Dear Moosilauke Families,

We are pleased to send you our final letter home for the Second Session of Moosilauke 2019, covering Friday, August 8 through Tuesday, August 13, 2019.  

By the time you receive this your boy(s) should be home with you. We hope they have regaled you with great stories about friends, trying new things, and the special spirit of Moose. If you are so inclined we would appreciate it if you would post a review of your son’s Moose experience at CampRatingz.com since this site is an important resource for prospective families.

Since we do no paid advertising we would also love your help getting the word out about Moose.  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.  We are also hosting “GoToMeeting” virtual presentations about our philosophy and program for families who can’t make it to a reception. 

On Friday, our oldest campers, the Senior A1s (fifteen-year-olds), departed for their two-day whitewater rafting adventure on the Androscoggin River. They spent 2 hours rafting (with a guide) down the rapids, some of them flipped a few times! Then, they took a pontoon boat back to the campsite where they feasted on bacon cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and S’mores for dessert. In the morning, after a quick breakfast of bagels, the group participated in a ropes course. The campers raved about the trip–rafting, ropes course, and especially the yummy burgers! The Counselors-in-Training (CITs) spent the day being trained to climb and belay at the Rumney crags. Those at Camp had choice sign-up for both the morning and afternoon. And, there was an elevens soccer tournament at a neighboring camp. Meals on Friday included: bagels and bacon, meatball subs, and the weekly “Kenny Cookout” for dinner with grilled chicken, sweet sausage, corn bread, cole slaw, and pasta salad. 

Saturday, another group participated on a mountain biking adventure to the Green Woodlands Trails in Dorchester. There were sign-ups for the different activity areas in the morning and then, in the afternoon, there was the annual Moose Carnival. Each cabin was charged with designing their own booth for the Carnival and they did a phenomenal job! Booths included “Monkey Tag,” a candy-tasting contest,a ball toss, “Skee” ball, Name that Tune, a ring toss, a donut string game, a basketball shooting contest, and more. Meals on Saturday were breakfast burritos for breakfast, assorted coldcut sandwiches for lunch, and pizza for dinner. In the evening, it was once again movie night. The showings this week were “Miracle” on Junior Hill and “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” on Senior Hill. The CITs kindly provided the boys with homemade popcorn. 

The highlight of the day on Sunday was the much anticipated “Moose Olympics.” The Camp was divided into two teams, the “Mt. Lafayettes” versus the “Mt. Washingtons,” and competed in activities by age group throughout the day. Events included Ultimate Frisbee, basketball, soccer, mega relays, Archery, baseball, a track meet, a canoe regatta, rope pulls, and the final event was a team fire-building contest. The boys enjoyed the day of friendly competition, capped off by soda and candy for a treat once it was all over. Meals on Sunday were French toast and bacon for breakfast, pulled pork sandwiches and potato wedges for lunch, and spaghetti and meat sauce for dinner. 

The boys enjoyed a “Lazy Monday” morning (versus Sunday, due to the Olympics). There was a buffet breakfast with ready-to-made omelets, bacon, sausage, homemade chocolate chip muffins, yogurt, fruit, and hot cereal. Following some rest and relaxation down the hill, there was a choice of area activities that included 5 versus 5 basketball, arena soccer, Arts and Crafts, cooking pancakes (chocolate chip and blueberry!) with Sabina, an open swim, tennis, and campers had an opportunity to finish up their woodworking projects. The afternoon was sign-ups and all areas (on land and water) were in full swing! The Senior A2s (fourteen-year-olds) had their turn of tubing fun. The last group of Senior Bs (thirteen-year-olds) ventured to Baker Cliffs for a swim in the natural water slides, followed by an ice cream treat at Moose Scoops. And, Bill took a group of campers out for a final wake surf. There was also one final open-ages mountain biking trek at the Green Woodlands Trails in Dorchester. And a group of the oldest campers, the Senior A1s (fifteen-year-olds), spent the afternoon climbing at the Rumney rocks. Lunch was chicken tenders with tater tots and dinner was the final “Cabin Cookout” of the season—hamburgers, veggie sticks, french fries, with S’mores around a campfire for dessert. 

Before dinner, the Camp gathered for the final Community Gathering. A group of Senior A2s (fourteen-year-olds) shared details from their Mt. Washington overnight hike. The Senior A1s (fifteen-year-olds) reflected on their whitewater rafting and ropes course trip. Moose moments (“top 10” sports highlights) included a camper having a hat-trick in an Olympics soccer game, another hitting three bulls-eyes in a row, the twelves going 3 and 0 in a basketball tournament with no subs, and a ten-year-old camper playing goalie (for the first time!) in a twelves lacrosse game and having a game-winning save. In the evening, the Camp participated in the traditional “Moose Sensations” talent show. There were musical acts, stand-up comedy routines, magic and card tricks, speed drawing contests, and trivia contests. It is quite remarkable to see your son(s) having the courage to stand up in front of the entire Camp to perform their act(s). Kudos to them! Two cabin groups headed to the Fairlee Drive-In movie to view the “Spiderman: Far From Home” movie as a reward for having the best cabin clean-up scores for the past week. Later in the evening, the Senior A1s (fifteen-year-olds) were treated with a special telling of one of Port’s famous tall-tales.

Tuesday, sadly, was packing day. However, the afternoon provided another opportunity for sign-ups—one last “hurrah” in their favorite activity area, including another tall-tale from Port this time open to all campers. The Senior A1s (fifteen-year-olds) had a last special moment on the lake of tubing together. Meals on Tuesday included scrambled eggs and potatoes for breakfast (and a plethora of sugar cereals, as is tradition) and chicken patties and french fries for lunch. Dinner was banquet and what a feast it was! There was pulled pork nachos, shrimp cocktail, steak, twice-baked potatoes, caesar salad, and the most delicious Whoopie Pies for dessert. The boys enjoyed dressing up for the occasion, including a trio of Senior A1s (fifteen-year-olds) sporting full suits in red, white, and blue. There was a lot of chanting in the dining hall after dinner—all of the Camp favorites—”There was a Crazy Moose,” “Teapot,” “Banana,” and “Moose, you got what I need.” Later, Todd shared his final “Trick of the Day”—the word in a pudding can trick—always a mystery. And, a video and slide show with video clips and photographs highlighting the activities and events of the session were presented to the Camp. The whole camp then ventured down to the beach to recognize those who have been at Moosilauke 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.  

That’s all for now. Thank you for sharing your terrific boys with us, we so enjoy their enthusiasm and smiles. Happy Summer!

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