The Sari Diaries- Tuesday 7/9/24

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

Today was regular, and at the same time, it was far from regular. Let me explain…today we had the unique (at least for this summer) privilege of having a full day of regular activities! And while the word regular indicates typical, today was special and it was spectacular and it was far from normal. The sun was shining from sunrise to sunset and campers basked in it…as a Chippy community, we really and truly appreciated every moment of this wonderful day at #TheRanch2024. And here are the details…

Meals:
-Breakfast- Waffles & Bacon
-Lunch- Turkey Pesto Paninis & Crinkle Cut Fries
-Dinner- Chicken Parmesan

Skiing Achievements
-Skylar G & Cate F got up on two skis for ten seconds.
-Sienna K, Tyler T & Zoe P got up and around the lake on two skis.
-Maisy B, Coco L & Zoe C crossed the wakes on two skis.
-Amelia R lifted a ski for ten seconds.

This morning, we slept in an extra thirty minutes- definitely needed after a late night following UN Day. The wake-up was fun…a great Seven Wonders Quiz in which Cora P won an extra canteen. And then after a great cabin clean-up graded by Jordyn K, we had first and second periods. Dam Lake was rocking with skiers, sailors, SUPers, canoers, kayakers and fishing gals. Meanwhile, at the climbing wall, campers were excited to get to the top so that they could come down on the zip line. And at trampball, campers were playing a fairly intense game…something I love to see! At horseback riding, some of the advanced riders participated in an obstacle course, which looked super-fun. Basically, all over camp, Chippies were digging into our final full day of activities for the session.

At the end of lunch, we had a very loud and spirited round of Tan & White cheering in preparation for tonight’s evening programs- Camper Capture the Flag and Stalk the Lantern. At the end of the cheering, I witnessed a very sweet moment between Marlee A and counselor extraordinaire, Emma Hirsch. They were outside the lodge chit chatting, and the conversation that I overheard was nothing so special, but it was a definite indication of a mutual respect, a genuine care for and an understanding of one another. It was another moment that I was reminded of just how fortunate we are to have a staff team who is simply the best.

This afternoon, we continued the wonderful day of regular activities. One highlight for me was when I observed Ava F and Hayden W sharing a moment of joy together. As I watched them smiling from ear to ear at one another, hugging and jumping, my heart felt full. These two campers just got to really know each other this summer, and there is clearly a real connection between the two of them…so very special- the Chippewa Sisterhood at its finest!

This evening we had a double Tan & White program. First, Camper Capture the flag, and then late night Stalk the Lantern. Highlights of Capture included Leah C scoring twice, Maddie K crossing the line with the flag and Fiona B with the final score of the night. Aside from capturing the flag, there were some real acrobatics and displays of athleticism tonight. Due to the grass that is still growing in the North Field, we shifted the game to have the boxes in the South Field (per usual) and at the stables in the riding ring. With that in mind, it was a whole new area to navigate for both offense and defense. To kick things off, Maddyn C fell while running with the flag…but her bandana still wasn’t pulled. Instead, she was able to somersault out of the situation and continue running. Later in the game, Lilah K had quite a move that the Tan Team was raving about. According to Cameron H, “Bob (aka Lilah) left the box with the flag. She ran right past me, she somersaulted under the fence, and Audry and I looked at each other in disbelief. We climbed under the fence to chase her through the woods. She was on the move like the flash but finally Coral S pulled her flag…it was a miracle.” And in the last round, Laney K jumped the fence with the flag in an effort to get it across the line. One other highlight of the night happened in the South Field. Braelyn S, Lakeview camper, was “on box,” which is a very serious job…she was tasked with guarding the box. Meanwhile, Tri-Cabin campers, Sloane B & Shiloh C were in the box. Sloane and Shiloh decided that they could best serve their team by distracting Braelyn, and so they told a very animated story about Sloane’s rock husband. The story went on, and on, and on, and on…I found it hilarious and Braelyn was a very good sport about it! Overall, it was a wild and crazy event that the Tans ended up winning. Needless to say, it was an exhilarating game for everybody!

As for Stalk the Lantern, it was the usual fun…campers dressed in all black, and tried to crawl to the center of the bullseye in the South Field without getting caught. I was impressed with some of the stealthiness I saw…lots of different strategies were shown off tonight- there was crawling, there was walking, there was running and there was slithering. I’m not quite sure what the best strategy is, but different methods work for different campers. At the conclusion of the game, the enthusiasm in the lodge was significant…both because campers were eagerly sharing the scores that they got on the mircophone, and also because they were excited to find out the winners. Congratulations to the Whites on winning Stalk tonight.

So that was our magnificent day at CRC…we loved every second of it! Thanks for reading- goodnight, Chippies!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari