The Sari Diaries- Thursday 7/9/26

Dearest Chippies,

It’s been another wonderful day here at CRC—action-packed, fun-filled and unquestionably one for the history books. I’ve got a lot to say tonight so I’m just going to get right to it…

As the morning sun shone bright and the Seven Wonders Quiz blared over the loudspeaker, the Tri-Cabin joined Sari for the very first Polar Plunge of 2026. They arrived at the waterfront with big smiles and jumped into the lake (which they said was like a hot tub) with enthusiasm. After breakfast, the morning progressed as Tans and Whites competed in one of the most impressive Egg Marathon matchups I have seen in my 22 summers at CRC. For those of you who don’t know, Egg Marathon is our first session Tan & White capstone. It’s a full-camp relay race that requires teamwork, skill, focus and spirit. Each camper plays a part in an activity (anything from Juice Chug to Ping Pong Blow to Basketball to Flutter Kick Race) while carrying a backpack containing an egg. If the egg is cracked at a periodic checkpoint, an Egg Head must run for a replacement before the game can continue (this year’s Egg Heads include Shiloh C and Hazel N from the White team and Paice E and Paige C from the Tan team). This year’s race was as eventful as it gets; halfway through, the Tans had a 7-minute lead… but the White team slowly closed that gap until the penultimate activity—Tubing Relay—happened for both teams at the same time. The Tan team started building their final fire first, but the White Team quickly got a sizeable fire burning as well. After some significant challenge as both teams tried to drop their respective eggs into the fire, the Tan team reigned victorious. A HUGE shoutout to our Grand and Chief Sachems—Laney and Summer of the Tan team and Emma and Alexa of the White team—who persevered through obstacles and demonstrated strong leadership to the entire camp community. It was a race to remember and a very memorable way to close out our first session of Tan & White!

It’s hard to believe that the day could get any more exciting from there… but indeed it did. At the end of lunch, Rafter^X demonstrated impressive acting skills as they helped us with some Chippy Theater. We prompted them to act sad as Horseshoe and Copper Stripes were announced as our first session Honor Cabins… and then their counselors explained that they were super bummed to have not experienced Cathy’s during their time at camp. And since it’s impossible to let down a Rafter^X camper who hasn’t yet experienced Cathy’s, we sent the whole camp to Cathy’s!! The Lodge roared with the announcement and campers got their final taste of Pirate’s Bounty for the session. It was such a fun way to celebrate an amazing four weeks!

It wasn’t until after the Cathy’s enthusiasm wore off, as 4-weekers tried to jigsaw their belongings into their duffels, that the reality of Visiting Weekend hit us like a ton of bricks. Once all the duffels were zipped up, we gathered around the Center Fire Circle so four-week Lakeview campers could give their final farewell speeches. Sydney C, Riley F, Alexis G, Zoey P, Riley S, Mila S and Raquel W all reflected fondly on their camper years, touching on the growth they’ve seen in themselves and encouraging younger campers to appreciate all that CRC has to offer. Their love and gratitude for camp was evident; and while we are very sad to see them all leave, we are equally as excited to have them as a part of our staff next summer!

The day ended with our Four-Week Banquet, where 4-week campers received awards for being MVP, Most Improved or Most Determined in activities across camp. Campers cheered loudly for their friends and cabin mates who were deservingly recognized for their dedication and enthusiasm in activities. Before the program ended, several Compass Coins were handed out to deserving Chippies, including…

Hazel H (Rafter^X): Impact

Lilah D (Rafter^X): Humor

Sadie L (Silverspurs) and Charlotte S (Silverspurs): Determination

India N (Trailriders): Selflessness

Sydney C (Lakeview): Optimism

The evening concluded with Chippewa’s biggest honor, Honor Camper. A huge congratulations to Sydney C (Lakeview), whose compassion, empathy and love of camp is apparent is all she does. She is a leader, a role model, and an example of the characteristics we value here. She is more than deserving of this honor and the Kindness Coin she received alongside it, and we are proud to recognize her in this capacity. Congrats, Sydney, and thank you for all that you bring to the CRC community!

As I sit here in the Office thinking about all of the incredible moments from today and the past four week, I can’t help but appreciate the poignancy that accompanies Visiting Weekend. It marks an ending for some and a beginning for others—and for most, a pause; an opportunity to look back AND an opportunity to look forward. On the typical camp day, it can be hard to see through the chaos (organized, of course) and take note of the changes happening; to notice the shy campers becoming more confident, the nervous first-year campers becoming more comfortable, or the hesitant campers showing more and more of who they are. Those “Everything Matters Moments,” as Sari often refers to them, are what come to define the Chippewa experience. Yes, activity achievements and program participation are foundational parts of camp—but the invisible growth that happens in between third period Arts & Crafts and fourth period Sailing… that is the very magic of camp itself. It’s days like today that bring to the forefront all that the past four weeks have given our campers—both the invisible and the tangible—and that force you to pause and think about the bigger picture… and what a beautiful picture that is!

Okay… now I think I have said all that needs to be said. From this little corner of paradise, I say goodnight. Looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow!

Sincerely,
Soph Aloaf