Dear Moosilauke Families,

This is our last weekly letter of the 2026 Camp Moosilauke season. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful boys with us this summer. It has been an amazing season and we are so grateful!

It seems fitting to open this last letter home for summer 2026 with a nod towards Michael Thompson’s book Homesick and Happy since it contains so much wisdom about everything from the power of a great overnight camp, to the paradox of parenting best practices, to the power of a little stress and mess in your son’s life.

The core premise of the book is that resilience and confidence cannot be achieved without facing the natural discomfort of homesickness and early independence. Thompson references a study indicating that over 80% of adults’ happiest childhood memories occurred in a parent-free moment. Thompson notes that when parents step aside, children are forced to build an independent identity, solve their own problems, and navigate peer groups without a safety net. 

Using summer camp as his primary laboratory, Thompson illustrates how a rustic, electronics-free, multigenerational community, full of positive risk taking, fosters so many of the outcomes we want for our boys. Ultimately, the book serves as both an empathetic guide for anxious parents struggling to let go and a celebratory analysis of the transformative growth that occurs when children navigate challenges entirely on their own in a supportive and caring community. The book also should make you feel very good about your choice to send your son(s) to Moose!

And now to a compilation of the events and activities for August 10th through 15th. 

On Monday, we had a plethora of trips leave campus. A volunteer group of Senior A2s and A1s (fourteen-and-fifteen-year-olds) enjoyed a day hike to Franconia Notch. They followed the Lonesome Lake Trail for over one mile and then found a secluded spot to eat lunch and swim. The Inter As (twelve-year-olds) departed after breakfast for their rite of passage 7-mile canoe paddle down the Connecticut River from Lyme to Hanover, NH. Highlights from the time on the water included a rope swing and a mid-trip swim. The campers did a great job paddling into a strong head-wind. Once in Hanover, they were treated to a pizza buffet and a surprise viewing of the new Spiderman movie! The Junior Bs (eight-and-nine-year-olds) had their turn swimming and jumping at Baker Cliffs, followed by an ice cream treat at Moose Scoops. There were also three open-age trips: a mountain biking adventure to Green Woodlands, a rock climbing trip to the Rumney crags, and a golf outing at the Bradford Golf Club. At rest hour, Bill and Manny ran a wake surfing clinic. Campers not on a trip enjoyed a wide range of choice activities in the afternoon. A highlight of the evening program was a Senior A2 and Senior A1 (fourteen-and-fifteen-year-olds) intramural Coke League baseball game.  

Tuesday was a beautiful day, perfect for a full day of free choice selections – always a favorite for the campers. Trips on Tuesday included The Senior A2s venturing to the water fun park at Whales Tales, the Inter Bs (eleven-year-olds) enjoying the natural waterslides of Baker Cliffs, an all-ages group mountain biking to Orford Beach, another all-ages group top-rope rock climbing at the Rumney crags, and a group of golf aficionados playing nine holes at the Bradford Golf Club. The Senior A1s (fifteen-year-olds) enjoyed a fluff evening in Hanover that included a pizza dinner and a movie. In the evening on campus, in addition to the regularly scheduled activities, the Senior Bs (thirteen-year-olds) had their turn playing an intramural Coke League baseball game, and Port shared his final tall-tale of the summer around a campfire on the beach. 

Wednesday was our day long Olympics! This year it was Team Zeus (land) vs. Team Poseidon (waterfront). The competition was kicked-off by the staff serenading the camp outside the dining hall in togas. Morning events included basketball, tennis, Ultimate frisbee, soccer, archery, kickball, and a Moose Mega Relay for the Senior A1s and A2s. In the afternoon, there was a track meet and a canoe regatta. In the evening, there were the culminating events of the age group mile run, rope pulls, and a team fire building contest, followed by a special candy treaty for all.

On Thursday, the camp was treated to a special post-Olympics late breakfast. The campers (and staff) loved the assorted goodies and hot chocolate from Dunkin Donuts. After breakfast, the Junior As (ten-year-olds) ventured out to mini-golf and swimming and sliding at Cascade Park. There was also a mountain biking expedition to the 70 miles of groomed trails at Green Woodlands, and an open hike to the Old Man of the Mountain Historical Center. A highlight of the afternoon was a fishing expedition to the far end of our lake. Given the beautiful, warm weather, the waterfront was buzzing in the afternoon, with many boys waterskiing and wake boarding.

And then it was Friday, the penultimate day of camp for 2026. After breakfast during announcement time, Bill asked the boys to raise their hands and then talk about things they were grateful for at Moose. It was amazing the number of boys who shared with the whole camp, and also the wide range of people and activities they referenced. Then it was time to pack and then free time down the hill when campers were finished. Many boys spent at least part of their morning trying to solve the 4th Silver Arrow location clue. At lunch, the campers who participated in the art show were recognized for their beautiful artwork. After lunch, the winners of the weekly cabin clean-up headed to Moose Scoops for an ice cream treat. Other afternoon highlights included: the final matches of our camp-wide intramural tennis tournament (appropriately titled the Moose Open), an amazing donut making session with Sabina on the beach, a spike ball competition, and the last round of tubing and waterskiing. As per tradition, dinner was an amazing banquet meal (that included steak, twice baked potatoes, caesar salad, dinner rolls, soda, chocolate cake) followed by a viewing of a slide show highlighting the activities, events, and trips of the session, and another mind-boggling “Trick of the Day” courtesy of Todd. After the dining hall festivities, the whole camp headed down the hill to recognize the campers who have been at Moose for three, five, and six years. And the evening ended in our traditional fashion with our oldest campers lighting the “2-0-2-6” sign and the bonfire in the process.  

Thanks, again, for sharing your amazing campers with us!

Happy Summer!

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