Camp Walden July 1 Update
Camp Walden 2021 is officially underway… with 100% negative Covid tests too! After 1 year and 10 months of planning and eager anticipation, two springs of getting the facility ready, 4 weeks of training 250 staff, 20 months of program planning, multiple planes and hundreds of cars, the day we have been waiting for has finally arrived – Walden 2021 is now in full swing!
Last night, for the first time since 2019, the entire camp sat together on the basketball courts and bleachers outside by group, socially distanced, and yes, we had the time of our lives. Our staff from each group performed dances and video skits for their campers, we did camp-wide cheering and singing, and ended the night with a camp-wide Let the Good Times Roll. We all collectively agreed that we will squeeze two summers worth of fun into our 2021 experience.
Today is our first official day 1 of activities. We are running swim tests for all and tons of fun is being had at all activities this morning. According to many of our younger boys, football is “awesome” and the food is getting thumbs up all the way around.
Our campers are settling in great. As we were going through camp yesterday afternoon and the bunks last night, all the groups’ counselors were talking with our kids – individually and circling up as a bunk. Campers and counselors were playing frisbee and catch on A Campus, reading to and with campers in the bunks, playing ball games and name games, learning about each other’s summer goals, eating (admittedly too much) junk food, chatting on their beds, and just sitting with them as they fell asleep. A very caring and nurturing staff for sure!
Before evening program, our flag pole and gazebo areas had campers throwing footballs with their bunkmates, in bunk circles and just hanging together with their friends. It is so beautiful watching them be kids again- without screens and just interacting face to face with others their age. Campers are expressing how grateful they are to be here.
Our health center is also processing every child today and doing check-ins and skin checks and lice checks. While some of these activities are not as fun as playing sports and performing arts and swimming and jumping in the lake, it helps to ensure that we continue to keep our camp community healthy and safe.
We do have some birthdays today – Happy Birthday Ariel Borer, Miles Gabin, Lincoln Eisenberg! And Happy Canada Day to our Canadian families!
Tonight, we will have our ever popular Battle of the Bunks for the Older Campers while our Younger Campers (finishing 1st through 5th grades) and Middle Campers (finishing 7th and 8th grades) will attend their first campfire of the summer. These activities will be followed by more group time and bonding games tonight before bed.
Please note below;
This is the second of the daily email updates you will be receiving to share all the amazing things happening here. Remember though, in addition to all the events and details that you will read about and see in photos, there are thousands of moments and memories and relationships and smiles and high fives and cheers that you may only hear about at the end of the summer. While we try to capture many of the highlights in our daily updates and daily photos and videos and social media posts, there are so many more priceless experiences that your campers will hopefully be telling you about in their letters and at the end of their experience. We also do our very best to take photos of each camper every day but that is not always possible – especially since we are not all congregating maskless in the rec hall (we know you want to see the smiles, not the masks!). As you will see, we post several hundred photos every day to tell you a story – a story of a Day in the Life at Walden. If several days go by without a picture of your child, please do let us know.
Pictures are posted overnight every night and will be ready, most days, for your viewing with your morning coffee. Sometimes this process gets delayed so please do not be concerned and know that we will post them as soon as we can.
Also, please remember that you can send your campers bunk notes which we print every day at around 9 AM. Anything received after that time will be printed the following morning.
We are off to a great start and loving every minute!
