Some people look for a beautitful place. Others make a place beautiful
I remember the first time I drove onto Camp Highlander property. It was August of 2000, and I was newly married. Bryan and I were dropping in to see the camp that my parents were hoping to purchase to live out their dream. The summer had ended and the property was pretty scarce. I noticed that the cabins were much nicer than my camp growing up, and that the pool was really big. I remember thinking the property was beautiful, but I kept thinking there was just something missing.
Twenty-two years later, I know exactly what was missing on that hot day in August…the beauty and spirit of Camp Highlander. You see, 42 Dalton Road is just an address that holds lots of buildings and equipment to run a summer camp, but the beauty is found in the hearts and souls of the campers and staff who come here every summer. It is your children that embody the spirit of Camp Highlander, and they bring the beauty to this mountain each and every year
Tonight, I am overwhelmed with the reality that the beauty of Camp Highlander will leave us in just two days. This will be my last blog for the summer of 2022, and I just can’t believe how quickly the summer has flown by. Tomorrow, I will share my last day with your children and our staff. I will soak up every conversation, cherish every hug, appreciate every smile, take pleasure in every laugh and treasure every tear.
Tomorrow will be difficult. Saying good-bye is never easy, but for our camp family it feels almost impossible. It’s just so hard to wait another 9 months for camp to come back around, but I will choose to give thanks for the gift of what has been.
Thank you to our campers for giving your best to Camp Highlander – for your laughter and your joy that brings life and beauty to Old Forge mountain. Without you, there is no Camp Highlander. We love you!
Thank you to our staff for the incredible kindness you have shown to us, to each other and to our campers. Thank you for embracing our mission each day, as you loved others more than yourselves. Thank you for your sense of humor, your flexibility, your laughter, hard work, sacrifice of time, space and sleep. You amaze me each and every day, and it is an honor and privilege to work alongside you. We love you!
Thank you to our amazing camp parents. Thank you for sharing your beautiful children with us this summer and trusting us to love and care for them. We are so incredibly honored that you chose Camp Highlander to be a part of your summer. Thank you for partnering with us to raise happy campers that will grow into happy adults that create a happier world for all of us. Thank you for checking in each day here at the blog. It has been a joy and a pleasure to share our beautiful world with you. We love you!
We look forward to the summer of 2023 and all the beauty that it will hold.