To my loyal readers—
Its been almost a week since I last informed you of the happenings at Wa-Klo, so please allow me to take this time to briefly fill you in, because it would take me days to write if I explained every detail. But I will do my best.
Wednesday the 13th was a fairly regular day at Wa-Klo. Everybody woke up and enjoyed their regular scheduled activities. Early in the morning, after breakfast, everybody’s laundry came back, so we all looked nice and clean for the rest of the day. After lunch, there was extended Rest Hour until 3:30, and from there came periods 4 and 5. After regular schedule was finished, we ate dinner and then had Area Night. Sleepy Hollow watched a movie, the Inters headed up to the dance room for a huge Slumber Party, where we read magazines, ate some food, read magazine, painted nails, and… well you know the gist of it. As this was going on, the Area had a big Western themed dance party at the slab, all of them dressed in their best western attire. From there, it was time for bed as we all slept the night away under the stars…
Thursday the 14th was a packed day!! Straight from breakfast, the entire camp headed on an all day trip to Plum Island, a beach on the northern Massachusetts coast. It was really beautiful and very reminiscent of Cape Cod or Nantucket. The sun wasn’t out completely, but just enough for everybody to not freeze and to get a little bit of color. After some well needed relaxation and play time, the LTGs headed early to the town Newburyport, next to the beach, for a little bit of exploration time. The town was really cute, all the stores were great, the people were friendly and everybody seemed to be having a great time. After exploring, the LTGs headed back into their vans and drove back to Peterborough where we went to go see the play company the Peterborough Players perform Our Town. It was a really great show, and all of us really enjoyed it! After spending some more time at the beach, the rest of camp got a chance to explore Newburytown, and around 5 o’clock the Area got a chance to get some Chinese Food for dinner, while the Mids and Inters ate at a great authentic diner. After all of us finished our various activities, we headed back to camp and hit the sack after a fully packed day.
Unfortunately, that is all I can fill you in on right now, but don’t worry I will definitely add more later!
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
Tuesday August 12th, 2008
This morning the entire camp woke up to regular scheduled activities. I didn’t make it back to camp until lunch time, but the sun was shining and from what I heard the morning went smoothly. After an eventful couple of days, campers were excited to get back into regular schedule; learning new skills and polishing others in hopes of getting a few more beads before the end of the summer. During lunch, all of the cabins were told that for dinner they would have to dress up as one of their counselors, so during rest hour, everybody searched through their wardrobes to find the perfect costume. After rest hour came the regular scheduled periods four and five, and from there Free Swim. Right after Free Swim, campers ran back to their cabins, got dressed and headed to flag. It was equal parts confusing and entertaining having all the campers dressed as their counselors; the likeness between some of them was freaky! After a dinner of chicken fingers and fries everybody headed to Jen-Klo for the LTG hosted game show “How Well Do You Know Your Counselor?.” (Our own trivia challenge which resembled the Newlyweds Game). Each cabin had to successfully answer ten questions about their counselor in order to win their own pizza party! Some of the questions included: “How long would your counselor go without showering?”, “Zac Efron or the Jonas Brothers?” and “Would your counselor prefer hotdogs or hamburgers?” In the end, the cabins Far Out and Tip-It won the game and the first prize party. The game proved to be extremely entertaining and even people in the audience would try to guess what the counselors might choose. After it was over, all the campers headed back to their cabins, changed from the counselor garb into their pajamas and headed to bed…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
Monday July 11th, 2008
To my Wa-Klo readers:
Consider this once again another apology on my logging tardiness. Unfortunately I haven’t been at camp for the past three days, so I wont be able to fill you in on Wa-Klo’s recent activities! However, (don’t get your hopes down) beginning tomorrow I will start up my logging once more so you can be in the know.
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
Tuesday August 6th, 2008
On Tuesday morning, all of camp that was still here, (which was Lower Camp) had special schedule in the morning due to the lack of students for classes. The activities included tubing—a Wa-Klo favorite—as well as Volley-Tennis and Cricket on the Front Field. The Area luckily was back in time for lunch which meant that we could all have regular schedule in the afternoon. The LTGs continued and finished with their watercraft school and gave 10 minute lessons in any waterfront subject to graduate from the two day course. After Periods 4 and 5, everybody headed to dinner, which was the best part of the day because it wasn’t regular dinner—it was Cookout! I don’t know what it is about us Wa-Klo girls and cookouts, but the smell of food on the grill just seems to ignite an insatiable hunger inside. Everybody enjoyed a regular burger or veggie burger, as well as chips, salsa, corn, beans, and macaroni salad. Once we were finished, the camp split up for various evening activities: the Inters headed to the slab for an Ice Cream Social with the younger boy scouts, Upper Camp had bunk bonding, and the Mids went to council fire to make s'mores. I joined the Mids in making s’mores, only to have them escape to be entertained in watching the dance. After each activity was finished, we all headed to bed to prepare for the packed day at the Jaffrey Fair that was yet to come.
