The Sari Diaries- Monday 6/16/25

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends

We are here- we have made it! #TheRanch2025 is underway…the energy, excitement and love of a Chippewa summer is very clearly already in the air! The buildup to this day has been magical in and of itself, and now that camp is full of smiling, happy, hugging Chippies, it feels real. The summer of impact is officially underway!

For those of you who are not familiar, I would like to take a moment to formally introduce you to The Sari Diaries. The goal of this blog is to provide all of you with a window into each of our days at Chippewa this summer. You can expect a post each evening…sometimes from me, other times from Soph-Aloaf, once in awhile from a guest blogger, and once per week from campers in a podcast form. Regardless of the author or the method of delivery, we hope that we can provide you with some insight into the impact that is happening on a daily basis here on Dam Lake!

Now onto the details of our very first day at CRC…it was amazing! From the moment the staff woke up, the energy was palpable. I love how each summer that first day of camp feeling remains the same…that pop-out-of-bed happiness and warmth swirling through your mind and heart feeling…it is just the best! Anyways, I digress- the morning was spent putting the final touches on camp…staff were working together to make sure things were perfect for camper arrival. And they succeeded- the 2025 Chippewa staff is comprised of over 100 extraordinary individuals who together form a truly elite team. Over the course of the past month, this group has demonstrated an immense amount of dedication, hard work, collaboration and passion…they are the best and we are so fortunate!

Campers began arriving as early as 12pm, and by 3:09pm, the buses rolled through the gates. “We Welcome You To Chippewa” was sung loud and proud as the campers got off the buses, and jumped into counselors’ arms. We headed to the Center Fire Circle to announce cabins and each cabin headed off to begin their summer together. Throughout the afternoon, campers unpacked, played games and enjoyed tours around camp. For dinner, we had spaghetti and meatballs (and brownies for dessert)- the traditional first night meal. And then Lakeview began their role as leaders of the camp by going around to each cabin’s table and singing their cabin song with them. I was impressed with the spirit in lodge…in addition to the huge smiles on the faces of campers & staff alike, the tune was decent and the volume was excellent.

After dinner, we had a very cute moment in the Adler Lodge when Annabelle K brought her campers, Tauriel S & Sadie L, to take a photo with the 2004 all camp photo. Sitting in the center of that photo are Tauriel’s grandparents (former owners/directors of CRC) and Sadie’s mom (former camper, counselor & admin team member). It was very exciting for these two on their very first night of camp (and quite honestly, for me as well)!

Tonight we had our Opening Friendship Fire. Leading up to the program, as I walked by the Center Fire Circle, I witnessed Sloane B, Bryna C and Luke Bailey working together to build our campfire for the night…Sloane really jumped right in within her first hours at CRC :).

The Friendship Fire was wonderful- the perfect mix of silly, entertaining, informative and campy. We sang “Walking,” “The Circle Game,” and “All My Life’s a Circle.” There was an intense Picolomini competition…congrats to our newly crowned champion, Julia Wise! A shoutout to all of our Picolomini contestants- Katie M, Noa C, Sloane B, Emma S, Ellie L & Olivia R and a very brave Kylie R who is a new camper and rocked it! Lakeview camper, Alexa R, helped us with the Chippy Trivia Quiz raffle, and Avery Raff from the cabin of Cactus was the big winner. Cliff led the new staff in a hilarious rendition of “I See a Bear,” which campers absolutely loved…even those who have been here to witness it before. To end the campfire, we learned about the history and meaning of the Keylog, and one person from each city represented at Chippewa this summer threw in a Keylog tying the bond of friendship between their home city and the Chippewa community.

After the campfire, cabin bonding ensued. I had the opportunity to check-in with cabins across camp and I loved seeing the connections between cabinmates already forming. As if this day wasn’t good enough, walking around camp tonight confirmed what a special place this is- we are truly lucky to be spending our summer on Dam Lake. Each cabin I walked into was full of excitement. I loved seeing campers acclimating so quickly to camp and cabin life…there was a level of comfort between cabinmates and counselors that surpassed day one expectations!

There you have it- June 16th at CRC is in the books and the impact of the summer of 2025 is already evident. If today is any indication of how the rest of the summer will play out, we are in for a good one…likely the best one! Thank you all for reading the very first TSD of 2025. Have a great night!

Happy Camping and Love,

Sari