There's nothing like sunlight for an alarm clock.


Gammy staying warm until the fire is built

Staff were awake first (of course) on a morning that dawned very chilly at the Great Mountain campsite. Hanifa (Camp Director) braved the cold to build a fire, after which other staff and youth ventured out of their tents. It took some time for everyone to wake up and fully recover from a long night.


Joanne leading the Morning Hike

Joanne led a Morning Hike through the trails, showing the youth jewelweed, red and white oak, late summer/early fall flowers, striped maple and other forest inhabitants. Although the youth were tired, every single one went on the hike.

Upon return from the hike, youth dove into a smorgasboard for their breakfast. In record time, bagels and cream cheese, fruit, snack bars, pretzels and juice disappeared from the table. After breakfast, it was time to break down camp, which was done at a decent rate. Youth packed out their things and staff brought down the tents while the youth played kickball. Once everything was set, the entire camp congregated for one last meeting.


Water time!

We had a camp-wide Appreciation Circle. Everyone talked about a memorable moment and thanked someone for something special they did. There were laughs and hugs. Afterwards, campers finally found out the final standings of the River Teams. Quinnipiac came in third, the Mill finished second and the West, proving that their chant "The West is the best, we're better than all the rest" was true, at least for this summer, took first place.

After a 30-40 minute hike down to the bus, youth settled in, had some lunch and we were off, back to New Haven, this time with little incident. Youth led songs on the bus, making the staff very proud. This is some great youth leadership!

We arrived home safe and sound. Everyone said goodbye to each other and then...camp was over.

Thanks for a great summer everyone!