Weekly Update: July 14, 2024

What an incredible first two days of camp! Campers at both High Trails and Big Spring are settling into camp life. They spent last evening building community in their cabins and on the ridges and tonight they set the tone for the week with Opening Campfire at Big Spring and Vespers at High Trails.

This week campers will begin their camp journey with Unit Overnights at Big Spring and Cabinside Overnights at High Trails. All of the campers will head out onto the property to learn and practice Leave No Trace camping skills, build authentic connections, push themselves physically, expand their perspectives and experience wonder in the natural world while camping under the stars. It is a foundational trip which helps everyone ground themselves in this place and experience while also preparing them for the adventures ahead.

Over the last two days, campers rode horses, explored the immediate camp area, played 9-Square and Gagaball, dabbled in arts and crafts, ate meals with their counselors and friends, visited the 4-Story Treehouse, made s’mores, walked everywhere, hung out with baby goats, cheered in the lodges and sang songs together. In the last 36 hours, our campers have started to make this place a “home away from home.”

For 76 summers, Sanborn has been that and more for thousands of people–and many of them now have children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family and friends who are soundly sleeping in the very same cabins and bunks they remember as children and young adults.

Yesterday’s Opening Day was somewhat uncanny. Almost every parent we interacted with said something like, “When will you do a camp for adults?” or “I wish I could come back” or “This place is so magical–I am so glad my kids can have this experience.” We had quite a few valiant alumni and COEC board members who braved the I-25 corridor on a Saturday (the famed Colorado Renaissance Festival makes this an especially long journey) to volunteer and help with check-ins, dishes, paperwork organizing at the Health Centers, luggage delivery and more–just so they could be a part of camp.

Nostalgia. It is “the sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past.” We are often nostalgic for the times when the world felt less overwhelming, less busy, less fragmented and more manageable. Nostalgic for those moments when we were more grounded, more engaged, more present and more connected. Nostalgic for those moments and memories from childhood when things seemed more effortless because there were adults who were creators of experiences that helped shape us. Nostalgic for a time when our world was small enough to seem to make sense.

At that time, we were still learning, growing and navigating the day-to-day complexities of life–looking to the adults around us to provide us with guardrails for our social and emotional growth–and learning to discover the world and ourselves with guidance from the small group of family and friends who we trusted, appreciated and knew we could count on. That is why this experience is important for campers. They, too, will spend the next month surrounded by supportive adults who are here because they want to have a positive impact on kids and who want to discover in themselves their own capacity to work with others in a complex world.

These last two days, we have been interviewing campers, staff and parents for a new Sanborn Road Show video (coming soon to a city near you!) and have been humbled by what we have heard. Campers talk about how much they appreciate NOT having their phones and having time to be with their “real friends” at camp. Staff share how quickly they see campers’ confidence and competence grow–even in the two week Junior campers–while they are trying things for the first time: preparing for hikes, saddling and riding horses, working through rock climbing routes, steering a canoe, setting up tents, hanging bear bags, packing their backpacks, navigating social missteps, climbing mountains, connecting with people from different backgrounds, taking care of themselves, taking care of others and filling the days with experiences that are challenging, fun, unique and unforgettable. And parents are appreciative for a place where kids can simply be kids while simultaneously discovering new strengths within themselves as they push past their comfort zones.

And, because we know we do hard things here, that can be challenging that first week of camp. This is the week where you may receive a Sad Letter from your camper, and–if you do–know that is normal. As campers transition into camp, they sometimes miss the simplicity and ease of Life At Home–but, for the majority of them, they start really finding their groove at the exact moment the Sad Letter arrives in your mailbox. AND, if you are concerned, please do not hesitate to write us an email or give us a call. Check out this blogpost to find out why getting a Sad Letter might actually make you feel good.

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. As we shared a few days ago, 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.

At camp, the days are like weeks, but the weeks are like days–and our hope for this next month is that all of our campers will allow themselves to be present and soak it all in. This may be OUR “Nostalgic Era” (T. Swift is still going strong), but for them, it is their slow-down, be where I am, NOW opportunity.

Let’s GOOOOOOOOOOOO!