Mid-2nd Session Update

Hello Forest Lake Community!

It’s about halfway through 2nd Session and the weeks are going quickly. The weather has improved drastically with more sun and drier days, so campers have been spending lots of time outdoors and at the waterfront. Last week, both Girls and Boys Camp had a Beach Party down at the lake after dinner as the sun was setting – summer in the Adirondacks is truly magical! You can find updates from Boys Camp and Girls Camp below:

Girls Camp Update 

Hi Parents!

Second session has been going full steam ahead. We started off with getting everyone color sorted so that Color Wars was up and running straight away. On Monday, we decided the color wars captains. We also had plenty of water skiers and rafting groups going out throughout the week which has been really exciting. On top of that, we have continued our birthday celebrations, which has meant lots of cake being shared around the cabins.

Tuesday was the junior overnight, where they had a cookout dinner and breakfast and then returned to camp in high spirits and jumped straight back into normal camp activities. Additionally on Tuesday, we all sat down to watch the movie, Madagascar to prepare for the play for this session. Auditions have also been held and everyone is getting excited to learn their lines.

Then on Wednesday, we had our first senior hike which we were pleased to see so many girls sign up for. The hike was tough but the girls conquered it and returned with so much enthusiasm that they all wanted to sign up for another one.

Thursday was an intense backpacking trip with 8 of our senior girls. Everyone gave it their best efforts and had the most amazing time. For those who remained in camp, we had a normal day of activities and ended the day with a surprise social. We played a range of field games and had a mini dance party.

On Friday, we had our senior girls tennis tournament. It was so much fun and when they returned to camp, they all ran into the mess hall cheering, which was great to see. Due to the hot weather on Thursday, we ended the day with a social beach party. We had a game of volleyball on the beach and had lots of fun in the water.

Saturday we had another hike for the junior girls and even though they weren’t greeted with the best weather, they still did an amazing job. Our evening activity was then a Color Wars then music trivia which got very competitive.

Sunday wrapped up our week with our usual trip to Chapel and our evening campfire. Everyone is so excited for the second week of the second session as we prepare for our dance show, camp play and so much more.

Campers of the Week:

Junior – Lia Bercowski

Senior – Brooke Tannen

 

Sincerely,

Freya and Lisa

Girls Camp Head Counselors 

 

Boys Camp Update

Welcome parents to Forest Lake Camp’s 2nd Session! So much has happened in these last 8 days since campers arrived.

July 23rd was a non-traditional Sunday. The day started as any normal week day would. Kids were still getting to know one another and signing up for their first activities of the session. That day, during Waterfront, all campers took their swim test. Their two challenges were swimming the shallow end without touching the bottom and treading water in the deep end. The test was a success for the majority of campers. Those who did not pass later during the week re-took the exam in order to swim in the deep end without a life jacket. In the evening instead of experiencing our traditional Sunday Campfire we had our COLOR SORTING CEREMONY put on by camp veteran, Bob Duffy, playing his traditional part of the Wood Nymph. New campers found out if they belonged to the BLUE TEAM or the RED TEAM. After being sorted, all teams participated in our first two Color War competitions, EGG TOSS and PADDLE GAME. In the end, junior and senior Blue Team won the egg toss and junior Blue team and senior Red Team won the paddle game. 

Monday we had a regular day of activities but for the evening that evening each team selected their team captains and co-captains for COLOR WARS. In Blue Team PABLO M. for the juniors, and JUSTIN B. for the seniors, were voted team captains. Assisting them as co-captains are LEOPOLDO L. for the juniors, and EMARVIEL A. for the seniors. On the Red Team, the captains selected were MATEO R. for the juniors, and GRANT S. for the seniors. Assisting them as Co-Captains we have GRAHAM K. for the juniors and JOHN J & FRANCESCO A. for the seniors. These selections were followed by a tense and hilariously fun game of DODGEBALL FREEZE DANCE PARTY in the Confer Pavillion in which the red team came out victorious!

On Tuesday we had our first 2nd session campers head out to do RAFTING and WATERSKIING. The weather was downcast and rainy, but a lot of fun was had. After lunch the weather turned for the worse with dark clouds looming over camp. Claps of thunder and heavy rain meant Waterfront had to be canceled and the campers instead played various board games in their cabins while the junior boys scheduled overnights had to be rescheduled. As a tease for this session’s play both Boys and Girls camp congregated in the mess hall to watch Madagascar as part of our MOVIE NIGHT.

On Wednesday some of the senior boy cabins went on a hike to BUCK MOUNTAIN with counselors CHARLES and JAMES. Back at camp, everyone enjoyed a social BBQ for lunch followed by regular camp activities. For evening activity we had all the juniors and seniors combine for the first color war activity of the session, a fan favorite game of TENNIS-RACKET-BASEBALL in which both colors got very heated and competitive. After a long game into the night, the red team came out victorious.

We had our second group of WATERSKIIERS and RAFTERS head out on Thursday on a beautiful sunny morning. Campers then had a regular day of activities until the evening where both the juniors and seniors hiked up to LOOKOUT to enjoy the beautiful sunset to end the day of glorious weather.

On Friday the junior boys headed out on a day hike to CAT MOUNTAIN with counselors JOE and ANDREA while the rest of the campers had a regular day of activities back at FLC. Cabin 10 also went on their adventure trip to BLACK HOLE and came back to camp to partake in their overnight trip where they enjoyed smores and shared spooky stories. Friday was a particularly hot day so in the evening we had all the senior boys and junior boys together heading down to the waterfront to enjoy a BEACH PARTY where the campers all got to cool off in the water and enjoy music and share ice pops. 

Friday morning saw a continuation of the fantastic weather until the afternoon – the downpour meant a break from outdoor activities in the hot sunshine, and instead, campers did some cabin activities with their cabinmates. For the evening activity both the juniors and seniors partook in Joe’s newly famous GUESS THE SONG CHALLENGE which was followed by a co-ed DANCE PARTY. After a really close game the red team for both the juniors and seniors narrowly won, however, frustrations were quickly forgotten thanks to the proceeding dance party.

To close the week off, Saturday morning saw all the campers walk up to chapel for 2nd session’s first chapel speech spoken by MADI about chosen families which was followed by a social gathering up at lookout. After lunch boys camp partook in GOLD RUSH in which the red team won. In the evening we had our first CAMPFIRE of the session. Campers and counselors all sang songs, participated in sketches, competed in challenges and won awards. The campers seemed to particularly love the JOB INTERVIEW SKIT performed by boys counselor MILAN. MARC-ANTOINE D. won TENNIS PLAYER while GRANT S. won ARCHER OF THE WEEK. The last two awards given at campfire were the CAMPERS OF THE WEEK with GRAHAM K. winning for the juniors and FRANCESCO A. winning for the seniors. We look forward to another fun filled week at FLC!

Sincerely,

Matt Laythem & Charlie Oliver

Boys Camp Head Counselors