A Task of Exceeding Difficulty
Wednesday and Thursday have been rain free except for a tiny little shower during lunch today. By the time we filed down the ramps of the dining hall the rain had stopped and sun shining. Last night our Trappers (finished 4th) enjoyed campouts by cabin in various overnight spots. As I walked to my office early this morning many traipsed back in, a little tired but full of stories. The general consensus was that it was “awesome”!
Tonight we are all in camp for the most beloved night program of the term, Mission Impossible! Mission Impossible is what boys look forward to all year. For those of you wondering why we have camoflauge on our packing list, this is why. It’s an all camp game of spotlight, played by cabins. The head counselors serve as Maxes, doling out each cabin’s first assignment and password.
The ultimate goal is to find whatever has been stolen from camp earlier that day. I should mention that the stealing takes place in an elaborate skit that is almost as anticipated as the game itself.
Each evening prior to dinner we gather by the flag pole in a formation of cabins known as Retreat. The flag lowers as we recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Roderick gives a few announcements, the most anticipated of which is the plan for the evening. What is night program? What fun game will we play with our friends? Tonight he did not get the usual cheers as he announced each group. The Hunters to play bridge in the lodge, one group knitting, and so on.
Suddenly music blared and Thanos the Marvel comicbook character appeared out of nowhere. He angrily informed us of his plan to steal the Mayfield Moose Tracks ice cream. From around the corner superheroes appeared - Mr. Incredible, the Hulk, Spiderman, and others. They tried in vain to stop Thanos but he cast a spell on them and made out with the ice cream! Our job tonight is to defeat Thanos and retrieve the ice cream. I am confident we are up to the challenge!!
As I type this the boys are changing into dark outfits and soon headed to receive their first clue. Dinner was a bit noisier than usual as guys talked strategy and got hyped up for the game. Mrs. Gail must have known as she gave us spaghetti noodles with meat sauce for dinner to carb load for the evening! This morning we enjoyed a midweek pancake breakfast with sausage patties and the breakfast bar. Lunch was pot roast, steamed carrots, roasted new potatoes, and cornbread.
Tomorrow evening will be quite a switch from tonight for our Chiefs (finishing 8 and 9). They’ll put up the camo in favor of a polo as they play host to the girls from Camp Desoto for a social. Look for some fun party pics to be posted tomorrow night or Saturday. Roderick is planning special age group activities around camp for the rest of us during that time.
One of my favorite daily routines is standing in front of the Lodge (where our office is located) in between activities. 15 minutes of transition time are allotted for getting to and from activities. By standing at the Lodge I get to see and say hello to many boys as they walk by. Today I was struck by the conversations. Almost every group has 4 or 5 boys walking side by side and are deep into a story or conversation about school or sports or camp activities. It’s just so normal and natural. Friendships are developing organically. Boys who didn’t know each other less than a week ago now joke and laugh with one another like old friends.
Gotta go for now - I need to make sure we get that Moose Tracks back! Thanks for reading and good night for now, Glenn
