There is something special that happens on the first full day of camp activities. The anticipation of camp has subsided, the routine is in motion, and SUMMER CAMP FUN is in full swing. Everywhere you looked, joy was on full display. I saw it in the wide-eyed grins of campers braving the zipline for the very first time. It was clear in the hilarious, shocked laughter of a sudden splash of freezing river water right in the middle of a posed photo. It was contagious as the entire camp spontaneously danced on the Assembly Court as they awaited tonight’s EP finale. Today was quite simply…a truly GREAT DAY!

The weather could not have been more perfect. We woke up to the crisp, cool mountain breeze that accompanied our adventures all day today. We were blessed with blue skies and sunshine that provided the perfect backdrop for every activity. Weather like this is what North Carolina summers boast about, though many of our Florida and Louisiana campers shared with me at breakfast - “Melissa, it’s cold!” Those Carolina breezes had the line at the camp store wrapped right out the door as campers eagerly scooped up new Camp Highlander sweatshirts to cozy up in. And as I sit and write the blog now, our campers are sleeping peacefully in the cool night air after a fun-filled day with friends.

To wrap up this incredible day, tonight’s Evening Program brought us one of my absolute favorite Camp Highlander traditions: Cabin Challenge! This is the magical night when a cabin truly transforms into a team, uniting everyone in a wave of wacky costume themes and friendly competition. Cabins were paired up to face off in a variety of crazy camp games—from classic brain-teasers like Pictionary and intense rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors, to high-stakes competition like the Tic-Tac-Toe relay, musical ice buckets, the sponge lacrosse relay, limbo and more. The energy was amazing and the noise from the cheers were intense, but the real joy was watching our campers huddle up, cheer each other on, and laugh until their sides hurt. This night of camp games (to be honest 80% of them are hair-brained, camp creations) have laid a beautiful foundation of friendship and connection- a “you had to be there” kind of bond that will carry our cabins through the next two weeks of adventure! I am so grateful for the way our cabins have come together to form a family, a support system, making Camp Highlander a place that evey camper can call home.

It truly was a really Great Day!

Favorite Details of the Day

• Reflect at the Rock: This morning at reflect I shared a riddle about a superpower. This superpower has the ability to change someone’s day, but it doesn’t cost a dime. Everyone has it, and you can never run out of them. This superpower is stronger than silver, brighter than gold. It grows when it is shared and fades when it is hidden. Can you guess it? A camper from Cabin 22 did…it’s a SMILE. Smiles are the sweetest gift at camp. You can give them away all day, and somehow you keep wanting to give more. I encouraged campers to remember their smile to connect with a new friend or comfort someone missing home. Seeing 350 faces smiling back at me was the VERY BEST way to start my day!
• Meals: For breakfast this morning we had french toast sticks, scrambled eggs and bacon with a fresh fruit and yogurt bar. For lunch we had ground turkey walking tacos. These are tacos in a bag, and they were a HUGE hit - frito bags, taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa and of course, our famous homemade guacamole. For dinner we had chicken teriyaki stir fry with broccoli and carrots, fried rice, vegetable egg rolls and a salad bar and sandwich bar. For dessert, we enjoyed strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream. YUM!
• EP: Cabin Challenge! This EP always has a winner that is decided in a divisional finale. Tonight, Cabin 29 was representing Senior Camp, Cabin 12 was representing Intermediate Camp and Cabin 24 was representing Junior Camp. So we had two boys cabins and one girls cabin competing for the coveted EP trophy. The finale competition was “Make it Stick.” One brave counselor from each cabin strapped on goggles and then had their face covered in shaving cream. The campers were tasked with throwing cheese puffs on the face of their counselor one at a time. This was much more difficult than it sounds, because the cheese balls were so light. The cabin with the most cheese balls stuck to their counselor’s face would be the winner. Cabin 29 finished with 10 cheese balls, Cabin 24 finished with 11 and Cabin 12…well, believe it or not, they got 12! Girls camp went crazy and celebrated along with Cabin 12 in their victory!