Amazing lifeguards after their big swim!

Hello, camp compadres! Cara B. here with some very exciting updates.

Staff training has officially begun! I’m happy to report that since my last post, the number of staff on camp has been growing and growing! Last weekend, our wonderful returning counselors arrived. HVC was full of hugs and laughter as staff were reunited with their buddies. During the next couple of days, returners chatted about their aspirations for the summer and how to best help new staff feel welcome and become acclimated to camp. On Tuesday, all of our amazing lifeguards arrived. We enjoyed a big, delicious dinner of tacos and burritos with all the fix-ins and then headed over to the red barn to get to know each other over card games and guitar jams by the fire.

The next day, staff gathered in the dining hall for a hearty breakfast to gear up for the big day ahead. There was fresh fruit, sausages, coffee cake, and an egg bar run by returning counselors! This was our last meal prepared by our pre-camp head cook Denise, who received a big cheer and huge thank you for all of her hard work creating incredible meals for staff over the past few weeks. Now that kitchen staff have arrived, the dining hall is open for the summer!

Once our bellies were full, the lifeguards headed to the lake for their first big swim. Despite the chilly weather and light shvitz, the lifeguards were unstoppable. The rest of the staff worked on projects around camp (including a big picnic table move,) and greeted new counselors who arrived throughout the day. After moving into cabins and getting settled in, staff ended the night with the biggest red barn hang-out yet! There was telestrations (a combination of telephone and pictionary), banana grams, and surprise s’mores by the fire! Many of our new international staff had their first ever taste of s’mores, and needless to say, they were a huge hit.

Today, all staff have been working in their special program areas. The lifeguards were back at the lake and the ropes staff were up at the ropes course playing team building games and learning different knots.The horse staff were down at the barn, our glass gurus spent some time in the studio, and our video staff were busy getting a handle on their video equipment.

Throughout the week, returning staff will facilitate some classic evening programs for new staff. Tonight is llamapalooza, and I can hardly wait! There will be dizzy bat, the water balloon toss, booty box, and of course, the counselor wake-up challenge. It’s going to be a blast!

That’s all for now! Stay tuned for our next update, which will come to you from my new blog-writing companion, Mama Iguana! I’m so excited for you all to meet her. For now, enjoy some photos of lifeguard training, hanging out in the red barn, and more!

Climbing away!

Cara B. Ner