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
Monday August 4th, 2008
This morning, the entire camp awoke to a delicious breakfast, and headed off to regular scheduled activities. The First Year LTGs went to Water Craft School—an intensive training in all of the water activities camp has to offer. After the first three periods, the Area got all gussied up and left for Kingswood Boy’s Camp for a dance and overnight. Also right after lunch, some of Lower Camp took a 5 minute drive to climb Mt. Monadnock. So few people were left on camp that instead of regular schedule we all played games on the Front Field! We played with the parachutes, which unexpectedly did not get boring and lasted for about 2 hours. After that, all of the campers headed to go swimming in the Lake and ended playing Water dodge ball, which again was immensely more fun than it sounds. The people climbing the mountain were expected to get back before dinner, but proceeded to trickle in throughout the meal. They all look exhausted from the hike, but all spoke proudly of their accomplishment, flaunting their ‘I Climbed Mt. Monadnock’ stickers with pride. After dinner, Sleepy Hollow, the Inters and the LTGs all had their own individual movie night. However, the LTGs were surprised with an absolutely delectable meal of Chinese Food from Keene, a well deserved and appreciated treat. From there, we all headed to bed, half of us here, and the rest sleeping on the floor at a Boy’s Camp far away…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
Saturday August 2nd and Sunday August 3rd, 2008
On Saturday, Wa-Klo awoke and participated in their regular schedule activities. Periods 1, 2 and 3 went on as scheduled, and during Rest Hour the Upper Mids and Lower Inters practiced for Council Fire. Right before dinner, the Uppers Pioneers returned from their trip to Nantucket, many of them excited from their trip, burned to a crisp, and happy to be home. Spaghetti and meatballs was on the menu for dinner, along with the salad bar and delicious garlic rolls. From dinner, everybody went back to their cabins to get ready for the first Council Fire of second session; a tradition that for many is one of the main highlights of Wa-Klo. The Upper Mids and Lower Inters performed a dance, presented the Log and then did their nature report on Chipmunks, an animal that seems to be everywhere at camp. After that, each age group played their games for the night, which included an Obstacle Course for the Upper Inters and Pictionary for the LTGs. Once the games were all done, the score was announced and since Parent’s Weekend White tribe was ahead by three points, but by the end of this council fire, Green was ahead by 1 point. From there, everybody headed to bed, getting ready for Sunday…
Sunday was also regular schedule in the morning. As tradition, we had bagels for breakfast. After the first three periods, everybody wore all white to lunch, but soon changed in their tribe colors afterwards. After Rest Hour, everybody headed to the front field for a game of Capture the Football for Tribes; it certainly was intense but unlike years before nobody got injured. Two rounds of the game were played-- the first for all of camp, and the second for Upper Inters and above. The first round was won by Green 3 to 1, and the second game was won by White 2-1. Afterwards, we had Camp Swim where everybody got a chance to cool off a bit, and then we dressed in all White for dinner. On Sundays, we always have a buffet style dinner, with sandwiches and pasta, a delicious end to the week. After buffet the Lower Pioneers went to Jen-Klo to lead Reflections on the subject of Friendship, where each of them shared small anecdotes and stories on their friendships made at camp. From there, we all headed back to our cabins, then to bed, knowing just exactly what those Lower Pioneers were talking about…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
Friday August 1st, 2008
Today, campers didn’t wake up to a regular breakfast; instead it was Bummer’s! Everybody meandered their way in and out of Roy-Kit for a breakfast feast including toast, yogurt, granola, cereal and coffee cake, all whilst still in pajamas. After breakfast people dressed in civvies (regular clothing) for their activities, and went on with regular schedule. The weather was beautiful, a little on the hot side, but still enjoyable, and after third period, everybody headed to lunch. During Rest Hour, the cabin Tasadel went to Kimball’s for a birthday while the Upper Mids and Lower Inters began to practice for Council Fire. After dinner, the entire camp went to the Front Field to play a game of Ravens, Goons and Warblers, a Wa-Klo favorite. It would take up too much of your time for me to try to explain the rules and premise, but just know that it involves golf balls, plungers, getting your tail pulled and consequently a ‘Bird Hospital’. From there, we all headed to bed and got ready for the days to come…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
Thursday July 31, 2008
This morning started off like many other Wa-Klo mornings: perfect weather and sleepy campers. After everybody headed to Roy-Kit for breakfast, the Upper Pioneers headed of to their three day trip to Nantucket, something they have been looking forward to all summer. After regular scheduled activities, everyone headed to Rest Hour. During Rest Hour, the Upper Mids and Lower Inters headed to Council Fire to get assigned to different tasks for Saturday Night. Afterwards, everybody headed to periods 4 and 5 and then to dinner, where they learned that the evening activity was Smorgasbord. While the entire camp was enjoying Smorgasbord activities, the LTGs went out for dinner together, getting a well deserved night off. After the campers went to their activities, which included Soccer, Rhythmic Gymnastics and Swimming, they headed to bed to sleep the night away and awake to Bummer’s Breakfast.
It was a fairly regular day at camp, but those often prove to be the best; They’re the times when you really get to know Wa-Klo at it’s simplest, enjoy it and experience it for what it truly is…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
Wednesday July 30th, 2008
This morning, everybody woke up to a delicious breakfast of fried eggs and cornbread; the perfect meal to make you feel right at home. Afterwards, we all headed back to our cabins to clean for inspections, maintaining high hopes that our cabins would win a trip to Kimball’s for being the cleanest.
