Dear Treetops Families,
We’ve been blessed with another week of gorgeous Adirondack summer weather. Hot sunny days have given way to cooler nights, and the occasional thundershower ensures that our beloved gardens are watered and thriving. Campus is lush with shades of green and the occasional pop of color from blooming wildflowers, and ripe raspberries, currants, and blueberries. The annual flower bed is bursting with the bright oranges of marigolds, shades of fuschia from the cosmos, and the soft white blur of alyssum. As we move through the final days of week three, we see our campers challenging themselves more and more each day, expanding the limits of their comfort zones, and finding solid ground in their friendships and their surroundings.
We closed out last week with the first square dances of the summer! Campers donned fresh dress shirts, fancy blouses and skirts, and neatly braided or styled their hair. Nerves were palpable leading up to the event, but were soon eased as the piano, fiddle, and guitar began their serenade. Friends chattered and giggled as they swung each other ‘round, and campers laughed and sang along to the catchy tunes of “Red River Valley” and the “Salty Dog Rag”. As the sun set and the sky turned hues of rose-gold and lavender-gray, campers ended the evening by chowing down on homemade chocolate chip cookies from the Treetops kitchen.
On Sunday, junior campers were thrilled to kick the week off with the Water Carnival! Under sunny skies and in the warm waters of Round Lake, campers enjoyed rounds of beach volleyball, “sinky boat” races, strolling the “runway,” —aka the shallows— in a selection of items from the costume closet, a sanctioned water balloon fight, and perhaps the all-time fan favorite, the Slip and Slide! Campers yelped and cheered as the counselors closed out the event with their own rowdy slips and slides down the Lake Hill.
This week also marked the start of more challenging hikes, paddles, and overnight trips. Some campers embarked on and completed their first-ever 46er, while others made their first portage, or tried their hand at sailing the Capri, the biggest boat we have, on Lower Saranac, a far larger lake than our own. Bolstered and buoyed by the skills and confidence they’ve acquired on campus, campers are challenging themselves and pushing through adversity.
In the shops and throughout other programs, campers are building their knowledge and expertise: completing intricate weavings on the various table and floor looms, finishing their first embroidery project, getting the hang of centering clay on the wheel to form the beginnings of a mug or bowl, meticulously sanding their woodshop project, or building perseverance with a headstrong horse. With each challenge faced or project completed, campers gain a deeper understanding of their profound and unique abilities.
This is the gift of a Treetops summer: the time, the freedom, and the opportunity to explore, to play, and to create. To be part of a community that encourages and builds-up in times of self-doubt or difficulty, and celebrates and revels in times of success and achievement. What an incredible privilege we have to spend our days together in this magnificent place.
With gratitude,
Hannah Edwards
Camp Treetops Director