Dear Moosilauke Families,

We are happy to share our fourth letter home for summer 2019 covering Wednesday, July 10th through Sunday, July 14th. We hope that you enjoyed our Facebook photo album of the campers the first 2-½ weeks of camp. Don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram (@camp_moosilauke). And, of course, you can view the daily pictures that we post (Tuesday through Sunday) on Shutterfly by clicking here.

Wednesday was another beautiful day, but isn’t it always at Moose these days? Our Counselors-in-Training (CITs) departed for Errol, New Hampshire for a 3-day outdoor adventure. The trip involved a ropes course adventure, white water and flat water kayaking on the Androscoggin River and Lake Umbagog, and mountain biking with fat tire bikes on backcountry trails. The boys loved the trip, especially biking in the rain, and chowing down Moose burgers at their campsite. Wednesday also saw a group of campers venturing to the Green Woodlands Trails in Dorchester, New Hampshire, for a day of single and double track mountain biking. The boys were shuttled 1-½ miles and then had multiple runs bombing down “green” and “blue” trails (as you would find in downhill skiing facilities). Afternoon competition at Camp included a 15s lacrosse tournament. Please click here for a video of the game and related preparation in all its glory. Meals on Wednesday were pancakes and sausage for breakfast, chicken patties and tater tots for lunch, and mac-n-cheese for dinner. 

Thursday, a group of Senior A1s (fifteen-year-olds) participated in a trail clearing service trip with Port at our Pioneer Camp, on the Baker River. The boys raked and learned how to cut brush and trees old school style with axes and saws. As is tradition on these trips, they were treated to lunch at Calamity Jane’s diner afterward. A second group of Senior Bs (thirteen-year-olds) departed Camp early for a Mt. Lafayette overnight hiking trip. The first day they summited Mt. Liberty and then descended to their campsite just before the rain started to fall. In the evening, they feasted on pasta and tuna, played cards, and shared “tall tales” before falling asleep in their tents. The next morning brought more rain, but the group persevered and summited Little Haystack, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Lafayette on their trek across Franconia Ridge. After descending the Old Bridle Path at a brisk pace they celebrated with an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet.

On Thursday, another group of Senior Bs enjoyed a mountain biking expedition to the Wentworth Waterhole for a picnic and swim. The Inter As (twelve-year-olds) spent the day paddling the Connecticut River to Hanover where they were rewarded with pizza and a viewing of the new “Spiderman: Far From Home” movie. It was a warm day with just a little bit of headwind and they arrived in Hanover both in record time and in good spirits (and, just before the rain started to fall more steadily!). The rain arrived at Camp in the early afternoon causing competition to be postponed and all activities moved indoors. Campers had the option to do arts & crafts and woodworking, play Bingo and mini-golf, take part in a musical jam session in the rec hall, or watch the original “Spider Man” movie on senior hill. Meals on Thursday were fried eggs and potatoes for breakfast, grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch, and pork loin (cooked in a smoker!) with baked beans for dinner. 

Friday’s initial forecast did not look very promising, but as luck would have it, it ended up being another sunny day so all activities went on as planned. A highlight on Friday was the arrival on the waterfront of a rented pontoon boat which will be homebase during the week for fishing, snorkeling, swimming, and exploring adventures. The final group of Senior Bs (thirteen-year-olds) trekked to the Waterhole on Friday for a picnic lunch and swim. The Inter Bs (eleven-year-olds) spent the afternoon at the natural water slides of Baker Cliffs, followed by an ice cream treat at Moose Scoops. Two more of our Junior cabins spent the night at our lakeside campsite, the Point. Breakfast on Friday was bagels and bacon, lunch was meatball subs and fries, and dinner was the weekly “Kenny Cookout” with grilled chicken, bratwurst, pasta salad, cole slaw, corn bread, sodas, and ice cream for dessert. Evening activities included the traditional basketball game between the 2 oldest age groups (the Senior A1s and Senior A2s), Frisbee golf, arena soccer, swimming, a fishing and loon watching expedition on the pontoon boat, and a “tall tale” on the beach with Port. 

Saturday we held inter-camp competition against a neighboring camp in four different areas and age groups. There was 15s soccer, 13s baseball, 12s, basketball, and 11s lacrosse. A group of campers also ventured out on a kayaking trip to the Class II Hartland Rapids on the Connecticut River. In order to qualify for the trip, the boys had to have mastered a “wet exit,” which entails pulling off your spray skirt and sliding out of your kayak while it is upside down. The group took multiple runs down the rapids, remaining upright (for the most part) and having a blast in the process. Saturday also saw another group of campers venturing to the Green Woodlands mountain bike trails. Meals on Saturday were egg sandwiches with sausage and cheese for breakfast, assorted sandwiches for lunch, and pizza and brownies for dinner. A highlight of the evening was a Senior A1 (fifteen-year-olds) fishing and swimming expedition using the pontoon boat. Saturday was also movie night featuring “The Princess Bride” on Junior Hill and “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” on Senior Hill. As per usual, the campers enjoyed delicious homemade popcorn compliments of the CITs.

Per our tradition, campers were allowed to sleep in on Sunday and then enjoy a leisurely buffet breakfast that included omelets to order. After brunch, many counselors participated in a USA vs. the World soccer game. It was a tight match, but “the World” prevailed with a 3 – 2 score. The campers got a kick out of watching their counselors demonstrate their futbol skills. Sunday afternoon was the much anticipated all-camp Capture the Flag event. This session it was the “Chips” versus the “Fries.” The “Fries” won by a slim margin and the CITs did an excellent job organizing the event. Afterwards, the whole camp gathered for our weekly community meeting. Meeting highlights included camper and counselor shout outs to those deserving, the sharing of a song by two counselors about our camp dogs, and reports from campers about their Mt. Washington backpacking adventure, a Rumney climbing expedition, and a canoe trip to Hanover. The top 10 “Moose Moments” from the week were then presented by a camper and counselor. The highlights included: a camper, who had never been in a track meet before, earning two medals; a camper pitching a 5-inning, 15 strikeout, no-hitter in baseball; and a camper scoring 20 points in one basketball game. The #1 “Moose Moment” of the week entailed a camper inadvertently cartwheeling (pack and all) on his descent down Mt. Washington, landing upright on his feet, and proclaiming “That was a Moose Moment.” As per usual, the gathering ended with the singing of “Sweet Moosilauke.” Lunch was chicken tenders with french fries and beef and rosemary soup. Dinner was the weekly Cabin Cookout of hamburgers, potatoes, and veggies. Evening activities included S’mores on the beach, “Moose Open” tennis matches, Judo for beginners, reading at the beach, swimming, a stand-up paddle boarding and canoeing expedition, pick-up basketball, and the second half of the Senior A1s (fifteen-year-olds) going on a swimming and fishing expedition off the pontoon boat. A highlight of the evening was the two cabins with the highest cabin clean-up scores being rewarded with a night at the Fairlee Drive-In movies to view “The Secret Life of Pets 2.”

Thank you, as always, for sharing your boys with us at Camp Moosilauke. Please do not hesitate to contact Bill or Sabina if you should have any questions.

Happy Summer!

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