Afterwards, everybody proceeded with their regular scheduled activities with no interruption; the weather for the most part was great, it got a little hot, but with a drink of water you couldn’t really tell the difference. The Upper Pioneers continued with their lifeguard training, simulating saving somebody, as well as performing CPR on Red Cross dummies. After lunch and during rest hour, everybody continued to work on their skits for Skit Night. After dinner, people rushed back to their cabins to get ready and set up; with all of the costumes and make-up it was even entertaining just to look around. Not to sound surprised, but the Lower Camp skits were particularly exceptional, as were Upper Camp’s renditions on different places in the world. By the end, the winning cabins were announced (Way Out 2 and Somewhere), earning a trip to Kimball’s. After Skit Night, the Area got a chance to go to Sugar Shack and get a little bit of candy or a snack before bed, while the rest of camp went right to bed…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
Tuesday July 29th, 2008
Today was once more regular schedule. Campers continued to go to their new classes and get a feel for things as well as get a feel for Wa-Klo. The weather today was much more forgiving than it has been recently, and the sunshine proved to be just the right amount; Making it not too hot or cold. During Rest Hour, cabins got the chance to get to know each other as they prepared for their skits tomorrow night. Ideas were swarming left and right as each cabin chose a country and prepared to perform. As I wandered around visiting people, I heard such various ideas as doing one of those ridiculous Japanese Game Shows, to doing a tribal dance of the Australian Aboriginals. After rest hour, everyone headed to their periods four and five and to dinner from there. Every dinner time when announcements are made, the directors ring these two bells to get everyone’s attention. At dinner, when it came to that time, there was no bell; they were completely missing. It seemed as though almost everyone figured out the trick but me; that the missing bells was part of our evening activity which was Scooby Doo Mystery Night. After dinner, the entire camp was split up into 10 groups and they were each sent all around the campus looking for clues and evidence about which of the counselors stole the bell. We all ran to and from different stations grabbing Scooby Snacks and crossing off suspects on the list. By the end of the night everyone found out who the perpetrators were, and the bells were finally discovered. From there everyone headed to bed, and a good day was had by all.
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
Monday July 28th, 2008
Today was the first day of regular schedule for second monthers. They got a chance to try out their new activities as well as get to know the counselors and other campers. Many a name game was played, and new skills and talents were discovered. It was a fairly regular day, which is always the best for the first week; it gives new campers the opportunity to discover what Wa-Klo is all about, and old ones can get into the groove of things once more. The Upper Pioneers began their first day of lifeguard training, and some of the swim staff got recertified. After lunch, everybody got to hang during rest hour, where they got to bond with their bunks even more. From there came periods four and five, which were so rudely and unfortunately interrupted by rain; so some classes had to relocate to various roof-covered areas. During dinner, we found out that Wednesday was going to be skit night, and for the theme each cabin would choose a country and do some sort of presentation on it, incorporating culture, language and really anything. Also, we all found out that it was Area Night, and that each area of age group on camp would be doing a different activity. The Area enjoyed movie night, up in the dance room, deliciously accompanied with a little popcorn, while down at the slab the Mids and Inters had a Dance Party. Down at Council Fire, the LTGs were making s’mores and chocolate dough-boys, a Wa-Klo dessert delicacy where you wrap a Pillsbury croissant around a stick, warm it over a fire and then stick chocolate in the middle. From there, the first full day of second session was over as everyone headed to their beds preparing and dreaming of a whole new day…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
Sunday July 27, 2008
Today marked the first day of Second Session!! Everyone was abuzz with camp excitement as families began to flood into Wa-Klo. Bags and trunks were moving left and right, cars driving in and out; it was the kind of pleasant and thrilling chaos that any moving day entails. Returning second monthers were hugging each other, new campers were settling in, and eight weekers came back after a night out with their families. Once all the campers were settled in, they all headed to the Ark for games to get to know one another. Afterwards, we all headed back to our cabins, got ready for dinner (which unfortunately meant putting on our raincoats) and went to Roy-Kit. Everybody enjoyed their meals and then we all got the chance to go to Sugar Shack, the camp store. At 7:45 we all headed to Jen-Klo for the counselor show, where all the counselors introduced themselves (or re-introduced themselves) in a circus themed show. Then they serenaded us with their Wa-Klo rendition of “For Once in My Life” by Stevie Wonder, adding their own lyrics about why Camp is so great…
From there, everyone headed to bed and a surprisingly small amount of girls showed any hints of homesickness; a real sign that they’re here to stick around.
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
July 21st, 22nd and 23rd, 2008
On Monday the 21st, everyone enjoyed their regularly scheduled activities. Campers in the three Dramas as well as the Musical squeezed in practices during every free moment they could find for their performances on Wednesday. Instead of regular free swim, everybody headed to Council Fire and the Slab for Tribe Practice, where we continued to work on the songs, formations and hand motions. For the evening activity, the LTGs all went to dinner at UNO’s and then went off to see Mamma Mia. It was a nice and relaxing night off and takes a moment in the real world. Everyone else had a quiet night back at camp, either watching movies, bunk bonding, or working on their costumes for Halloween on Thursday.
