Towering Pines Blog

“World Turtle Day” was last week, and so I spent some time delving through photos of turtles that have blessed our presence at Towering Pines (TP).  Two of our core values at TP are “respect” and “responsibility” which include consideration of others and the environment.  This includes all of the aspects of nature that are a part of the northwoods in our summer home. We want the boys to have as many opportunities as possible to explore and experience the […]

I recently traveled to Brooklyn, New York, to help direct the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon. You might think this was about as far away from camp as you can get, but actually . . . it was much closer to home than you’d ever fathom. After addressing extreme logistics so that thousands of runners could infiltrate the streets of Brooklyn safely, I was positioned at an intersection as a “wayfinder” where I was accessible in case of emergency.  This was […]

I remember when I was “younger,” I heard people talk about  “The good ‘ol days.”  Each generation seems to look back on the generations before and often shares the same sentiment.  We look at the past as a time when life was better than it is now. So I asked several people to share with me what first comes to mind when they think about “the good ‘ol days.”  A recurring theme prevailed . . . simple and solid. Camp allows […]

The value of routine is something that camp always impresses upon us. We have many routines (cabin clean-up, assembly, meals, rest period, canteen, bedtime, etc.) at Towering Pines. These routines become traditions in themselves that campers can rely on day after day, week after week. The reason we have schedules and regular activities is because these give campers stability and a framework to build their experiences and skills upon. The boys can use this structure as a reference point from […]

“It is my great honor and privilege . . . ”  We hear these words each and every morning at assembly at Towering Pines. However, just because we hear these words every day, does not mean that they lose significance in meaning.  These words are a symbol to everyone at camp that an important announcement is about to take place and a very special camper is going to be recognized.  These words indicate that a TP guy is about to be […]