Dear First Session Moosilauke Families,

It was great to see those of you who were able to make it to camp on Saturday.

As we discussed at the parent meeting, we are beyond thrilled that the Boston Globe ran a feature article on the Camp on the front page of their Metro section on Monday. You can access the article by clicking here. (We also posted it on Facebook and we will soon have it on the landing page of our web site). Please send the article to your friends. And, tell those thinking about camp for next summer that there are only two weeks left to come tour the Camp! (They can call us at 1-800-353-4546 to schedule a tour or email us at cmoosilauke@gmail.com.)

Our first session was incredible and went by way too fast. Here are the highlights from the last week:

Sunday, the campers participated in the annual special events day with the neighboring girls camp. Activities included three-legged and hula hoop races, a water balloon toss, the bear pole, and an obstacle course. In between events campers were treated to Sno-Cones complimentary of Timmy and the CITs. Sunday lunch was ribs with garlic mashed potatoes and carrots. In the evening, the boys were invited over to the girls’ camp for a cookout and dance.

Monday was another “Typical Moosilauke Day” with trips heading out to all points on the compass and area activities humming. Competition included an elevens baseball tournament at Moose and a fifteens Dodgeball tournament at a neighboring camp. As is tradition, the fifteens, dressed up in some fabulous gear and face paint for the event. The Juniors (nine-and-ten-year-olds) ventured out to a day at Cascade Park and Mini-Golf. The Inter As (twelve-year-olds) enjoyed an afternoon at Baker Cliffs, followed by an ice cream treat at Moose Scoops. A group of Senior A1s (fifteen-year-olds) spent the morning doing trail maintenance with Port that entailed clearing a trail from our Point campsite to the end of the lake, followed by lunch at Calamity Jane’s in Wentworth. Another group of Senior A1s spent the morning mountain biking the 20 miles round trip to Moose Scoops. Campers not on trips or competition participated in open activity areas – some of them working to complete an achievement level in a specific area. In the evening, rain came, so the campers enjoyed playing cards and board games in the dining hall and movies in the rec halls.

Tuesday was a warm and sunny day. Another group of Senior A1s (fifteen-year-olds) ventured out on a mountain biking trip to Moose Scoops, while another did trail maintenance with Port. A group of Senior A2s (fourteen-year-olds) headed to the Bradford Country Club for a round of golf. We also celebrated a record 3 birthdays on Tuesday – a camper, junior counselor, and counselor! Tuesday evening, Port told another tall-tale at the beach around a campfire. The cabin clean-up winners were treated to a movie viewing in the rec halls, with candy and soda. Also on Tuesday, there was the official “break” of the Red-Grey Competition. The theme this year was “Field of Dreams” and it included a time portal that all campers had to pass through (think a Jolly Jump covered in brush) and a fog shrouded climactic scene during which our new baseball scoreboard (old school like at Wrigley and Fenway) was unveiled.

Wednesday and Thursday all campers were involved in our two-days of Red and Grey “friendly competition.” Events included a canoe regatta, a track meet, tug-of wars, basketball games, a fishing tournament, Ultimate Frisbee matches, baseball games, lacrosse games, age group “mega” relay races, and a team fire-building competition. The final event was a song competition. As is tradition, the boys were treated with candy and soda after the final scores were announced.

As part of the festivities the whole camp was treated to a pig roast dinner. (Anticipation was high since the pig was roasting on the beach all afternoon.) There was plenty of delicious pulled pork, corn on the cob, cole slaw, and maple bread for all.

Friday was packing day in the morning and open areas in the afternoon, followed by the traditional end-of-session banquet. Campers enjoyed pulled pork nachos to start (served outside the dining hall), steak, shrimp cocktail, cheesy mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, and Caesar salad for dinner, with the favorite Whoopie Pies for dessert. Many dressed in their finest for the occasion. Following the meal there was a special video presentation highlighting the first session and recognizing the boys for their achievements in the different activity areas. Campers who have attended Moose for three, five, six, and eight years were honored with special t-shirts and jackets. And, as is tradition, the Senior A1s (oldest campers) participated in a torchlight ceremony that culminated in their lighting a huge bonfire on the field.

We wish you all a happy and relaxing rest of the summer. Thank you for sharing your wonderful boys with us!

Happy Summer!

All the best,
Bill, Sabina, Port, Heide, Ken, and Ingrid