Thursday was HALLOWEEN. But before the festivities began, about half of camp woke up at 5:45 to do Sages Swim, a mile long swim from Sages Island and back in the middle of the lake. Most people finished successfully, and some got too tired and had to hop in the rowboats that were rowing along side. Once people were finished with Sages, they headed to a breakfast of warm pancakes, a Wa-Klo tradition post-exhaustion. It was regular schedule in the morning except for the LTGs, who had to set up the Haunted House and decorate the dining hall. After the first 3 periods, people headed to lunch in small fragments of their costumes and finished them during Rest Hour. The LTGs made quite and entrance into Roy-Kit for lunch; we were jail inmates, and we were all tied together when we walked into the dining hall. Then, one of us yelled “Jail Break” and we all dropped our chains and ran around like insane people until finally we sat down and ate lunch. After rest hour, Lower Camp went back to Roy-Kit to decorate paper bags for trick-or-treating around the Area, and then went to a Halloween carnival set up by the LTGs. While Lower Camp went to the Carnival, Upper Camp was decorating cupcakes in Jen-Klo and then they switched. Everybody seemed to really enjoy themselves, and get into the Halloween spirit, despite the fact that it is the middle of July. After dinner, the younger campers went to go watch a movie in Sleepy Hollow and the Ark, while the older campers went on the Spook Walk and then the Haunted House. The Upper Pioneers all dressed up really scary, gore galore, and set themselves along the path of the walk and in the house. The theme was, appropriately, Dead Campers, and all the LTG tour guides made up stories about old campers. Luckily, nobody was scared out of their wits or had nightmares, but it was still scary enough to be exciting and thrilling. Afterwards, everyone headed to bed, and the thunderstorm really helped things to end in a truly Halloween-like fashion.
Wednesday the 23rd was regular scheduled activities, and a Horse Show was scheduled, but unfortunately all of those things got cancelled due to the extensive rain. So instead everyone went up to the Ark to play games, work out or to do Arts and Crafts. It was still raining after lunch so instead of periods 4 and 5 we had tribe practice again. Then, everyone in the play ate dinner early at 5:30, so that we could prepare a little bit longer. I along with one of my fellow LTGs Emily directed one of the Dramas for the younger kids. All three of the plays went fabulously; they were all entertaining and adorable, and I was really so proud of all of them. Afterwards, we all headed to bed, sadly counting down the fact that there are only 2 full days left in First Session…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
July 19th, 2008
On Saturday July 19th, everybody had their regular scheduled activities. It was so hot, borderline sweltering, but people seemed to be able to enjoy their activities nonetheless. Campers handed in Add/Drop forms so that they might be able to switch into some new classes for their final week. Other than that, everything went fairly according to plan. The last council fire before Parent’s Weekend was hosted by the Upper Inters, who performed their nature reports on Lights and Electricity, as well as Ticks. Council Fire is run by the LTGs, so we decided to mix things up a little bit and add some new games to the Wa-Klo anthology. One was called Shirt and Hat, where the Juniors had to put on a huge shirt and hat over their clothes, run around a cone and back and then switch off. Another new game was Dizzy Bats, played by the Lower Inters, who had to run to a cone, spin in a circle 3 times and then run back. I would hate to admit this, but it was fairly entertaining watching some of them try to run back, going in various zig-zagged directions from being so dizzy. And finally the last new game was played by the LTGs; we had to run in pairs to the cone and eat two saltines as quickly as we could. Once both people in the pair were finished, we opened our mouths wide to prove our success to a judge, and then we would run to the cone and the next pair would go. I’m sure many of you may think this sounds ridiculous and easy, but take my word that you are mistaken. Eating saltines never proved to be such a feat. The score of the tribes was announced, and it is now 27-28 with Green in the lead. It is truly the best to have such a close race right before Parent’s Weekend; it makes things that much more exciting. From there everyone headed back to their cabins for lights out, and a good nights sleep.
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
July 17th and 18th, 2008
On July 17th, everyone had their regularly scheduled activities. It was nice to get back to Wa-Klo after the exhausting but fun day on Wednesday. A Camp Psychologist named Catherine Steiner-Adair came to visit the counselors, LTGs and Upper Pioneers about her work, a study of the interaction of young girls, and why camp is one of the greatest outlets for them. From there, everybody headed to Smorgasbord activities, which included Free Swim, Touch Rugby again, and Tubing. After a relaxed, fairly normal day, everybody headed to bed, awaiting what was to come next.
On Friday July 18th, campers headed to their first three periods again except that, after Rest Hour, instead of going to Period 4, everybody headed up to the Ark for a huge surprise. We all walked into the gym, expecting it to just be normal and empty, but instead what we found was 30 boards set up for the game Dance Dance Revolution! For those of you who don’t know what that is, DDR is a video game where a song plays, and you have to dance along to the beat, earning point for every correct dance move you make. Campers, Counselors and LTGs went crazy over the game, and not even the excessive heat could stop them from dancing. Even people who were out and not playing danced along just for fun. It lasted 2 hours! From there, everyone headed back to their bunks and changed for a camp swim to cool off. After such a thrilling afternoon, a night of relaxed bunk bonding seemed to be just what the doctor ordered…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
July 15th and 16th, 2008
On Tuesday the 15th, we had a 9 AM breakfast, as well as regular schedule. Everybody got back into the grooves of their activities after a long couple of days, and finally got to relax a bit. After a calming day of activities, everybody headed to Roy-Kit for a cookout dinner of burgers (both regular and veggie!), chips, and pasta salad, which was topped off superbly by fudge brownies. From there, people headed to their first tribe practice of the summer for Parent’s Weekend. Parent’s Weekend is when parents and family come on Friday night to watch our Council Fire. Each tribe must perform a song, formations and a dance move which are all created by the tribe chiefs. By Parent’s Weekend, all of the songs and hand motions must be written and memorized, so all of the preparation is quite a large feat for the tribe chiefs. Each of the tribes met separately and started working on learning the songs, and as far as my knowledge each of the practices went famously. After tribe practice was over, the younger campers headed to bed, and the rest of us went over to the Boy Scouts for a dance.
