Chugging around the point of Spieden Island yesterday afternoon, we spotted it: the final passenger barge of the week, ferrying the last party of Summer Staff members to Camp. A small handful are still to arrive, but with the main group now gathered, staff training has officially begun!
Hugs and laughter and introductions filled the Lodge as we gathered for dinner and embraced time-honored meal traditions. (A few spirited games of Horsengoggle even broke out at some tables during dessert.) As delighted voices rang through the Lodge, it was easy to imagine the room filled with excited First Session campers – their arrival is now less than two weeks away!
But for now, the focus is on training and community-building with this new bunch of Summer Staff. Over sixty-percent are returning staff, so new members have plenty of knowledge and experience from which to draw. Lessons and tips are already being passed down, and energy is running high.
Campfires are a cornerstone of our Camp community.
Our first evening as a full staff concluded with time spent at the campfire circle, sharing the history of the Henderson/Nor’wester Camps. Returning staff closed the session by leading everyone in singing “The Golden Day is Dying,” which has been sung at the close of every campfire since 1935. We left the circle in high spirits, assured that Staff Training 2017 is off to a great start!