As you walked along the shore line of camp, you could get a great idea of the various activities available for the campers.

Just past the beach was the sailing dock where two small Lazer sail boats were moored. They were a nice manageable size for beginner sailors. In the boat house was a small boat with an outboard engine, great for rounding up wayward sailboats or windsurfers. There was also a party boat in there and contrary to popular belief they are rarely used for partying (that I am aware of anyway!). Often employed for hauling buckets of food out to “Little Indian” island where the campers will spend an over night. About 40 kid sized life jackets were hanging up to dry. A dozen fishing rods rested against the far wall.
   

On the other side of the boat house was the canoe dock with ten red canoes stacked up. Paddles were hanging on the wall. Tied up to the dock was a massive cedar wooden canoe that could seat about 20 campers. This canoe was used to paddle out to “Little Indian” island. It was a sight to see it full of campers paddling madly to the island! 

Just along the forested path was a T-shaped “fishing” dock with a diving board. The fishing dock is a terrific spot to catch some rays (with sunblock on of course) while reading a book and watching as the campers egg on the counselors to perform goofy dives. You could often hear the campers shouting in unison “You won’t do it!” as a way to coax their counselors into performing some dope moves. 

The climbing wall was attached to exterior of the north end of the 3 story main building. There were two different climbing routes that campers could attempt. One was pretty tricky with a fair sized protrusion challenge. Climbing the wall was always a good way to ensure that your fingers and forearms would kill you for two days after attempting it! One word: ibuprofen.

Continue along the path and you would pass 2 gazebos on the west side of camp. They were great spots for small group activities, especially if you needed refuge from the deer flies or mosquitoes that were a small part of the whole outdoor experience and a large part of my nursing care! Unbelievable how infected campers could get their bites when they could not stop scratching! Ewww! 😛

Next up on the south side of the property was the arts ‘n crafts and drama building. The art’s n crafts side had just about every kind of imaginable type of camp crafty item and then some. Think: leather wallets, beading, gymping, God’s eyes, hemp bracelets, friendship bracelets, hodge podge, paper mache, sketching, water colors, tie dye t-shirts and they even had a couple of pottery wheels. The kids were not the only one who can spend hours in here working on their masterpieces. I loved to hang out here and throw a pot, or attempt various watercolor techniques. OK…I totally sucked at it, but it sure was fun to try!

On the drama side of the building there was a huge open space with a small stage for rehearsing skits or dance performances. There were dance barres along the walls, mirrors on the other wall. There were a couple of closets filled with dozens of wigs, hats and costumes that look like 80’s prom dresses, dance recital costumes, or from the vintage section of the thrift store. Lots of groovy goodness to fuel the imagination!

Just outside the arts ‘n crafts building was another small dock. Kayaks with paddles and six windsurf sails and boards were stored along side the dock. Kayaking around the bay was a wonderful way for me to enjoy a moment of quiet solitude. I attempted windsurfing several times too. However, I usually fell off so regularly and had to pull myself out of the water so many times that I would end up with an aching back and arms. Again, ibuprofen was my friend!

Follow the trail into the forest and you would find the ropes course. This was an instruction only for the older campers or the LIT’s as it involved both low and high ropes courses in the trees and was often used for team building. Of course getting ready for the ropes course takes forever as you need to strap on the helmet and incredibly sexy safety harness (NOT! Especially not sexy for the guys!).

Continue on eastbound through the trees and you would eventually come upon the multipurpose court. Campers could play basketball, hockey, or soccer on the fenced-in surface without having to chase an errant ball through the forest.

Archery was in the clearing opposite the waterfront. Complete with targets and netting, here you could get in touch with your inner Iroquois! Katniss, eat your heart out!

So many things to do! One phrase you never heard at camp was “I’m bored!”