Towering Pines Blog

Gold Rush marks the end of the first sign-up

Week two is behind us here at Towering Pines Camp and the summer is heating up. It began with a roaring “Yar!” at Pirate Day and ended with the smell of Gold Rush in the air. These special activities break up the routine and put some different kinds of tasks before the cabin group, from a water balloon catapult to a nautical themed dart contest. Knocking some rust off the old cannons, digging up some gold, and looking at camp a different way can help to enrich our little community. Community is, indeed, the theme of the second week and it is always good to reflect on the events of camp in relation to that important idea.

Yar! Treachery and life lessons.

The first week of camp was really about getting settled and building cabin unity; the second week is when those cabin groups really being to make up a bigger group, identity, and community. The camp community spreads across the globe, but it starts right here, with a single summer and a single moment. There is so much excitement here in the second week that serves as the catalyst for that growth.

One of many great moments, last week!

Last Monday was, as you likely know, the Fourth of July: the United States of America’s independence day. We don’t talk much about the history and significance of the day, but all our staff and campers are happy to help us celebrate. Here at camp, we celebrate by having a special campfire with the ladies of Camp Woodland! Both camps share skits, songs, challenges, and jokes, then we round out the night with a spectacular fireworks display over Lake Nokomis.

Believe it or not, all that helps to define what we are as a community: brothers to sisters, friends, and teammates, and global citizens. It sounds like a lot of different things, but that’s the point! Last week we talked about the importance of cabin unity, part of which is learning to navigate different roles. That same idea extends to building a community. It’s all a matter of scale.

A lot of what we do at camp is looking for common ground, or building it where there isn’t any yet. The early parts of the summer may have some unintended consequences if the boys decide they are getting on each other’s nerves. This, too, is natural and it’s just something that we need to work through at this point in the summer. That’s what it means to be a community: defining roles and respecting each person’s part to play in the group, even if they aren’t exactly your best friend. It’s a skill us adults need to work on, too; in modern America as much as ever. This important when things are going well, but it is essential when the going gets rough.

Some pretty lightning over Nokomis. Not related, but cool.

The summer is moving right along and we move right along with it. As we strengthen our community, we find new avenues to improve and challenge ourselves. That’s the theme of week three, so we’ll see if these boys can take the community values and use them to set off in new directions and meet new goals. Two weeks may be done, but the summer is still just beginning!