We’re one week into this two-week session and the friendships are blooming. It’s wild how quickly girls can become friends, ready to take on camp (and subsequently the world) together. I’ve seen it at the tables in the dining hall, on tubes in the swim lake, and in the enthusiastic words of “you’ve got this!” … Continued

If you’re a loyal reader to the blog you know there are certain phrases we repeat. One being, “camp is a well-oiled machine” or “camp is our mission trip”. We also like to compare camp preparation to party planning. We spend the entire off-season planning one giant party for over 1200 people who don’t know … Continued

We saw lots of big grins and enthusiastic smiles as your cars rolled through the gates this morning. Gardner and I enjoyed being part of the welcome team getting to peek into your windows to say hello and give out cabin assignments. We noticed a few jitters and lots of excitement. Lucas, Gordon, and Phil … Continued

Way back in May (what feels like a year ago) during staff orientation, I led an exercise with our counselors. We handed out notecards and on each side we asked them to write one word: Why? On the first side they responded to the prompt: “Why is Camp Illahee here?” And on the other side … Continued

Today’s wakeup routine was slightly different than my norm. Last night Pineview campers spent the night at Hannah Ford Farm, camp’s 125 acre farm property 4 miles away. Each session we take Heigh Ho and Pineview out to cookout, play games, and enjoy a movie and sleep under the stars. It’s one of my favorite … Continued

One of the best parts of working with kids is getting to occasionally act like one. I definitely felt like a kid today tubing down the river with the Sparks. Compared to our mini campers who left today (we’re all still sad about it), our rising 10th grade Sparks are on the other end of … Continued

In what seems like a blink, Laurie and I have been camp directors for a long time. We have stewarded three different camps through good times and challenges, and I was along for the ride at a fourth! We have weathered recessions, the dawn of the digital age, pandemics… and through it all, I remain … Continued

I’m just back from evening program- a concert in the Woodland Chapel with Admiral Radio. Coty Hoover and Becca Smith are married musicians in Columbia, SC and got to know Gardner and Lucas through Downtown Church where Lucas was associate pastor. They are taking a few weeks to tour in North Carolina and have had … Continued

This morning Lucas jostled me awake after way too many minutes of violins and harp choruses going off, as Enya sang Only Time (I really need to change my alarm). I begrudgingly threw my tennis shoes on. It took about ten minutes of heavy breathing to settle into an easy pace on my Illahee Road … Continued

I’ll make a bold prediction. Tomorrow you will notice a difference in your girls. It may be subtle. It may not all be flowers and fairytales…though there will be a lot of them. The magic of camp comes from the daily navigation through the ups and downs of living in a fishbowl. Most of us … Continued