Dear Moosilauke Families,

Hard to believe but First Session 2019 is in the history books. And what a session it was! We hope your boys have been regaling you with their exploits from the summer.

While the positive memories are still fresh we would love your help getting the word out about Moose since the camp does no paid advertising. If you are willing to host a reception and have families you think would like to learn about the Camp please contact us at cmoosilauke@gmail.com. Interested families can also call us directly at 800-353-4546 if they would like to schedule a tour over the next two weeks, or a virtual reception this fall.

We also hope you will all click here and post a review of your son’s Moose experience at CampRatingz.com. This site is an important resource for prospective families.

For posterity, here is a summary of camp events and activities from July 20 through July 26, 2019—the last week of the 4.5 week session.

Saturday was the hottest day of the summer so the waterfront was buzzing. Land sports were also a flurry of activity since we had a full day’s worth of competition vs. a peer camp. Events included: basketball for the tens, elevens, twelves, thirteens, and fifteens; soccer for the twelves, thirteens, and fifteens; lacrosse for the twelves; Ultimate Frisbee for the thirteens, and baseball for the fifteens. There was also an all-ages hike to Mt. Ascutney. Our traditional Saturday night pizza dinner was held at the picnic tables on the beach because of the nice breeze it afforded. After dinner it was movie night with our traditional homemade popcorn courtesy of the CITs.

“Lazy Sunday” was appreciated by all. The campers relished the additional sleep time, the buffet breakfast, and the free play down the hill. Before lunch there was a massive swim session for all ages. In the afternoon, the campers participated in a special event day with our neighboring girls camp. Activities included three-legged and hula hoop races, a water balloon toss, the bear pole, an obstacle course, and the oldest groups of boys and girls enjoyed a boating extravaganza on the lake. In between events, campers were treated to Sno-Cones complimentary of the CITs. In the evening, the boys were invited over to the girls’ camp for a cookout and dance (with kick-ball as an option for the non-dancers). 

Sunday evening also saw the official “break” for our Red vs. Grey “two days of friendly competition.” The theme this year was “Return to the Moon.” After the dance, the whole camp was summoned to the dining hall to find it decorated with paraphernalia from 1969 and brimming with treats from that era such as Tang. Kenny and Todd recalled the evening they watched the actual moon landing in the mess hall in 1969 on Moose Miller’s, Kenny’s grandfather, black and white TV. After an instructional story on how the moon landing took place, some archival footage, and Kenny explaining the blackout period as the astronauts returned to earth, an explosion was heard followed by the dramatic entrance into the dining hall of Neil Armstrong (or at least a past counselor wearing a space suit with his name on it). He claimed to have been off course in a parallel universe for the last 50 years and he and his fellow astronauts had just crash landed into Upper Baker Pond. The boys then followed astronaut Armstrong down to the beach where they came across a life size Apollo 11 command module floating in the lake. The spectacle then continued with Neil being besieged by press from the “Moosilauke Times.” Suddenly, sirens were heard in the distance and members of NASA and the CIA came running onto the beach to check on the astronauts. While the CIA agents began to remove the astronauts from the scene Kenny asked them if they brought anything back from the moon. Neil Armstrong then turned and said he had a bag of moon rocks–and a book. A tussle then ensued which ended with Kenny taking the book from the agents. He then opened it and read “Welcome to Color War 2019!”  The evening ended with our traditional reading of the teams and the captains’ ceremony.

The arrival of intermittent rain on Monday did not keep us from having 2 days of amazing competition. Events over the 2 days included a track meet, a canoe regatta, rope pulls, competitions in basketball, baseball, lacrosse, Ultimate, and soccer, an archery meet, a fishing tournament, age group “mega” relay races, and a team fire-building competition. In the end, it all came down to the last event—the team song—since the score was tied. After the final tally the boys were rewarded with well deserved treats and approbations. All in all, it was a great two days highlighted by hard work, great sportsmanship, and high spirits.

Wednesday, the boys enjoyed a much deserved late breakfast. After cabin clean-up the Juniors ventured to Cascade Park for some fun on the waterslides, a picnic lunch, and then miniature golf at Hobo Hills. An all-ages group spent the day playing golf at the Bradford links followed by a lunch in town. Another mixed age group spent the afternoon fishing at Indian Pond. Many of the boys caught small-mouth bass. Also in the afternoon the Senior A1s (fifteen-year-olds) had their turn at the natural water slides at Baker Cliffs and ice cream at Moose Scoops. Those in Camp enjoyed a day of open sign-ups both on land and in the water. In the evening, we held our annual Coke League (intramural baseball) competition for campers ages 12 and under. Teams were coached by the Senior A1s. The winners enjoyed a soda treat! Other evening activities included: fishing at the Point, waterskiing, kickball, water polo, rugby, a basketball tournament, and Judo.  

On Thursday, we sent out our final trips for the summer, including an all-ages rock climbing adventure to Rumney, mountain bike trail riding at Green Woodlands, and a fishing expedition to Indian Pond. Campers also enjoyed another full choice day and another chance to play Coke League. A highlight of the evening was some spirited chanting after dinner that was led by the Senior A1s. Finally, as the sun was setting, Port shared one last tall tale around the beach campfire, before giving the Senior A1s their very own tale at the Point.

Friday morning was bittersweet since it was time to pack. In the afternoon the campers gleefully enjoyed their final day of choice sign-ups in all areas. In the evening, the Camp gathered for the traditional end-of-session banquet. The banquet included pulled pork nachos, strip steak, twice baked potatoes, caesar salad, rolls, and the infamous whoopie pies for dessert. After dinner, there was a slideshow and video chronicling the summer. The whole camp then ventured down to the beach for one final community gathering where accolades and top ten highlights were shared, and the Senior A1s (fifteen-year-olds) reflected on their Moosilauke experience. Additionally, those who have been at Moosilauke either three, five, six, and eight years, and campers who brought a friend to Moose, as well as staff who have worked at Moose for 4 years, were recognized with some cool new Moose gear. Finally, there was the traditional Senior A1 torchlight procession to the bonfire to top off the evening.

It has been so much fun having your boys at Moosilauke this summer. Thanks for sharing them—and see you next summer!

Happy Summer!

Bill, Sabina, Port, Heide, Ken, and Ingrid