Dear Moosilauke Families,

It is our pleasure to write this second letter from Moosilauke for Second Session 2019, covering Sunday, August 4 through Thursday, August 8, 2019.

Sunday was the first “Lazy Sunday” of the Second Session. The boys enjoyed some well-deserved extra sleep and a delicious buffet breakfast of made-to-order omelets, bacon, sausage, homemade chocolate chip muffins, and potatoes. After breakfast, campers ventured down the hill for free play. The highlight of the day was all-camp Capture the Flag in the afternoon. This session, it was the “Cholulas” versus the “Tabascos.” The CITs did an amazing job organizing the event for the afternoon. Following the event, there was an all-camp swim and then the first Community Gathering of the session. At the gathering, campers and counselors shared accolades and shout-outs, reports on trips (to Mt. Lafayette and the canoe to Hanover), and the top 10 Moose Moments. The top moment was a Junior getting 2 holes-in-one in a row at their Hobo Hills miniature golf adventure. The canoe to Hanover crew shared how they learned how to do “Power 10s”: 10 strokes in a row, then rest. Lunch was chicken tenders and french fries and dinner was the first cabin cookout of the session–hamburgers, potato wedges, salads, and carrot sticks with S’mores around a campfire for dessert. In the evening, the cabin clean-up winners were rewarded with a trip to the Fairlee Drive-In theater to view the new “Lion King.” 

On Monday, several trips left in the morning. A group of Senior A2s (fourteen-year-olds) departed for their 3-day Mt. Washington hike. On their way to the trailhead, they spotted a moose on the road! The group summited Mt. Adams on day one, lunching on peanut butter and Nutella wraps on their way. They enjoyed some fantastic views along the rock’s edge on their descent to the campsite and dined on a dinner of mac-n-cheese and summer sausage. On day 2, after a quick breakfast of oatmeal, they packed up and began their ascent up Mt. Jefferson. They then circumvented Mt. Clay to begin their climb up Mt. Washington. The most difficult part of the hike was the last section up Washington. After lunch on the summit, the group headed down Washington to Tuckerman’s Ravine, where they found the last vestiges of winter’s snow. After reaching their campsite, they dined on chicken and rice and fell fast asleep from the challenging day of hiking. On day 3, the group departed the campsite around 8:30am for the final descent. Towards the end of the 2-mile downhill, they came upon a beautiful 100 foot waterfall. On their way back to Moosilauke, they were treated with a much-deserved all-you-can-eat pizza buffet.

Also on Monday, a group of Senior Bs (thirteen-year-olds) spent the day tubing down the Hartland Rapids on the Connecticut River, followed by a pizza dinner in town. The Inter As (twelve-year-olds) enjoyed an afternoon swimming, sliding, and jumping in the natural waterslides of Baker Cliffs, followed by an ice cream treat at Moose Scoops. A group of Inter Bs (eleven-year-olds) departed for a canoeing overnight adventure to Cliff Island on Newfound Lake. After a short canoe paddle out to the island, the group set up their tents, ate a quick lunch, and then explored the island–swimming, fishing, and paddling around in their canoes. In the evening, they cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, and S’mores over a campfire, before retiring to their tents. Finally, an all-ages group of campers ventured to the Green Woodlands Trails in Dorchester for some mountain biking fun. 

Back at Camp, there was an elevens tennis and fifteens baseball tournament at neighboring camps. Meals were French toast and bacon for breakfast, grilled sausage subs for lunch, and penne pasta with meat sauce for dinner. In the evening, there was “tennis baseball,” wiffle ball, Frisbee golf (“Frolf”), Ultimate frisbee, handball, dodgeball, tubing, and fishing. 

