By Day 3 at Camp Highlander, something beautiful starts to happen—campers stop feeling like strangers and start feeling like family. And if you paid close attention to the photos from the lake today, you probably saw exactly what I mean.
As I passed the lake, I couldn’t help but stop and laugh—there, wobbling in the water and trying not to sink, was an entire cabin of boys—ten of them—piled into a canoe that is technically designed for two. It wasn’t graceful. It wasn’t quiet. But it was camp in its purest form: full of laughter, teamwork, and just the right amount of chaos.
That moment perfectly captured what we believe so deeply at Camp Highlander: the true magic of camp isn’t found in WHAT we do each day—it’s found in WHO we do it with. Our secret sauce? The Cabin Unit.
The cabin unit is the heart and soul of the Highlander experience. It transforms a group of individuals into a team, strangers into siblings, and shared moments into lifelong memories. It creates a space where campers feel safe to be themselves, encouraged to take healthy risks, and supported every step of the way. It’s where every camper finds not just a place to sleep, but a place to belong.
That canoe built for two didn’t stand a chance—but it didn’t need to. Because when you’ve got your cabin around you, you don’t worry about tipping—you just paddle, laugh, and know you’re in it together. And that’s the kind of connection and joy that makes Highlander home.
Favorite Details of The Day
- Reflect at the Rock: This morning at Reflect, Mac told a story about an echo. An echo gives you back everything that you say or do. The echo is a lot like our life - our life is a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more community in your cabin, improve your communication and teamwork. Your life is not a coincidence. It’s a reflection of you.
- Weather: This morning there was an overcast sky covering Old Forge Mountain, but the sun came out mid morning and made for another perfect day of activities on camp. The temperature dropped just a bit after dinner, and as the sun was coming down over the land sports field…my heart was full watching our campers sing, dance and laugh the night away.
- Meals: For breakfast we had Mrs. Kaye’s homemade blueberry murrins, scrambled eggs, bacon, grits, oatmeal and a fresh fruit bar. For lunch we had chicken fingers, french fries and a salad and sandwich bar. Dinner was a HUGE hit - spaghetti and meatsauce, roasted broccoli, garlic bread, salad bar, sandwich bar and lemon bars for dessert. The campers LOVED the spaghetti. The kitchen got a standing ovation for dinner! One male camper said to me, “I don’t even like spaghetti but that was SO good!” The cabin unit even makes food taste better!
- EP: HOOOOOWDY! Tonight was the first square dance of the summer. The entire camp put on their dancing boots and cowboy hats and gathered on the field for a wonderful night of dancing. We danced the Macarena, Cotton-Eyed Joe do-si-doed partners and Footloosed until we collapsed. It was a fantastic night!
About Melissa Fitzgerald
