!” The gifts of camp are immeasurable and what they’ll be experiencing in a few days is life-changing. So let’s not focus on a final tuck-in or that one last hug. Keep your kids happy and focused on moving forward towards camp. Will you treasure those final moments? YES! Should you talk about them with your kids? Probably not. We’ll say it again: play it cool.

Smile, keep calm, talk about the great adventure they’re about to have. “Goodnight, Honey. I love you, and I’m so excited for you” always works. It’ll make it easier for your kids to get on the bus, and it’ll give them the courage to get off that bus once they’ve arrived in Greeley, PA. We’ll take it from there!

A Note from the Health Center to our Camp Parents:

We’d like to take a moment to share our plan of action for an increased risk associated with tick, flea and mosquito bites throughout the United States. Camp has been taking steps to minimize exposure for our campers and prevent the spread of disease. In addition to the measures outlined below, camp regularly consults with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations to update our protocols.

Prevention

• Outside lawn chemical professionals have been hired to treat all fields and field perimeters with flea and tick control as well as areas around bunks, buildings, and activity areas with flea and tick control.
• All trails and paths at camp are treated with flea and tick control.
• An outside professional pest control company has been contracted to regularly treat for rodents, etc.
• Grass is cut frequently and brush is trimmed back in regularly trafficked areas.
• Application of CDC approved bug spray throughout the day as needed for activities in wooded areas. There are also bug spray stations throughout camp.

Education and Practice

• All counselors have training sessions on ticks and the counselor’s roles in health care, including
  • Hygiene, shower hour self-check prompting, tick checks after hikes, walks in the woods, and campfires
  • Basic tick prevention, best practices, bug and bite identification
  • Camper clothing coverage, including long pants and sleeves on hikes
  • Avoiding brushy areas, high grass and leaf litter.  Walking in the center of trails.
• Nurse education during training
  • Tick checks, identification, removal
• Full body checks after all hikes and walks in wooded areas.
  • A note: Nurses and counselors prompt campers to self check in and around the bathing suit area.
• Check clothing.

Please don’t hesitate to call us with questions or concerns. We will stay vigilant!

The Health Center

Camp is many things, like making new friends, having fun at activities and learning new skills. But at its core, going to camp is a return to nature. It is a simpler life, unplugged but connected to the wonders all around us. Smell the pines! Breathe in fresh mountain air! Listen to the sound of crickets at night! Feel the warmth of the sun on your shoulders. Happy Earth Day from Greeley, PA!

Here’s a short Earth Day quiz, Greeley edition!

What is the Pennsylvania state flower that can be found throughout our beautiful camp, just beginning to bud during this time of year?
Answer: The Mountain Laurel

What environmentally important site is located in Milford, Pennsylvania, one of the closest towns to camp?
Answer: Grey Towers in Milford is the original 1900 site of the Yale School of Forestry Summer Camp!

Who lived at Grey Towers, Milford and is known as the “Father of American Conservation”?
Answer: Gifford Pinchot

Every summer, campers canoe the Delaware and Lackawaxen rivers. The two rivers converge in Lackawaxen Pennsylvania, a beautiful spot very close to camp. What famous American bird do campers frequently see there, soaring high above them?
Answer: The American Bald Eagle. Lackawaxen is home to 200 bald eagles!

Camp is located in Pike County, named after Zebulon Motgomery Pike. What famous mountain did he discover and where is it located?
Answer: Pike’s Peak, Colorado

Bonus Question!
Our camp was one of the first camps in American to win the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star Award. Which of these things didn’t we do to earn it?
1) Change all light bulbs to LED
2) Cover the pools with special pool covers to preserve heat and lower use of energy
3) Recycle waste
4) Change from disposable dishes to reusable dishware
5) Hang underwear from the flagpole

These are troubling times for parents and scary times for children. In the big picture of world events, summer camp is easy to trivialize. After all, it’s only about s’mores, Color War, and campfires, right? We believe camp is so much more, and your child undoubtedly feels it too.

Camp has a hidden power that can shine a light through the darkest of times. Across America, there are all kinds of camps that serve children from all different social and economic backgrounds. And for those children lucky enough to go to any well-run camp, the community of camp is a lasting source of strength and comfort. Where else can you be a part of a community that is supportive of every individual, where friendship and caring about others overrides everything else? Campers know, first hand, that a group of people, not just your family, can come together to create a world of goodness and love. If you are a part of one of these communities, you grow to believe in them and know their power. Camp gives children hope and optimism when they need it the most.

There’s an old traditional American  song that has been sung around the campfire at camps from Maine to California, for generations. “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…” For children who are part of a camp community, they know that their inner light is valued at camp and shines bright all year round. They also recognize the greater good in the world and see goodness in others in a unique and profound way.

The gift of camp brings children happiness and hope in every month of the year.