Tuesday, the trips continued with a group of Senior Bs (thirteen-year-olds) having their turn of swimming and jumping fun at the natural water slides of Baker Cliffs. Another group of Inter Bs (eleven-year-olds) departed for their overnight canoeing adventure to Cliff Island on Newfound Lake, and there was an all-ages mountain biking trip to Dorchester. In the afternoon, there were two inter-camp competition events–a tens basketball tournament at Moose and a twelves basketball tournament at a neighboring camp. Meals on Tuesday included scrambled eggs and potatoes for breakfast, sweet and sour chicken with lo mein noodles for lunch, and Taco Tuesday for dinner. In the evening, there was dodgeball, a ping pong tournament, flag football, team handball, hockey, water polo, tubing, and fishing. 

Wednesday morning brought rain so the campers enjoyed indoor activities including board games, Bingo, mini-golf, cards, and arts and crafts. Fortunately, the rain cleared by late morning, so everyone was down the hill for free play before lunch. A group of Senior Bs (thirteen-year-old) headed to the Whale’s Tale water park for a day of water fun. The Inter As (twelve-year-olds) departed for their Mt. Moosilauke hike and overnight at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. The group hiked up the Gorge Brook Trail in 2 hours time which was impressive given the steep 3.7 mile distance and the 4,802 feet height. After lunch on the summit, the group descended down the Carriage and Snapper Trails. At the Lodge, they feasted on a dinner of oat bread, kale and apple salad, carrot soup, tofu curry, and brownies (all served by the students of Dartmouth College, the managers of the Lodge). In the evening, the group enjoyed hearing the “tall-tale” of Doc Benton before falling asleep in their cabins. In the morning, they ate oatmeal, eggs, and homemade muffins before returning to Camp in time for morning activities. A group of Juniors (eight-nine-and-ten-year-olds) spent the afternoon and evening at our Pioneer Camp on the Baker River. They swam and played on the rocks before cooking dinner and having S’mores for dessert before settling in their tents for the night. 

Thursday, the sunshine and clear skies returned and all activities and trips were a go as scheduled. The Senior A2s (fourteen-year-olds), along with the Counselors-in-Training (CITs), departed in the morning for a day of rides and games at the water and amusement park in Manchester. In the evening, they enjoyed a few rounds of bowling, before returning to Camp. Two groups of Senior Bs (thirteen-year-olds) ventured out early for their two-day hiking adventure on Mt. Lafayette. The first day they hiked a steep 3 miles up the Liberty Springs trail to their campsite where they ate a lunch of peanut butter and Nutella tortilla crepes. After a brief rest they made a quick pack-less run up to the summit of Mount Liberty to take in the views of the ridgeline. After returning back to camp they made a dinner of mac-n-cheese with summer sausage. A smaller group then split off and returned to the Liberty summit for the sunset before returning to their tent platforms. After a 6:00 am wake-up call and a quick breakfast the group headed on to the Franconia Ridge Trail for their 3.5 mile long hike that saw them summit Little Haystack, Mount Lincoln, and Mt. Lafayette. After lunch at the Green Leaf Shelter they descended the remaining 3 miles down to their vehicle. It was then time for a pizza dinner and the return trip to camp.

Another group of Juniors (eight-nine-and-ten-year-olds) had their turn of an overnight camping trip at the Pioneer Camp. There was an all-ages kayaking trip to the Hartland Rapids, an all-ages climbing trip to an indoor climbing facility, and an all-ages mountain biking expedition to the Wentworth Waterhole for a picnic lunch and swim (10 miles round trip!). Inter-camp competition on Thursday was a twelves lacrosse tournament at Moose. Meals at Camp were fried eggs and potatoes for breakfast, grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch, and southern barbecue pork loin with baked beans and coleslaw for dinner. Evening activities included open areas, beginner waterskiing, fishing, and the sharing of a “tall-tale” by Port on the beach around a campfire. 

Whew. Every one of our campers this week went on a trip and had the opportunity to participate in an inter-camp competition event—this on top of the many choice activities they are offered each day while here at Moose. Amazing!

Thank you so much for sharing your son(s) with us at Moosilauke this summer! Please do not hesitate to contact Bill or Sabina if you should have any questions or concerns. Happy Summer!

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