The Camp Echo Lake Trail

JUNIOR BOYS HEAD COUNSELOR – Patrick McNeece

CAMPFIRE

All of the Junior groups went to their second (and final) campfire of the summer.  We sang all of our favorite camp songs, yelled to the “echo bush,” ate some ooey, gooey, delicious s’mores and listened to Laurie read the classic book, The Giving Tree.  It was a beautiful evening down at the lakeside campfire site, and the campers all had a great time.  Most importantly, the campers were reminded how lucky they are to be spending their summer at Echo Lake, and how thankful that they should be for the opportunity.
 

TREK / ROCK WALL

The boys got to take advantage of the outdoors this past week.  The Lower Junior Boys East completed their TREK overnight on a chilly evening, complete with s’mores and shark stories told by the “Trekkies,” and the Frosh Boys got to climb our new rock wall as an evening program event.

TRIBAL TRACK

The boys really ran their hearts out, and left it all on the upper soccer field during Tribal track.  To their credit, they showed great sportsmanship throughout the entire event.

SCAVENGER HUNT / DOUBLE CANTEEN

The LITs ran an excellent scavenger hunt with each Junior group, which led them to The Lodge in Senior Village, where they got to enjoy music and DOUBLE CANTEEN!

The boys really enjoyed spending time on the scavenger hunt with the LITs boys that they look up to as role models.  It was a special moment watching the LITs singing and dancing with all of the Juniors during their double canteen in The Lodge.

CONTINUED GROWTH

The boys are really bonded at this point in the summer, and it shows during each activity and event.  We saw great sportsmanship during our Tribal events, and the campers were very well- behaved at their campfires.

MINUTE TO WIN IT!  

Campers went to the amphitheater to compete in Minute To Win It!, a game that features silly challenges against their bunkmates ranging from getting an Oreo cookie from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands to stacking cups.  The boys really got into to it, and it was great to see them all cheering their friends on during each challenge, and shouting out Boys Camp cheers between the challenges.  The winners will be moving on to a culminating event in the near future.

CHALLENGE NIGHT

There were no inter-camp games this week, but we did have our Challenge Night.  The boys had the chance to compete in dodgeball, hockey or a regatta at the lake, which was incredibly entertaining.  The campers designed a “floating” boat using only cardboard and tape.  The laughing was heard from all corners of camp as their counselors desperately tried to stay above water and paddle their way to victory.

Our challenge nights are always a big success.  We purposely design the choices around the varied interests of the campers with a two-sport and one simple game/activity format.  This offers our more sporty and competitive campers an additional chance to compete.

I always love seeing all of the boys compete during Challenge Nights, and am amazed by the sportsmanship that they display, which seems to get stronger by the week.  It’s also awesome to see the kids’ skillsets progress through the summer, and there is something special about seeing a camper make his first basket, get his first base hit or score his first goal.

ROLE REVERSAL

The Frosh Boys dressed and acted like counselors, while the counselors dressed and acted like campers.  It was hilarious to see them switch roles.  Needless to say, the kids had a great time with it!

COMING UP

Some of our Junior Boys groups will have their Trek overnight camping experience this coming week.  The boys will be having their last Challenge Night of the summer, and two special events – MLB Day and NCAA Day – will take place under the guidance of our activity head specialists, Kevin Clouser (baseball) and Glenn Begly (basketball).