Weekly Update: June 18th, 2023

It would not be an exaggeration to say it has been a fairly cool, wet and stormy first week of camp…and, finally, the sun came out today. With the sun came a lightness, a brightness, and a revelation of sorts: camp is incredibly lush and green and full of possibility.

Even with cooler temps and stormy conditions, campers at Big Spring, High Trails and Sanborn Junior have done remarkable things. Campers participated in their cabinside or unit overnight backpacking trips, rode horses, dug for fossils, tried their hand at ceramics, worked in the woodshop, played countless rounds of “Wavelength”, completed high ropes initiatives, searched for crystals, chose BOOM beads, roasted s’mores, explored the property, built forts, practiced leadership, hiked to the top of Pancake Rocks, had memorable Counselor Hunts, painted with WATERcolors at the crafts buildings….and didn’t spend a great deal of time in the pool.

The first week may have been a meteorological prelude to the incredible possibilities of the rest of the session. As we near the first “official” day of summer, it is important to note that–even on Opening Day–the leaves on the aspen were small and a brilliant, almost neon, spring green. Now, only a week (and a few deluges) later, the leaves are dark green, large, full and “quaking” noisily in the wind. Growth and change occur quickly up here in the mountains, and our local flora and fauna take full advantage of the change with wildflowers popping up everywhere, grass growing tall and more adolescent coyotes socializing across the valleys to one another.

It is not that much different at camp.

This week, campers will head out on a variety of on and off property trips, including our 5 day SOLE (Sanborn Outdoor Leadership Experience) and CORE (Community OutReach Experience) trips and their individual and collective possibility will be amplified. The campers on those service learning trips will volunteer almost 500 person hours to building, improving and maintaining trails we use in the central Collegiate Range. Our Sanborn Junior campers will head out on their final backpacking trip and be able to play in the sun, explore animal tracks in the mud, sleep out under a sky full of stars and spend one of their last days at camp tubing on the South Platte River. Some of our month-long campers will journey to “A Galaxy Far, Far Away” on a Star Wars Overnight or travel back in time on a Quicks Homestead or Tipi Camp overnight or adventure out on a horseback, rock climbing, mountain biking or canoe overnight trip.

During this upcoming week, there will be countless experiences with their own moments of collective triumph and personal challenge, and campers will discover newfound confidence in themselves, deepen competence in their skills, and realize the true value of contribution to a community. The tone of the letters to you from your camper may change, possibly from sad to proud to “send-me-a-care-package-please” (see below).

Just like the natural world around us, growth is happening every day at camp because everything seems to flourish with a little water, fresh air and sunshine…and maybe a letter or care package from home.

If you do send a care-package, we want to remind families to not send food as food attracts wildlife, both large and small, to the tents and cabins. If your camper receives food in a care package, we will dispose of it upon receipt. Here are some ideas for non-food items for care packages:

Additionally, we have had a number of questions this last week about funding camper store accounts. We are attaching the flyer we sent out regarding all camper expenses, including camp store, rental items and camping gear purchases. Because our billing process has changed, all camper purchases, rental items and expenses accrued during the camp session will be invoiced at the end of the camp session and we do NOT require any pre-paid funds for camper accounts.

We have also had a number of questions regarding purchasing CampStamps or heard some of you had trouble buying CampStamps. Campminder, our database company, recommends utilizing your desktop browser and logging into your Camp InTouch account via computer. Once you are in your Camp InTouch account, the last tab under “Online Community” says “Photos and CampStamp Payment”. In order to purchase CampStamps, you need to add your form of payment in this location, not just in the Financial Management system. If you are still having trouble, please call Campminder support directly at 303-444-2267.

Along with the weekly Sunday photo upload, our photographers posted the Unit and Cabinside photos mid-week on Camp InTouch and in the Campanion app. We will also mail a copy of the photo to you in the letter your camper’s counselors wrote today.

Let’s go, let’s grow!

Sincerely, Ariella, Krista & Oliver