It’s been a full second week of Second Session here at Nor’wester, with an all-community campfire and overnight trips capturing our campers’ imagination and stoking their excitement.
Saturday night shone brightly here on Johns Island as campers and staff displayed their talents on the campfire stage. Campfires are one of our favorite evening activities because everyone gets to take part in the fun together!
As a unit, campers perform original skits on the campfire stage for the whole camp.
Every campfire is different, but there’s usually a plethora of silly skits, complete with costumes and props from the drama shed. The hosting unit typically provides a unifying storyline that unfolds over the course of the evening in several parts, broken up by invitations to other units to come up and perform. In addition, sometimes the hosts will initiate a “brown bag,” where a group of campers is called upon to improvise a skit using all the props contained in a secret brown paper bag, or a “talk-off,” in which two contestants are challenged to talk to the audience about an assigned topic until one of them runs out of things to say. And, in true Nor’wester campfire tradition, there are always plenty of puns!
We close every campfire by linking arms and singing “The Golden Day is Dying,” a folksong that has been sung at the end of campfires at Camp since 1935. Although COVID-prevention protocols this summer require that we only link arms with the people in our pods and that pods remain distanced from one another during the singing, it’s still a beautiful moment of communal connection.
“The Golden Day is Dying” closes with the lyrics “But soon above the meadow the silver moon will swing. And where the wood is darkest the varied thrush will sing.”
Earlier in the week, every camper had the opportunity to camp out with their unit during one of our overnight trips. One of the cornerstones of the Nor’wester outdoor living experience is our overnights program. Once a week, everyone packs up and heads out for a one- or two-night excursion with their unit. Some hike, some bike, some paddle, and some take camp boats to reach their destinations. This week, a few units struck out for private camping sites on other islands, including Stuart and Orcas. Our youngest campers remained on camp property for their overnights, but they still got the opportunity to camp out at secluded spots separate from main camp for an intimate evening with their unit.
Staff and campers prepare meals together during their overnights as campers learn how to use cook kits, camp stoves, and other camping gear.
During the overnights, campers learn vital camping and outdoor living skills that build on themselves as participants progress through their years at Camp. From building a one-match campfire to constructing tarp shelters to cooking delicious meals over an open fire (or sometimes a camp stove), the hands-on lessons to be learned and practiced during overnights are numerous. Additionally, the conceptual lessons of environmental stewardship, low-impact (Leave No Trace) use of land and resources, and efficient and prepared packing, planning, traveling, and navigation are presented and emphasized so that they will stick with campers long after they leave Nor’wester.
Overnights are extra special because they provide uninterrupted bonding time for the whole unit.
Just as the skills introduced and practiced during the trips build on themselves as campers progress through the program, so the overnight experiences themselves are intentionally graduated. The skills and confidence developed during overnights equip our oldest units to embark on four-night trips. These Big Trips and Little Big Trips are often the highlight of campers’ careers at camp. And our oldest campers will be the first to point out that the skills they utilize during these trips are ones they learned and honed throughout the years as younger campers going on weekly overnights with their units!
Our next round of Big Trips depart from Camp tomorrow, and we’re excited to hear all about their outcamp adventures when they return! Meanwhile, we’re celebrating the outdoor living successes of our younger units. There are still two more opportunities this session for everyone to camp out – whether that’s during one of our larger trips or on another overnight!