The Sari Diaries- Thursday 8/11/16

My name is Sari Hirsch and this is my twenty-fourth summer at camp. I throw this keylog in for…

Where do I even begin? As I sit in the office on this rainy day, I am overcome with emotion. I am feeling an intense sadness coupled with extreme pride. The buses pulled out this morning and with each camper and staff member that I hugged goodbye, I got a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. The combination of people living at #TheRanch2016 this summer just clicked…the happiness, care, compassion and kindness that was demonstrated on a daily basis is something that I genuinely believe could not be possible in any other location with any other group of 300 plus human beings. I have so much to be thankful for and so many people and things to throw this keylog in for…I guess I should just get going with it.

To the campers of 2016- I can honestly say that I have never witnessed a collection of campers who truly appreciated camp in the way that this group did. I was constantly impressed with each of you and feel incredibly lucky to have met some of you for the first time this summer, and to have created stronger connections with so many of you returners. The very best example I can give of this group, and their love and appreciation of camp occurred a couple of weeks ago when Eden S approached Lisa asking if she could do a sermonette at a Friday Night Campfire. She expressed that she wanted to tell the camp how thankful she is to have camp in her life. Her sermonette was outstanding and while her words were touching, I was most impressed with her desire to share her feelings with the camp and the fact that she took action to make that happen. Our campers this summer didn’t wait until the last week of camp when things started winding down to recognize the beauty of this place…they knew way before it was too late to take advantage of our time here, to not sweat the small stuff and to embrace all things Chippewa. And for that, I am grateful!

And then there is the greatest staff to ever walk the planet…the staff that never ceased to amaze me…the staff that I am honored to work alongside…and the staff that I feel privileged to call my friends. On a completely selfish level, this group keeps me happy- despite my old age, they constantly make me feel like I can be a kid at camp. Be it on the tennis courts with Annie and Maz or during a walk-back with Ari trying to get into my dreams or on stage during staff show, somehow camp still has that magical feel for me that it has since I was a ten year-old. I honestly believe that this crew is the reason that remains true.

While I love the staff for all of those reasons, #TheRanchStaff2016 is also without question one of the most (if not the single most) camp-loving staff. The campers must have learned it somewhere and I am confident that it was this group of cabin and activity counselors along with the nurses, kitchen and admin staff. They poured their hearts into their work this summer and constantly put the needs of our campers in front of their own. They were outstanding role models and each and every day led our campers by example. I am absolutely certain that our campers felt safe, cared for and happy knowing that their counselors were always on their team and genuinely loved them unconditionally…it goes beyond the job description with our staff…they are in this for the well being of our campers and it showed constantly. I cannot thank them enough or put into words my appreciation of what they did this summer…but thanks guys :).

I do want to give a special shout-out to Soph-Aloaf, James and Loren. The three of them are the unsung heroes in all of this. They think of everything, take care of everything and look for nothing in return. Their love for Chippewa and those of us who live here is admirable and I feel privileged to spend my summers with them. They make this place go round, they are my confidants and I am forever indebted to them for all that they do for me and for camp.

Finally, to Cliff & Lisa…I believe you know how lucky I feel to have the greatest job in the world. I want you to also know that I feel incredibly fortunate to work with the two of you. You have each taught me an immense amount about camping, friendship and so much more. So thank you for the little things and for the big things…and thank you for continuing to provide the Chippewa experience to hundreds of big kids, little kids, young adults and old adults summer after summer!

I guess that’s it…I am not sure how to end a keylog that puts a cap on the greatest summer ever in Chippyland…I wish we could start it all over again but I’m not sure that’s possible. At this point, the best I can do is give one more THANK YOU to every individual who was a part of #TheRanch2016…you each made this summer extraordinary and left a forever impression on me and on CRC.

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari