Weekly Update: June 11th, 2023
We invite you into a world of adventure at camp.
To give you new experiences and new awareness
of yourselves and the world around you.
To test your mettle against a mountain,
to sit in a quiet grove of aspen and search your soul
for the true meanings of life.
A chance to meet adversity…like your tent blowing down
or not having enough food on a pack trip.
To live with others your age long enough to know them,
to see their faults and to have them discover yours…
yet to become fast friends working and playing together.
To hear the voice of silence in the deep forest or on a mountain top.
To experience the fun that comes from knowing you have done a job well.
To watch the glowing embers of a campfire as a story is spun.
To hear the cry of coyotes, to spot an antelope herd,
To know something of the wild world.
To feel the tug of a trout on your line
or to ride a raft down a rapid, clear river.
To wonder at the world of nature around you:
…from the delicate petals of a columbine
to the majestic loftiness of a Douglas fir…
…to sing
…to laugh
…and to know yourself.
Into this world and many others
We invite you…
-Roger “Sandy” Sanborn, Founder, Sanborn Western Camps-
Today, we welcomed 275 campers into this “world of adventure at camp.” For our 75th summer, we have campers and staff from 42 states and 9 different countries bringing their unique, individual selves to this special place in the Colorado mountains.
At both camps, campers spent the day getting settled, exploring the main camp areas, hanging hammocks, making human tunnels to cheer for campers who had arrived by plane and playing: basketball, 9-Square in the Air, Gagaball, field games and more. We had celebratory welcome dinners with good food, laughter and appropriately noisy announcements followed by leisurely walks back to the living units in the cool evening drizzle.
Due to those evening rains, Big Spring had an Opening Campfire inside of the Arts & Recreation Kiva (lovingly known as the ARK) and High Trails had Vespers inside of Heisler Hall. Singing together was a highlight of both of those events–and, at High Trails, campers loved hearing their counselors read quotes and, at Big Spring, campers laughed while watching them perform silly, but meaningful, skits that helped frame the common goal of each ridge.
Tomorrow, campers will hike with their cabin and tent mates, take living unit photos, continue to define their community norms and, for the month-long campers, fill out their trip sign up sheets so they can craft their own individual summer experience. Over the next few days, all campers will pack their backpacks and head out for their Unit/Cabinside Overnight, a foundational trip where campers will learn and practice LNT camping skills which they will use for the rest of camp. And, like Sandy said, this first trip at camp is what helps campers “become fast friends working and playing together.”
Along with the overnight, Sanborn Junior campers will ride horses, swim at the pool, go rock scrambling, and explore the learning centers like our authentic 1890’s Quick Homestead, our Ute Tipi Camp and the Interbarn, our hands-on nature and science center. They will also participate in the evening and all-camp events within their camps…just wait until you hear stories about the Counselor Hunt or the Adventure Race!
We post photos every Sunday evening so we can try and capture and collect as many experiences as we can both on and off of the property during our very busy weeks. These photos can be accessed and downloaded for free via the Campanion app (download via the app store or Google Play) or on your computer via your Camp InTouch account. When you upload a recent image of your camper(s), the Campanion app does a better-than-average job of finding photos that include your camper and the app will push those images directly to your phone for viewing, downloading and sharing.
Our staff members are already hard at work helping campers build a sense of self, sense of community, sense of the earth and sense of wonder through our fun and adventurous community. These remarkable counselors will provide outstanding guidance, mentorship, leadership and fun to your campers–and, in case you missed them on Opening Day, we hope you have had a chance to “meet” them on our blog.
Summer 2023 is already proving to be exceptionally special, not just because it is our 75th summer, but because of the incredible beauty of the natural world around us. So many parents and campers commented on the view of still-snowy Pikes Peak and the new, lush green of the valleys and aspen trees. Even amid the buzzing, giddy energy of Opening Day, there was a sense of calm, expansiveness, possibility and wonder as evening fell and lights popped on in the tents and cabins. Inside, the comfy pajamas you (or they) packed were put on, everyone found their headlamps and flashlights, picked up a book, started writing a letter, wrote in their journals, listened as someone strummed a guitar, talked with a friend and snuggled into their beds thinking and wondering about the adventures of the weeks to come.
Into this world…
We are so glad they are here.
Sincerely,
Ariella Rogge
Director, Sanborn Western Camps
Krista White
Director, High Trails Ranch
Oliver Fisher
Director, Big Spring Ranch
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