July 20, 2025

Dear Moose Families,

This past week was the last full one before we said goodbye to our First Session campers and got ready to welcome another group of great campers on Wednesday. It was another busy Moosilauke week, full of trips, competition, and special events, most notably our two-day Red and Grey extravaganza. As is our routine, in the opening section of this letter we will highlight issues related to the growth and well-being of boys, while the majority of the letter will recount the daily highlights of camp life.

Numerous books and articles have come out in the last few years making the case that boys are in crisis. In terms of education, data shows that boys as a whole enter school behind girls relative to academic readiness, and this performance/skill gap persists through high school and college. Supporting data includes the fact that girls earn higher GPAs, and graduate high school on time six percentage points ahead of boys. Boys, on the other hand, are twice as likely to be suspended than girls, and two times more likely to be seen as disruptive in school. All of this has helped result in 66% of recent women high school graduates being enrolled in college versus only 57% for men.

Although mental health has been worsening for all young people, and girls/women have higher rates of anxiety and depression, the recent data on boys is alarming: 28% of boys under 17 have a mental or developmental problem versus 23% for girls, boys are twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD or autism, and men account for three out of every four “deaths of despair” in America.

Scott Galloway, in recent podcasts and in his forthcoming book on masculinity, makes the points that “  . . . the lack of attention to these problems has created a void filled by voices espousing misogyny, the demonization of others, and a toxic vision of masculinity.” He also makes the important point that “ . . . this is not just a male issue: women and children can’t flourish if men aren’t doing well. As we know from spasms of violence, there is nothing more dangerous than a lonely, broke young man.”

Galloway and others offer many remedies for this crisis among boys and men, including getting them to unplug (and limit access to social media, gaming, porn and gambling) and embrace doing hard things–especially in nature. Maybe most importantly, experts highlight the importance of boys having access to positive male role models. At Moose, we are firm believers that one of the most powerful influences for good on boys is having adult males who are not their parents, know them, care about them, and hold them to a high standard. 

Bottom line: Moosilauke is just what the doctor ordered! At Moose, all our campers are unplugged the whole time they are here, and on a daily basis they are doing activities that get them out of their comfort zones–cause them to encounter and overcome failure–and in the process develop resilience, confidence, and a growth mindset. And in a way that is not possible at home, when we are at our best, from the moment campers wake up they are interacting with adult males who are modeling kindness, empathy, and honor.  So parents, feel good about sending your kids to Moose!

And now for the diary covering Sunday, July 13, through Saturday, July 19.  

Per tradition, Sunday started with an amazing brunch that included homemade cinnamon rolls and pastries, assorted egg dishes, potatoes, sausage, bacon, and a fruit and yogurt bar. After eating, the campers were eager to head down the hills to watch the “USA vs. the World” staff soccer match. In the afternoon we held our amazing annual carnival.  The three large inflatable games we rented were a big hit, especially the monster water slide. Campers also loved all the counselor staffed booths, including blackjack, roulette, baseball balloon toss, donut on a string, TP toss, pin knockdown, ring toss, 3-point basketball competition, and potato sack races. Face painting, sno-cones, and donut-making with Sabina were also highlights. In the evening, there was once again Cabin Cookout on the field, with hamburgers, hot dogs, assorted sides, and S’mores for dessert. Following the cookout, the cabin clean-up winners enjoyed a movie with candy and soda in the Junior and Senior Hill Rec halls. 

On Monday, inter-camp competition continued with 13s tennis and 15s dodgeball tournaments at a neighboring camp. An all-ages group left in the am for a day top-roping at the Rumney crags. A group of Seniors were excited to spend the day golfing at the Bradford Country Club, followed by a picnic lunch. There were also two mountain biking trips–one in the morning exploring the trails and roads within the vicinity of Camp and the other (for the more advanced mountain bikers) to the Green Woodlands trails. 

The Inter As (twelve-year-olds) departed after breakfast for one of the great Moosilauke trips: the Mt. Moosilauke adventure. The group did an excellent job hiking 3.7 miles up the Gorge Brook Trail to the 4,802 foot summit.  Coming down they took the Carriage Trail to the Snapper Extension. The boys then enjoyed an afternoon and evening at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, which is owned by Dartmouth and operated by its students. For dinner, they feasted on a homemade tomato soup served in bowls of mashed potatoes, with salad, homemade bread, and a berry-lemon mousse for dessert. After dinner, they relaxed around a campfire sharing tall-tales, playing games, and enjoying each other’s company. In the morning, they enjoyed a breakfast of homemade coffee cake, sausages, oats, and eggs, before heading back to Camp.  (A fun note on Mt Moosilauke: the first U.S. collegiate downhill ski race was held on the mountain in 1927!) Monday also saw a group of Junior As (ten-year-olds) enjoy an overnight at our Point lakeside campsite that has a log cabin and a massive tent platform. In the evening on campus there was tennis, “tennis baseball,” a ping pong tournament, flag football, bucket golf, and tubing. 