On Wednesday the 15th, the entire camp went on various all day trips! The LTGs and Pioneers went to the Flume Gorge, a truly beautiful mountain with various waterfalls and paths. Afterwards, we went to the ski resort Attitash, where during the summer they have these really long slide rides which were really fun! From there we got dinner and then headed back home to camp. The Inters and Seniors went to the Polar Caves, which are these really small mountain caves that you can climb through if you’d like. One of them is even called the Lemon Squeezer, a cave you have to squeeze your entire body through to get to the other side. The amount of contortion that is involved is unbelievable; it can’t be more than 12 inches at its widest, but everybody got through eventually! Afterwards, they had dinner as well and headed back to camp. The Mids spent the day at the White Mountains as well as on the Hobo Train Tour. From there, they headed back to camp, watched a movie and then headed back to bed.
Everybody had a great time at the trips, and the day proved that beautiful scenery and the company of friends are enough to make a great day…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds July 13th and 14th, 2008
Boy do we have lots to talk about. It has been 5 days since my last log entry, so instead of turning this into a novel, I will touch briefly on each day… Things have been so busy and crazy, so I am sorry that it has taken me so long to finally do this. Well, here goes-
Sunday the 12th marked the first day of the Wa-Klo OLYMPICS!!! During the Olympics, the entire camp is split into three teams (White, Green and Rainbow) and goes through a two day long competition in various fields that range from Accuracy Throw, to a Triathlon to Wa-Klo Trivia. The morning began with the Olympic march in which each team-- dressed in their various themes and team colors—pledged an Olympian oath and then paraded around The Ark, thus marking the beginning of the two day competition. On the first day, Rainbow’s theme was Hippies, White’s was White Tigers and Green’s was Robin Hood and the Men in Tights. Afterwards, the camp headed to the front field where everybody signed up for five small activities and competed to see who the best in both Lower and Upper Camp was. These small tasks included who could throw the farthest, get the most soccer goals, and who could run the fastest bases. Once that was finished, we headed to lunch, where we learned the rules for Poison. Poison is basically a huge game of Tag and Hide and Seek mixed together. Two teams compete at one time; one team starts at the Ark, the other at council Fire. Each player has four strips of paper taped to their hip, and the objective of the game is get to the opposite home base, all the way across camp, without getting your tags taken. Some people would hide deep in the woods to avoid the other team, whereas others (myself included) just ran as quickly as they could to get to the opposite place. Over all, Poison is one of Wa-Klo’s most revered games, and it is definitely a highlight of summer’s competition. After three rounds of Poison, we played Survivor, a game in which each team is given a single box of matches as well as uncooked food, and they must create a fire as well as dinner for their whole team. Teams get points by starting the fire first, and using the least amount of matches. After everyone was fed, all of the teams headed up to the Ark to perform the skits, songs and dances they had created during Survivor. The skits had to be about Wa-Klo’s supervisors (known as the Indispensables) and they were all just ridiculous, hilarious and exciting to watch. From there everybody headed to bed to prepare for the second day of Olympics.
Monday, the 14th marked the second day of Olympics. During the morning all the teams changed their themes; Rainbow was Rainbow Fish, White was Astronauts and Green was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. At the ark, campers competed in unusual small relay races, which included having to stack ten cups in a pyramid while blindfolded. Afterwards, we all headed around the waterfront to watch 2 sets of the Wa-Klo triathlon. In the triathlon, each team has a swimmer, a runner and a kayaker, who compete for the best time against the two other teams. It truly is exciting to watch, but I am glad to not be in their position because it looks fairly strenuous. Those who compete in the triathlon are the cream of the crop so to speak of Wa-Klo’s athletes, and they are cheered on for their efforts. Afterwards, everyone headed to the Ark for various rounds of Trivia, which included Random Trivia, Snapple Facts, and Wa-Klo Trivia. Once that was finished, we all headed to Roy-Kit for lunch, then had rest hour, and then to the front field for more field games like Capture the Football and Sister, Sister.
The winners of Olympics were announced in Jen-Klo, but before that happened, all of the winners of the small activities and relays were announced. Certificates were given to those in Upper and Lower camp who achieved first, second and third place. Then, it got to the big stuff. The overall look and theme for the opening parade was won by the White team, Rainbow won the dance and skit, and Poison, Survivor and the Triathlon were all won by Green Team (which I was on!) However, by the end of the night, the scores were announced, and the White Team WON!!!!! That marked the end of the Wa-Klo Olympics, and of a long two days, and everyone was SOOOO thankful for the fact that we had a 9:00 AM breakfast the next morning!
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
July 11th and 12th, 2008
On Friday the 11th, some of the Upper Mids and Inters headed to rafting early in the morning. The rest of camp however stayed here at camp and enjoyed Bummer’s Breakfast and Civvie day! After everybody got dressed in their civvies, and ate a delectable breakfast of various fruits, yogurts, cereals and muffins. Afterwards, instead of regular scheduled activities we had special schedule. All of the bunks headed to activities together, and enjoyed the day, participating in different things like Tubing, Soccer, Swimming, Wakeboarding and various Tennis games. Afterwards, we had Council Fire (which is usually on Saturday but we had Olympics over the weekend) which was hosted by Sleepy Hollow, which are the youngest campers at Wa-Klo. The dance and performance was adorable, and the nature reports by each tribe—Global Warming by Green and Skunks by White—were informative, and yet the girls still remained as delectable as breakfast. After the performance, there were tribe games which brought Green Tribe into the lead, and afterwards everyone headed back their cabin to get ready for a completely action packed Olympics on Sunday and Monday.
