Second Session celebrated its first Anchor Day on Sunday! It’s a special, once a week occurrence when the entire camp gathers for a day of mutual reflection, engagement, and sharing. We call this day “Anchor Day” because it offers us a consistent touchpoint for connecting to one another and to our values as a community.

A trio of campers, with the ocean behind them, faces a large group of people sitting on the ground.

The whole camp community gathered on Chapel Rock for our first Chapel of the session.

For our first Anchor Day of the session, the day began with the first year Mountaineers leading the camp community in a non-denominational service of reflection and sharing we call Chapel. Congregated on Chapel Rock, we discussed together the theme of “patience” and how we can cultivate it in our own lives. Spaces for silence and song rounded out our reflective experience.

A group of masked campers stands in a line holding songbooks and a guitar with the ocean behind them

The Base Camp Mountaineers (2nd years) closed our Chapel time together by leading us in singing Joni Mitchell’s “Circle Game.”

Following Chapel, we gathered in the Lodge for our special Anchor Day “dinner” (mid-afternoon meal) complete with ham, mashed sweet potatoes, salad, rolls, and birthday cake for dessert. (On Anchor Days we celebrate all the camper and staff birthdays that have occurred during the past week – and we sing “Happy Birthday” to all the honorees!)

Two campers stand and gesture in front of a microphone as a crowd of campers watches

Campers wowed the audience with poem recitations and dramatic readings at Musicale.

Then it was time for Musicale. Musicale is a chance for the whole camp to watch performances by both campers and staff. This sharing time is referred to as “Musicale,” although in addition to musical performances, participants can showcase skits, monologues, or special talents. This week at Musicale, campers and staff shared poetry, songs, and dramatic performances to the wild applause of the whole camp.

Three campers sit on the ground and make sandwiches

Sandwiches, fruit, and snacks are the traditional nosebag menu – which is even more fun because campers get to make their dinners themselves!

Anchor Day closes out with “nosebags,” or picnic suppers taken out to various points on the camp property where units can eat and relax as small groups. Nosebags give each unit the chance to check in after a long and full day, and the quiet, unstructured time allows the campers and unit leaders to reflect on the past week and look ahead to the next one.

It’s been an exciting and fun first week here at Camp, and there’s so much more in store as Second Session continues!

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