All our First Session campers have now arrived safe and sound on Johns Island!
Arrival day is always a busy one for our campers and their families. Many have already spent hours (or even days) traveling before they meet our staff at the designated camper drop-off sites. Some campers met staff at Sea-Tac International Airport as they disembarked from their flights; others converged on a public school parking lot in Shoreline with their gear in tow. Even more campers met the buses from the airport and school locations at a marina in Anacortes where everyone boarded charter boats bound for camp. It takes a little extra effort to get to Johns Island than many other places, but our campers are always up for adventure – even on the first day of camp!
The boat trip to camp is an exciting experience – for some of our campers, it’s their first time seeing the beautiful islands and waterways of the Salish Sea. For others, the blues and greens of the archipelago sweeping by are welcome reminders that they are very close to “coming home” to Nor’wester. Today’s sunny skies, blue seas, and warm weather only heightened the festive mood on board the boats. And inside the cabins, unitmates were greeting one another, learning names, and bonding with their counselors.
Campers’ excitement mounted as their boats drew closer to camp!
After an hour plying the waters of the San Juans, the boats finally pulled into Camp Nor’wester’s dock on Johns Island. Campers couldn’t wait to get ashore! They disembarked to wild applause as our gathered staff cheered and waved in welcome. Every camper had the chance to run under the “welcome bridge” of upraised staff arms as smiles and greetings flew around them. A Nor’wester tradition, the welcome bridge encourages campers to make a quick dash under the bridge of staff arms, accompanied by the staff clapping and cheering them on. It’s a loud and joyful experience!
From the dock, campers walked with their unit leaders and fellow campers up to the Lodge, where our nursing staff was ready to greet them, check them in, and perform lice checks. Then it was time to gather in the units where the campers will be living. Unit staff welcomed campers into their assigned tipis and continued to facilitate introductions among unitmates.
Entering camp under the “welcome bridge” of upraised staff arms is a Nor’wester tradition.
Then DONG DONG DONG-DONG DONG! The jumper bell rang out across the island, announcing dinner time for everyone. Gathering in the Lodge again, campers settled in for a delicious meal. Everyone pitched in to pass around dishes of pasta and salad and to help each other learn the rules for “jumping” – that is, serving and clearing the table. After a delectable dessert, our music staff led the entire Lodge in singing a few time-honored camp songs, including “Piney Wood Hills” and “Wild Mountain Thyme.”
As dusk began to fall, campers headed back to their units to await the delivery of their trunks and luggage. Once the final bags were received, campers began settling into their tipis and winding down for the night. Tomorrow will be a full day of program orientations and the opening campfire, so unit staff made sure that all the campers got to bed on time.
We’re so excited to have our First Session campers with us and for Summer 2019 to be here at last!