On Tuesday, inter-camp competition included 13s pickleball and 10s hockey tournaments at a neighboring camp. There was another all-ages climbing trip to Rumney. And there was an all-ages mountain biking trek around the roads and trails surrounding Camp. Those not on trips or participating in intercamp competition had their choice of sign-ups for the day. Evening activities on Tuesday included Pin Dodgeball, a Gaga pit competition, cricket, kickball, rugby, bucket golf, pick up basketball, and tubing. The highlight of the day and evening was our red and Grey Color War “Break.” Every year we divide the camp into two teams for two days of friendly competition. And every year we inaugurate the occasion with a special themed event–usually with impressive special effects–that takes place the night before. Themes in past years have included our own Loch Ness monster (Called the Giant Upper Baker Pond Eel), an astrological phenomenon called “Dieter Spots,” a corrupt developer trying to buy the camp, and Chefs of Moose past. This year’s break involved time traveling staff who over 100 years have fostered many of Moosiauke’s great traditions. Smoke machines, fire juggling, lasers, and Charlotte dressed as an ethereal presence all helped create the magic. You had to be there! After the break, Kenny and Jake read the teams and oversaw the traditional captains’ challenge–complete with an ax in a log.

Wednesday, day one of Red vs. Grey was initiated by campers from both teams going fishing at 6:00 am with their advisors in the hopes of winning the points for the largest fish. The morning activities included soccer, archery, basketball, and Moose Relays. The afternoon was the swim and canoe regatta extravaganza that included canoe “tug-of-war,” canoe hand paddle race, the Point swim, a swim meet, a stand-up paddle boarding race, a canoe T-rescue competition, and the Captains’ canoe challenge from Orford Beach to Camp. After dinner, each age group participated in rope pulls, and the much anticipated team fire building competition.  

Day two of Red vs. Grey saw another group of campers fishing at 6:00 am, with one of them catching a 1.7 pound bass to win the fishing derby. Activities in the morning included basketball, tennis, flag football, baseball, and a “Moose Mega Relay” for the Senior As. Before lunch, there was the mile run by age group. The afternoon’s activity was a massive track meet. Events included the long jump, the Junior Hill run, running bases relay, frisbee toss, the Infirmary run, and the 100 yard dash. The final event in the evening was the performance of the team songs. After the final scores were announced congratulatory high fives and hugs were shared and then all participants were treated to candy and soda. An amazing two days marked by effort, achievement, and great sportsmanship. Big kudos to the captains of both teams–great friends–for being such amazing role models to the campers with their positivity and sportsmanship.

On Friday, the campers were treated to a special late breakfast complete with assorted donuts and hot chocolate from Dunkin Donuts. Friday morning there were open areas and then sign-ups periods in the afternoon. Special activities on Friday included a sailing regatta (see our Instagram and FB pages for video), wake surfing, waterskiing, a flag football tournament, and another Coke League intramural baseball extravaganza. Many campers used this time to complete some of their activity area achievements. (Each camper will be sent an achievement certificate with a list of the trips they took and the area achievements they earned.) The final adventures of the session were a climbing trip to the Rumney crags and a hike to Lonesome Lake in the Franconia Notch region. The hikers enjoyed swimming and fishing in the beautiful mountain lake. In the evening on Friday a group of Junior Bs (seven-to nine-year-olds) trekked to our Point campsite, for a wilderness overnight. Dinner Friday was the last “Kenny Cookout” of the 1st session with grilled chicken, sausage, corn bread, potato salad, sodas, and ice cream treats for dessert. The highlight of the evening was Port’s telling of a Tall Tale at our beach firepit.

Saturday morning packing was the priority, with free choice activities before lunch. In the afternoon, there were sign-ups and the Juniors had their turn at the intramural Coke League baseball competition. In the evening, we had our traditional banquet of steak, Caesar salad, twice-baked potatoes, rolls, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Following dinner, there was a slide show highlighting special moments from the summer, and the performance by a few staff members of a new song about Moose played to the tune of “Sweet Caroline. Then it was time for the presentation of t-shirt achievements, swag for 3, 5, 6, and 8 year campers, and Moose Bear participation shirts. The evening culminated with the Senior A1 procession followed by the lighting of the bonfire.

A final note.  We do no traditional paid advertising so we rely on current families to help spread the word about Moosilauke.  If you know of a family interested in learning more about Moose please have them contact us so we can schedule a meeting with them. Also, if you are so inclined, we would love it if you would write a positive review on Campratingz or Google Reviews.

Thanks–and have a great year! Happy Summer!

Bill, Sabina, Ken, Ingrid, Todd, Preston, Jake, Quinn, and Charlotte