On Saturday, we had regular schedule once more, but for first period we had Razzle Dazzle, which in Wa-Klo lingo basically means really intense cleaning. The cabins were sparkling as at around 9 AM some parents of younger campers came to visit or to take some of the girl’s home. While many of the two week campers were excited to see their parents, many of them were so sad to go, and even begged their parents to stay!! 8 girls who were only supposed to stay two weeks ended up here for 4, and it was really nice to see them stay… Other than that, everybody went to their activities, said goodbye to some of their new friends and had a great day.
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
July 10th, 2008
On Thursday the 10th, some of the Mids and Inters went Funyaking, which (for lack of a better description) is a more relaxed mix of kayaking, rafting and canoeing. Besides the girls on the trip, the rest of us back here had regular schedules activities. After all of our classes, and dinner, we found out that it was Smorgasboard schedule, which in Wa-Klo language means that various activities are offered and you get to choose which ones to go to. Some of the options included Cricket and Touch Rugby on the Front Field, Hip Hop in the Dance Room, and Scottish Dancing in Jen-Klo. Afterwards, the Juniors, Mids, and Inters headed to bed while the Area and LTGs went to a dance with the Boy Scouts. After dancing, and (much to the dismay of the boy scouts) working up a swet, the Area and LTGs headed back to Wa-Klo, and then to bed.
A good day was certainly had by all…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
July 9th, 2008
This morning, everyone awoke and headed to Roy-Kit for what was a unique breakfast; everyone sat with their big and little sisters again! Unfortunately, since it was breakfast, people were not as chatty as they are a little later on in the day, but simply being in each others’ company was enjoyable enough. After breakfast, everyone headed to their regular scheduled activities, except that during Rest Hour, campers prepared for the evening activity Project Runway, where campers had to make outfits using only Mother Nature. Girls paraded down the runway in gowns made of ferns, and pants made it tree bark. In the end, the cabins Fishbowl and Somewhere ended up winning a trip to Kimball’s! Some of the costumes were so elaborate and crazy, and others were simple and elegant, but I swore if you squinted a little bit, everything looked like real clothes, as if everyone were just wearing extensive amounts of green and brown…
After Project Runway, everybody headed back to their cabins, and to bed, where they awaited what was to come…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
July 8th, 2008
Today was a fairly regular day. Everyone continued along with their regular schedules, getting used to their new activities and working with new counselors and LTGs. In the morning, some of the Upper Pioneers headed to Boston for a day trip. They headed around the city, saw the sights, and had an all around exciting time being able to leave camp just for one day. Back here at camp, during rest hour, Pop Out 2 headed to Kimball’s for a birthday. During lunch, we found out our Olympic teams and captains, as well as what color they were.
Olympics are a 2 day, intense competition, where the entire camp is split into 3 teams (White, Green and Rainbow) and each camper competes in 3 competitions which include longest jump, longest throw, accuracy kick and running races. In addition, there is a triathlon and a game called Survivor, in which the leaders of each team have to start a fire using only one match. Once the fire is lit, they have to make meals for their entire team as well as special meals for camp administrators. On the second day, the entire camp plays a game called Poison, an action-packed mix of hide and seek with tag where everyone must make it from one end of camp to the other without getting caught by the other team. Some campers have been known to dress in camouflage, and hide underground and deep in the woods. Olympics are one of the best parts of camp, because people just display the most unmatched levels of team spirit, the even if you were just a spectator, you would have fun.
After regular schedule, it started raining, which was unfortunate because we were going to have movie night on the front field with a huge projector! Instead, everyone watched the movie Enchanted in the Ark, cozy in their pajamas with sleeping bags, pillows, and of course popcorn. As soon as the film was done, everyone rushed back to their cabins and headed straight to bed…
A good, relaxed day was certainly had by all.
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
July 6th and 7th, 2008
On Sunday, July 6th, the entire camp was greeted in the morning by the traditional Sunday breakfast of bagels! After a delicious beginning to the day, everyone headed to their first three activities. Afterwards, they changed into traditional Sunday attire: white shirts and white shorts for lunch. At the end of lunch, each of the two tribes headed to opposite ends of Roy-Kit where our new tribe chiefs told us what to wear for 5 corners. 5 corners is a tribe activity, where each tribe breaks up into smaller teams and proceed to 5 different stations, playing various games (like Ultimate Frisbee for example). The green tribe wore green shirts and shorts and donned various types of face paint; whereas the white tribe wore white and white and face paint as well. By the end of 5 corners, the score was 18 white, 15 green. Everyone fought and played their hardest, certainly working up a sweat, so we were all pleased when we were rewarded with a Camp Swim. Everyone rubbed all the paint off their faces and finally headed back to their cabins for dinner. Wearing white and white, everyone headed to Roy-Kit for buffet dinner! Everyone enjoyed the sandwich and pasta bars, and filled their plates to the rim with food. Once we had eaten, everyone headed to Jen-Klo, for Reflections, hosted by the Upper Pioneers on the subjects of Optimism, Pessimism and Change. During Reflections, an entire age group sits on the stage in Jen-Klo, and each member shares a moment or thought, and in between groups of speakers they serenade us with songs on the same subject. Everyone continued to reflect long after the night was over, and afterwards, everyone headed to bed.
