We wanted to start by letting you know that our last round of 1st session Covid testing came back with all negative results!
Every year our oldest campers of Pine Manor embark on a nine day backcountry trip through Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. This year, with the US-Canada border still closed, Pine Manor’s Canadian became the Pine Manor Western. Our amazing trip staff worked tirelessly in the weeks leading up to camp to put this trip together to ensure that our oldest boys had a capstone camping trip to remember for a lifetime.
The group left camp at 5:00am on June 23 on their charter bus and journeyed west to the Badlands in South Dakota. On they went to the Tetons in Wyoming, where they split into three groups for three days and took different routes on their backcountry hikes. Group came close to summiting Fremont Peak at 13,000 foot peak in Wyoming before turning around to get back to the campsite on time. Groups 2 and 3 hiked through a chain of beautiful lakes including Miller Lake, Eklund Lake, Hobbs Lake, and Barbara Lake. All of the campers, counselors, and trippers came back in awe of the wildlife and scenery they had experienced. “It was the hardest hiking I’ve ever done, but the best views I’ve ever seen,” said Ronan Schmidt.
The highlight for many Pine Manor campers was the second to last day of their trip. After hiking many miles over the past week and a half, the group did a white-water rafting trip in Wind River Canyon. Chase Anders and Zach Green noted that the white-water rafting trip was “immaculate” and was a welcome relief after 10 days without a shower. Other highlights included a moose “50 feet from our tent,” sleeping under the milky-way, hiking 18 miles in a day, Mount Rushmore, and a giant McDonald’s meal to close out the trip. They returned home late last night to a great welcoming from the rest of the campers as the left the bus and erupted in cheering V-I-L-L-A, Villa, Villa, All the Way.The Pine Manor dinner table tonight was a popular attraction for our other campers as they regaled them with stories of their trip. Other snippets of their incredibly wise and intellectual camp conversations include “it felt like climbing Mt. Everest...but in my mind!” and “it was tremendously immaculate and exquisite.”
With cabin I-2 back from their trip this afternoon, we now have all, All, ALL of our campers back together at camp. We’re excited for a great 4th of July including the boat parade, the Green-White Marathon and Fireworks!
Today’s Grace:
“Good morning, Mister Zip-Zip-Zip,
With your hair cut just as short as mine,
Good morning, Mister Zip-Zip-Zip,
You're surely looking fine!
Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust,
If the bell doesn’t wake you then,
The counselors must,
Good morning, Mister Zip-Zip-Zip,
With your hair cut just as short as,
your hair cut just as short as,
your hair cut just as short as mine.”
