Our second oldest age group, who we call the PA's, toured around with their assigned cabins during the evening program on Tuesday. The CIT's are gone until Saturday night so the PA's "take over" for them while they are on their 6 day canoeing adventure near the Boundary Waters of Canada. Our brave CIT paddlers will come back home with entertaining stories, inside jokes and tall tales of their escapades. They will return to camp more confident, connected, capable and more appreciative. My hope is that they also return to camp with a greater appreciation for nature. After 2 full days of activities we ended Tuesday evening with Messy Mania. Campers traveled from one messy station to another drenched in foam, shaving cream, jello, oatmeal, slime and spaghetti. It was one grubby game of night time madness. Campers sat in slime, swam in oatmeal, ran through foam, tossed pasta in the air, and lathered up from top to bottom. When the mayhem was over, they plunged into Blue Lake and hit the showers.

Sometimes the word that best describes our evening programs and life at camp is "intense". Yes, there are down moments for quiet relaxation (yeah, rest hour) and easy-going meandering however, throughout our days, there is intensity to what we're doing here at camp. Tonight's Messy Mania was a perfect example of that intensity. There are so many examples of camp intensity! Singing in the lodge, random dance parties, zooming through the trees on the zip-line, climbing the 55 foot Tango Tower, kissing the moose, the Gonzo Relay, Blue and White war canoe races, burning the rope, capturing a flag, and so much more.

Perhaps the biggest reason camp life is intense relates to the emotions we all experience here. Yep, camp is emotional, intensely emotional. This is a natural response to life here being so social. Spending so much time with the same group of people, living in a small cabin together, resolving issues together and laughing and tearing up together. All of this brings us closer together and allows us to form deep emotional connections and friendships. These relationships amplify everything we’re feeling at camp. The people around us add so much spirit and happiness to our lives and whatever we’re doing. Being happy at Agawak means being intensely happy. 

Smile on and full speed ahead!

Mary