You may have heard that this summer marks 25 years of Camp Nor’wester being able to call Johns Island home. While many older alumni think of Johns Island as the “new” camp location, more than a quarter of  Nor’wester’s almost 90-year history has been spent here. Alumni who were young staff members in the early Johns era are now parents sending their kids to camp. 

Walking around Johns Island last night, you would have found Camp unusually quiet; no campfires in units, no whispered conversations in tents, no outhouse doors slamming, just a blanket of bright stars and the sound of waves. Where are all the campers? They are out on overnights!

Despite years of working at Nor'wester and other camps, when I picture mealtime at a summer camp, I picture the sloppy joe mess hall scene in the Mary-Kate and Ashley classic "It Takes Two." While meals at Camp Nor'wester can contain a certain energy, the unbridled chaos represented in summer camp movies is not our reality. 

As the sun sets over the waters of the Puget Sound, a buzz of excitement fills the air at Camp Nor’wester. The moment our campers have been eagerly anticipating has arrived—the first night of a new session!

As the sun set on the final night of First Session, there was a whirlwind of emotions. From the thrill of conquering challenges together to the laughter echoing through the woods, each moment has woven itself into the fabric of unforgettable memories. Those memories are cemented by the final days of camp, occupied by the Olympic Games, Salmon Bake, Art Night, a final Chapel, Banquet, Packing Day, and the All-Camp Dance.

At Camp Nor’wester, the Unit System is the backbone of our programming, creating a unique environment where campers of similar age and gender live together and share their camp experience. Units spend more or less all day, every day together; they participate in activities, eat meals, and live as a group. This summer’s first session has provided numerous examples of how living together, participating in activities, and facing challenges as a unit fosters personal growth, camaraderie, and a deep sense of community among our campers.

Trips are an essential part of the Camp Nor’wester experience. Starting as Voyageurs and Foresters (13-year-old/7th-grade grads), campers spend four or five days of their session on trips. For many returning campers, these trips are highly anticipated, something they’ve been working toward since their first years at Nor’wester.

We acknowledge, with full transparency, that tipi structures originated in the Great Plains region of the United Stated and Canada within the Plains Native Culture. Nor’wester does not have an authentic connection or tie to this culture, so we are currently in discussion about what it means for us to continue our tradition of living in tipis. We are striving to educate our community and choose to continue to move into the future with sensitivity, compassion and intention around all things we do.

Once a session, we celebrate Island Fair Day, a community celebration and fun day. The morning is spent setting up. Units split into smaller groups and work at various stations around the island to bake pies for the pie baking competition, build milk carton boats for the regatta in the afternoon, and set up their booths for the evening carnival. On Island Fair Day, the meals are special (i.e., cinnamon rolls for breakfast), and some community members choose to dress in fun or festive wear.

Campers come tomorrow and we are beyond excited to see them! We have been doing staff training for the last two weeks. We had amazing training sessions, everything from how to support campers to how to make summer more fun. Staff Training is a careful balance between skill building, physical set-up, practicing daily and weekly routines, and group bonding. We’ve had time to prepare both ourselves and the property for the campers!

Second Session ended yesterday with lots of tears, laughter, and hugs. The final weekend of Camp is sure to be remembered for many years. As campers come home with trunks overflowing, grass in inconvenient locations, and maybe a few scratches from playing outside, we hope they also come home with many stories to share.

Come to Johns Island on the right afternoon, and you’ll encounter waves of campers and staff gathering behind the Lodge with packs of camping gear. These groups are preparing to head out on their weekly night away from main camp.

Anchor Days happen once a week, they are a time for community connection and rest. Anchor Days provide a chance to reset; they are the bookends of our weeks at Camp Nor’wester.

First Session ended last week with a raucous All-Camp Dance and emotional goodbyes. The last meals in the lodge are bittersweet; campers are tired from two days filled with Olympic Games competitions between the Red Team and Blue Team, excited to head home, and sad to leave their friends. The Red Team finished the weekend with a close win after song competitions, cheers, tug o’ wars, kickball, and various other competitions.

The Camp Nor’wester trip program is a core part of our summer camp experience. Each session, campers in the eight oldest units (Voyageur/Forester and above) get the opportunity to venture out on four and five-day trips. Big Trips are five days long, and Little Big Trips are four days. Trips are among the few times the campers from several units get to mix for extended periods.

This past week, the four oldest units were out on Big Trips. Monday-Wednesday, the Islanders and Wayfarers were on two-night overnights. When the Foresters and Voyageurs are the oldest campers on Johns Island, that means it’s time for Nell Robinson Day!

It’s hard to believe that the first week of the summer has already ended! Sure, it was a short week, but it still feels like time is flying! Each unit has started to develop its own personality in a way that comes only from living and attending activities together, and we can’t wait to see where their relationships take them.

The 2023 summer staff have been working hard to prepare for camper arrival. Over the past few weeks, the “To Do List” contained a wide range of tasks, including building all camper living structures, learning Camp folk dances, practicing technical skills, going on an overnight, discussing tips/tricks/expectations for working with kids, introducing jumping, inventorying, setting up departments, and much, MUCH more.

The United States must begin to confront its own history of genocide and Indian boarding schools. The time is now to listen . The time is now to locate all mass graves on the grounds of Indian Residential Schools, uncover the truth about the missing children, and honor their lives in ways determined appropriate by their families and communities.

As an organization that serves a multi-generational community around the world, Camp Nor’wester is committed to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. Toward that end, we affirm our commitment to the practice of anti-racism, while recognizing that each of us connected to Nor’wester is at a different place along this path of awareness, education and engagement.