Towering Pines Blog

Some of the dapper 2018 TP Staff!

“Camp is sooooo much fun!!!”

Yep.  You’re preaching to the choir my friend.  Many of us schedule our entire year around the opportunity to get back to Towering Pines each summer.

But getting camp ready for fun is….well,

…a bit less fun.

By the time the campers arrive, Towering Pines will be a beautiful, inviting place for the summer. It’ll practically be screaming;

“Come have fun! I’ve got lakes, forests, fields filled with tennis courts, canoes, sail boats, canoes, fishing, an archery range, soccer field, and tons more exciting things to do.

Even better, I’ve also got a bunch of young cool counselors to teach you how to safely do all this stuff.”

Soon your boys will be filling these aquariums with tadpoles, turtles, salamanders, etc.

By the time the boys get here, the camp will have been thoughtfully prepared for a summer of new experiences, new friends, and fun.

Getting the camp and staff ready for the camp season is a mighty task. (You might even say it’s a Bunyanesque undertaking, if you were fluent in camp vernacular).

At camp, even cleaning toilets is a pleasure!

Here’s what we’ve accomplished in 60+ hours during the week of pre-camp preparation:

• Cleaning cabins – every single bunk, storage area, floor, toilet, sink etc.
• Cleaning & sanitizing bathrooms and showers.
• Setting up the kitchen – to meet both stringent the Health Department and American Camping Association codes.
• Putting in the docks on Lake Nokomis and Clear Lake (and yes, the water is cold).
• Cleaning and setting up activity areas & equipment, e.g., the Craft Hall, archery, riflery, re-assembling the sail boats, etc.

All this is in addition to the staff training, which includes instruction in:

47-year TP veteran Director Jeff J sharing some camp wisdom with the staff.

• Health & safety protocol
• Camp / Cabin rules & expectations
• Dealing with homesickness
• Bullying prevention
• Waterfront orientation
• Campfire safety & presentations
• Team building & ice breakers
• Daily routines
• Cabin clean up
• Lots, lots more

It’s a lot of work, but is it worth it?

Absolutely. Ain’t got no slackers in the “well-oiled TP machine.”

Of course, grumpy old Camp TP doesn’t truly awaken from his slumber until the campers arrive.

Once your boys arrive, all the hard work is forgotten (until next year anyway), and the camp truly blossoms into life. That’s when the real fun begins.

Mom & Dad, you get your boys ready for camp.

We’ll get the camp ready for the boys.

Deal?

See you soon!

Okay, so maybe some of the prep work is fun…