The Sari Diaries- Tuesday 7/7/26

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

It was a very beautiful day in the North Woods- specifically at #TheRanch2026. And to complement the weather, we had ourselves a lovely little day…actually kind of a big day! Here’s how it went…

Our Day at CRC
-Morning Wake-Up!
-Rafter^X returned from their big camping trip at the HNS!
-Breakfast- Scrambled Eggs, Bacon and Hashbrown Patties.
-Trailriders departed for a day of service in Eagle River!
-Cabin Clean-Up- In addition to cleaning our cabins, we gave this camp we love a good cleaning…and it looked good! Copper Stripes and Horseshoe both earned perfect scores in cabin clean-up…they are really trying to lock in First Session Honor Cabin!
-1st & 2nd Period Activities- It was a scorcher and campers were active all across camp! -Lunch- Turkey Pesto Paninis, Chips and Chicken Noodle Soup.
-3rd, 4th & 5th Period Activities…the final set of afternoon activities for First Session…mind blowing, I know!
-Dinner- Taco Tuesday!
-Tan & White Counselor Hunt (congrats to the White Team on their victory) followed by Stalk the Lantern (congrats to the Tan Team on their late night win)!

Activity Achievements
-Paige C (Lucky-X) climbed the Hard Wall and made it look easy!
-Audrey K (Rafter^X) zipped down the zipline with a huge smile on her face!
-Stella M (Wagon Ridge) got up and around on two skis!
-Audrey K (Rafter^X) crossed the wakes on two skis!
-Shay S (Boots) dropped a ski and crossed the wakes on one ski!
-Alexia C (Cactus) got up and around the lake on one ski and crossed the wakes!
-Winnie K (Copper Stripes) crossed the wakes on two skis!

Everything Matters Moments
-Today the cabin of Trailriders spent the day doing good in the Eagle River community. They visited the food pantry, worked in the garden of the food pantry and helped in the shop. This was an optional program but every single member of the cabin in addition to all five of their counselors were eager to give their time to an important cause. They got off the bus before dinner with amazing stories, big smiles and a great deal of pride. We are so grateful for their spirit for service- pretty cool!
-After second period, Scarlett R, Harper W and Audrey K (all from Rafter^X) ran off the ski boat so excited to report that Audrey passed a level! The enthusiasm that Scarlett and Harper had for Audrey’s achievement was so special. You would have thought it was a personal accomplishment for these two but it was their cabinmate…the bond is clearly quite strong even after just three weeks.

-Zoey Y (Boots), Parker Z (Circle C), Sydney Z (Horseshoe) and Noa B (Timber Walk) all approached me today very excited to report that they had found photos, plaques and signatures of their moms and aunts around camp. I’m not sure why today was the day that second generation Chippies were extra interested in connecting with their family members’ legacies but it seemed to be in the air. Chippy traditions appear in so many ways each day throughout the summer- I am often reminded that while so much has changed over the course of my camp career, the feel of this place and the connection of these people remains basically identical. And one of the reasons I think this is true is because of the generational component. Plenty of campers come to Chippewa with no family connection and they bring something super-valuable to our culture. There are also a lot of campers whose families have a strong tie to camp and they grow up hearing all about how important the Chippewa community is and how impactful it camp be…today was a reminder that this space is a gift passed down from generation to generation!

That’s all from CRC today…a fun filled, long and amazing day! I just cannot believe how this session has flown. It does not yet feel like we are nearing the end but we all know it’s coming, so we are really trying to pack it all in and make each moment count…you know, that’s what we do here! Have a good night and talk soon!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari