Every summer camp has a last first day, and today was ours.
Session C is our final session of the summer, and I will admit I wondered, in the quiet days leading up to today, what kind of energy would our staff have for our campers and the cars pulling up the drive. Whether three sessions in, the mountain might feel a little more tired, a little more worn in. I should have known better, especially with this incredible group of staff. From the excitement in the dining hall at breakfast as we waited in anticipation to the very first car door opening, Session C answered that question for me: we have no choice because the Session C campers bring a burst of energy and light that we all follow!
I spent the morning at the office, leaning into car windows as families rolled slowly through the check-in line. That is one of my favorite seats on Opening Day — close enough to see every face before camp has even officially started. Returning campers rattled off the names of friends they could not wait to find. First-timers were quieter, answering my questions with careful, polite little nods and one word responses, eyes darting past me to take in the mountain for the first time. Every single one of them carried some version of the same two things at once — excitement and nerves, tangled up together, impossible to tell apart. I know that look. I love that look. It means something real is about to begin.
That is the part of Opening Day I never get used to, regardless of the 25 summers I have done this: the nerves are always loudest right at the start, and they are always the first thing to go. By the time we walked into the dining hall for lunch, something had shifted. The careful forced smiles from the check-in line were gone. In their place was joy — glorious, bouncing-off-the-rafters joy. Cabinmates were already sharing laughter and jokes. Returning campers were pulling first-timers into their circle like they had been saving a seat all year. Camp Highlander was ALIVE, in the truest sense of the word, and it happened in the space of a single morning.
The afternoon kept that same momentum going, rain and all. The sky could not quite make up its mind — sun, then clouds, then a burst of rain, then sun again — and our campers did not care one bit. Swim evaluations happened at the pool even as the rain slowly fell. Every cabin participated in TCOB (Taking Care of Business). During TCOB, campers go through our camper orientation which is where we lay the foundation for what it truly means to be a Highlander camper. We reviewed our safety and emergency procedures, talked about staying healthy and happy, and our foundational “rule of three” to ensure no camper is ever navigating camp alone. We talked about our culture of kindness and making everyone feel included at Highlander, which can only happen when campers buy in. Activities filled in the gaps between swim evaluations and orientation, and nobody paused to complain about the weather, because nobody had time to. There was too much else going on: new friends to make, a whole mountain to explore, so much fun waiting to happen.
I honestly can’t believe how fast this summer is moving and that this is our last session (it must be my age that makes time fly.) For our staff, these are the last new faces they will welcome to Old Forge Mountain this year. For some of our oldest campers, this could be their very last first day at Camp Highlander before they age out and become the ones we welcome back as staff. There is real weight in that, and I do not take it lightly. But today did not feel heavy. It felt like the mountain rising to meet the moment — like everyone here understood, without being told, that this final chapter of 2026 deserved just as much joy as the first.
To the parents who said goodbye today: thank you. Sending your child to camp, trusting us with the ones you cherish most in life, is not a small thing, and we know it. We watched your kids arrive nervous and leave the dining hall laughing. We watched them find their people before the day was even half over. That is not an accident — that is what happens when a camper lands exactly where they are supposed to be.
Tonight, as the mountain settles in around its newest — and last — group of campers this summer, I find myself full of gratitude. Grateful for the excitement on every face that rolled through that check-in line. Grateful for how fast the nerves turned into laughter. Grateful that even the rain could not slow us down. We have two and a half weeks ahead of us, and if today was any indication, Session C is going to remind all of us exactly what this mountain does best.
Welcome to Session C. Welcome to the Highlander family. This truly is A Place Like No Other, and we cannot wait to show you why.
Favorite Details of The Day
- Weather: We woke up to clouds and rain, but as we headed to our first activity the sun was shining. As usual, the campers brought the sunshine to Highlander. The rain came back mid-afternoon, but only a drizzle that had us all walking slowly to enjoy it. Then the sun came back out again. During campfire, we had a huge rain come in, but we were already under cover, singing, dancing and enjoying time with our friends.
- Meals: Lunch was grilled cheese (or grilled ham and cheese) & tomato soup with french fries. Dinner was delicious pot roast with carrots, mashed potatoes, and yummy rolls. Our salad bar, sandwich bar, and buttered noodles were available as alternates at both meals. And after dinner tonight, the disco ball turned on and the dining hall erupted in screams. When the disco ball is turned on it means we are dancing in the dining hall or we are having dessert. Tonight we had both - we danced the cupid shuffle for dessert - our famous Highlander Mudslide.
- EP: Tonight’s evening program was Campfire. This is our tradition for Opening Day and one that we all love. Campfire is like the bookends of our session - we have one to open the session and to close. Tonight, we enjoyed live music, dancing with our friends and making memories by the fire’s light.
About Melissa Fitzgerald