On Monday July 7th, it was regular schedule once more, except that campers got a chance to rearrange or change their schedules, so that they could try new classes. During breakfast, we found out that it was International Day!! Therefore, everyone could dress up, and represent a nation. Counselors from across the world wore face paint, and wrapped themselves in the flags of their nation. However, the best part of the day was the fact that there was International dinner! In Roy-Kit, there were four buffet stations set up: one had Italian food, one English, one had Mexican and the other Asian. It was so delicious being able to go from station to station and trying a little bit of everything. People were so happy to get a taste of their homes and heritage. Afterwards, campers and counselors headed—with their bunks—to the front field for the Amazing Race. During the game, each bunk had to complete different tasks across camp, and each place where the task was, represented a country. For example, on the Field, each camper had to create and perform a short dance routine for the nation known for ballet dancers: Russia. The LTGs however, headed for a night out to Wal-Mart, Starbucks and Target, getting a little time off for our hard work. Afterwards, everyone headed home and to bed, where we dreamt or what was to come…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
July 5th, 2008
To my Readers—
Again, I’m sorry for the tardiness of this entry; I have been spending every waking moment involved in some sort of camp activity and have barely had any time to make it to the office to type up my log.
Yesterday, one of my campers who I teach in Drama class told me that her parents thought I wasn’t real! That I was some sort of fabrication, or a nom de plu of someone who works in the office, so I decided to take the time to tell you a little bit about myself, and what my role is at Camp Wa-Klo: I am a second year LTG, and this is my 6th year. I am from New York City, but Jaffrey, New Hampshire is my home away from home. I was a White Tribe Chief (I’ll explain that later) when I was an Upper Pioneer in 2006, and during my years I have taken so many different activities, from Synchronized Swimming to Volleyball. I have been doing the log for two years, and I’m still in shock at the fact that people are willing to take the time out of their day to read what I write. And for that, I am so grateful! So let us begin…
On Saturday, July 5th, we had regular schedule. The really exciting thing on Saturday however, was council fire. At Camp Wa-Klo, we have something called tribes; the entire camp is split into 2 teams (Green and White), and each summer, Upper Pioneers run for Tribe Chiefs. Chiefs are the leaders of the tribe; they provide guidance, act as mentors, and also have to create 2 songs and a dance for their tribe to perform during Parent’s Weekend. It is a difficult but extremely rewarding position, and it truly was one of the greatest gifts Wa-Klo gave to me. A Manger is essentially an assistant Chief, and is an indispensable member of the tribe experience. All throughout the summer, the tribes compete against each other in various games, gaining points for their victories. By the end of the summer, the tribe with the most points is deemed victorious!
Anyways, Saturday was council fire, where the entire camp found out who the Tribe Chiefs and Managers were, and what tribe they’re on. (I’m on the Green tribe for the first time in my 6 years here!) During council fire, the hosts, which were the LTGs this week, perform various things, and afterwards, each age group competes to get points for their tribe. By the end of the night, the score was 6 Green to 5 White. For many at Wa-Klo, tribes truly signify the beginning of the summer, and it is a huge reason people keep returning. The friendly rivalry creates a drive and motivation in each camper, which is something they certainly wouldn’t find at home watching TV for the summer…
After a long, long day, everyone headed to bed, awaiting the best which is yet to come.
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
July 4th, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY America! To celebrate the founding of our fair nation, the entire camp got to celebrate by sleeping in an hour late and having Bummer Breakfast. Bummer’s Breakfast is when there is not a set breakfast time, and when all of the campers are allowed to breeze in and out of Roy-Kit whenever they’d like before 9:30. For the first time, in addition to the delicious food at Bummer’s (like blueberry muffins!), there was an entire fruit bar that quenched all of my breakfast needs.
In addition to the delicious food, it was civvies day, which meant that everyone got to wear whatever they wanted, but the most popular choice was in fact red, white and blue. At 4 o’clock the Wa-Klo softball team played the boy scouts and lost by only one point! During the day it was regular schedule, but at nighttime, instead of normal dinner time, we had a cookout! There was an outdoor grill complete with chicken, burgers and veggie burgers. There were even red, white and blue popsicles. Half and hour after dinner was finished, some campers played in the Camper vs. Counselor soccer game while others watched and cheered on the players. It was an intense game, and the counselors ended up winning 3-0. After a long and tiring day, everyone slept really soundly and dreamt about what was yet to come.
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
July 3rd, 2008
Dear Log Readers,
I am so sorry I haven’t been very persistent with my entries… So much has been going on that I was forced to push back my log duties, and for that I apologize. So let me fill you in briefly--
On Wednesday, July 2nd, we all had regular schedule. Everyone went to classes, and despite the slight bit of rain, everything went well. The night time however, was not as calm and was jam packed with activities! First, it was skit night; the theme was ‘Animal Life at Wa-Klo’ and each skit had to include at least three animal sounds. All of the skits were really funny and so unique. Unfortunately I cannot remember the lower camp winner, but for Upper Camp the LTGs won!! Straight after our win, the LTGs headed to Kimball’s for a birthday while the Area got prepared for a dance with the Boy Scouts. After Kimball’s, the LTGs joined the Area, and danced the night away, while the Mids and inters slept soundly back at home. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the day, the skits were hilarious and those homesick campers really got a chance to get a feel what Wa-Klo is all about and why its so fun, forcing them to forget they were homesick in the first place!
