It has been a quick month since Camp Illahee’s 96th summer closed, and we are celebrating a new year of getting ready for the next Best Summer Ever! Enrollment opened on August 15th with a record number of applications coming in that first day. Returning campers have until September 15th to re-enroll and after their … Continued
One of my favorite things in this day of virtual relationships is to see “real” ones resume where they left off at the end of camp 11 months ago. There are usually squeals…and BIG “arm-sweeping” hugs. There is no doubt…camp is about the relationships. We work hard year-round to make our facility look great…to add new … Continued
I wonder if everyone gets more nostalgic as they age? The last days of camp are pretty long for us on the leadership team, and by the time final campfire rolls around, my body is ready to put another log on the fire and head to the tent. Sometimes I wonder if my Apple Watch step counter wonders … Continued
https://vimeo.com/171959108
Tonight begins the carefully choreographed set of closing activities that leads us to Friday morning’s pick-up. It has been a whirlwind of a session…in some respects looking back at the images flashing across the big screen tonight, opening day seems a world away. A lot has transpired since then. Girls have grown in “camp time” (a … Continued
Browsing through my favorite bookstore, Highland Books in downtown Brevard, I stumbled on the latest Images of America, Summer Camps Around Asheville and Hendersonville by Melanie English. Illahee is prominently featured on pages 24 to 34. Earlier that day I had shared some of Illahee’s history with the older campers, the Sparks. We read letters … Continued
As a counselor, there is nothing more exciting to me than helping a camper overcome a challenge. Camp is such an incredible place to push our physical boundaries. We want to carefully and thoughtfully encourage our campers to stretch their comfort zones. By doing this, campers start to recognize their potential for growth. As they … Continued
Our Woodland Chapel is one of my favorite places on camp. It’s neck and neck with our campfire ring…and we gather in both as a full camp each Sunday…the Woodland Chapel for worship, and the campfire ring to bring each week to a close as a community. I like campfire because it’s nestled in a natural bowl a … Continued
There have been plenty of predictions over the years of the demise of summer camp. It is a uniquely American tradition after all, and lots of things have come up over those same years to compete for a child’s time. I remember attending a conference in the late eighties where some of my peers actually felt threatened by the … Continued
