Author: Bill Gonio

  Chief of the Day Mariano C. Happy Birthday to James E.! Archery Pedro E. passed Blue Archer Pedro E was the high score of the day with a 41 at 30 yards. Horseback Riding Riders of the Week Michael F. Mitchell T. Josh P. Redshirt recipients Michael P. Andy E. Santiago L. G. Barn Hand-in-Training (BIT). Jack T.

  Making New Friends” was the focus of week 1 activities, including evening Cabin Activities to help the cabin group bond.    If you’ve been checking the daily Towering Pines photos on Facebook or Smugmug, you already know that Dodgeball, Angle Ball, Kick-the-Can, Water Basketball, Kickball, and Basketball have all been popular camper choices.  You’ve also seen tons of group photos full of smiling campers. To experience the “first-week-of-camp” from the camper point of view, first year camper Tanner H (8 years old […]

It’s the Towering Pines philosophy that children build confidence by achieving success, and much of our programming is designed around this goal. To reinforce this success / confidence, camper achievements are announced each day at the evening assembly (right before dinner).  Counselors from each activity area tell the entire camp about camper accomplishments for the day, e.g. passing a new rank in archery or riflery, successfully completing a new skill in waterskiing, catching the biggest fish of the day, etc. The Towering Pines staff […]

Beautifully ensconced between majestic Lake Nokomis and the spring-fed (and aptly named) Clear Lake, Towering Pines offers a terrific waterfront program; sailing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, sailboarding, etc. Less visible, but every bit as fun, is the TP Skin Diving class. The class is led by veteran counselors Aaron Zaga (8 years of skin diving experience), Colin Joss (also 8 years experience), and supported by lifeguard Alex Harlow.  Thanks to the Staff enthusiasm and an itinerary of exciting activities, Skin […]

We’ve finally started our activities!  As soon as they were dismissed from the morning assembly, the boys ran in all directions to their classes, super excited to get things going. A couple of things stood out today:  Josh was Chief of the Day; John caught a 17” small-mouth bass on Clear Lake; Sebastian got up on two skis for the first time and made it around Nokomis; and Michael got the high score at Riflery, a 42 kneeling!  Nice job […]