Today, Thursday July 3rd, was one for the books! Everyone awoke and had the first three periods, but during lunch there was a HUGE surprise. Dr. Maurer was making her regular lunchtime announcements when all of a sudden she told the entire camp to be on the front field, wearing green shorts and white shirts, in 15 minutes. Everyone thrilled about what was to await them changed and rushed to the front field as quickly as possible. There, we saw a bunch of busses waiting; we got on, and finally found out where we were going. The Juniors and Mids went strawberry picking and to Kimball’s for lunch. All of them seemed so excited to be going on an adventure. The Inters headed to Canobie Lake Park, a water and amusement park about an hour away, and the Area and LTGs headed to Six Flags!!! Everyone was having fits of screaming, laughing and just all around thrill. It truly was such and amazing day, though for a second it got ruined by some heavy rains, but at Six Flags the rain made other people leave, thus shortening the lines for us!!
A great two days were truly had by all!!
To Sarah-- for keeping your joy and love at camp, even if you couldn’t be…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
July 1st, 2008
Today was another day of regular scheduled activities; Campers and counselors finally seemed to be getting comfortable with their activities, and being able to enjoy them. After a day of regular schedule, campers got the chance to match outfits with their big/little sisters for dinner. All the pairs sat together in Roy-Kit, and enjoyed a meal of chicken fajitas topped off with an ice cream sandwich. From there, every found out that we would be competing in a huge scavenger hunt, except for the mids and juniors who were so exhausted from a long day that they went to Sleepy Hollow to enjoy a movie.
Each table in the dining hall represented a team for the scavenger hunt, as they ran from one end of the camp to the other in search of various items. Some of the items included a swimming noodle, a piece of High School Musical regalia, as well as bubbles. Some of the items were really hard to find; People ripped apart their stuff in search of anything they could find, and some came up with some witty replacement items. One group, when told to find a gluestick, brought back some glue, and a stick. After running back and forth, one group finally won and got 2 pieces of free candy or drinks at the Sugar Shack. After a mad dash to get the stuff they had given for the hunt, everyone was completely exhausted, so they headed off to bed. A good day was certainly had by all.
Sincerely, Lulu Reynolds
June 30th, 2008
Today was the first day of regular scheduled activities! Campers finally got to try out the things they signed up for weeks ago. Campers participated in all the various activities Wa-Klo has to offer, ranging from windsurfing, to pet care, to tennis and each camper got a chance to try new things or to even hone down on some long time skills. The best part of going to activities is really getting the chance to meet campers and counselors, and being able to hang out with people you’ve never met before. You meet people with stories like nothing you’ve never heard, and left and right campers, counselors and LTGs were making new friends.
After regular schedule, with lunch in between, the entire camp headed off for Area Night, in which each area headed off and did group activities. The Juniors and Mids (the youngest age group) headed to the gymnastics area called the Slab, where they had a dance party in their pajamas and played little games like Simon Says. The Inters headed to the front field for more sporting activities like Freeze Tag and some games with those huge rainbow parachutes. The Area-- the oldest age groups-- went up to the gym in the Ark for Bench Ball (which in fact doesn’t involve a bench) and lets just say it got pretty intense. All in all, each age group was so happy, getting into their activities and really experiencing what camp is all about.
After being all sweaty from Bench Ball, the LTGs capped off the day with a swim, and from there headed to bed. The entire camp slept soundly (despite the various wild life here at Wa-Klo), and dreamt of what was to come next…
Sincerely,
Lulu Reynolds
6/29/08
Hello Friends and Family of Wa-Klo!
Well, today was the first day of the first session at Camp Wa-Klo. Girls traveled from all across the globe (by bus, train, plane, and car!!) to come and spend another summer at our home away from home. Campers came and met their new cabin mates, counselors and LTGs and started getting adjusted to their new homes. It seemed as though everyone was enjoying themselves, and despite the somewhat tiring and blistering heat, campers all around were so excited to get a feel for things. Left and right returning campers were screaming and hugging, exuding the type of thrill reserved for young giddy girls. At 3:30, after some settling in, all of the campers and counselors headed to the front field for a game of Sister, Sister. Every new camper is paired up with an older, returning camper or LTG and that is their Big Sister. During the game, each pair of girls goes to opposite ends of the front field, and when the judge calls out an action, the two girls run towards each other and have to act it out. Indeed, it was quite hot, but people kind of forgot about the heat and got really into the game. One of the fan favorites was the action Fire Hydrant, in which one of the sisters pretended to be a fire hydrant, the other acted as a dog, and… well, I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
After the game, everyone headed back to their cabins for some bonding and unpacking, after which we all headed to Roy-Kit (the dining hall) for lasagna—the perfect home-like meal for the first day. After eating, people headed to Jen-Klo (the theater) to be greeted by the counselors of 2008 in The Counselor Show. This year’s show was a circus theme in which all of the counselors presented themselves, along with their various talents. Some of the counselors sang, others danced, and some did various tricks and gymnastics which, even after seeing, I still don’t believe are humanly possible.
Once the counselor show was finished, everybody headed off to bed and slept the night away, eager to begin the activities that awaited them tomorrow.
Sincerely yours,
Lulu Reynolds
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