Dear Treetops Families,
We are so excited to welcome many of you to campus tomorrow and Sunday for Visitors’ Weekend! You will see for yourselves how your children have thrived over the past four weeks— the friendships they’ve built, the routines that they now know by muscle memory, the skills they’ve mastered, and the pride they take in the knowledge and care they have for the Treetops community. We’ve reached the point in the summer when our campers are truly at home here. It’s incredible to see all they can do and accomplish in a single day once they have really settled in. Without the distractions of screens, social media, and other noise from our fast-paced world, campers have been consumed with exploring, creating, discovering, and building.
Yesterday, I was speaking to a first-time four-week camper who struggled with homesickness early on and had several tearful nights. After triumphantly returning from a difficult overnight trip, they remarked thoughtfully, “It’s sad I’m leaving soon.” And that, for me, is the magic of four weeks away from home: having the time to push through the difficult period; the space to explore new hobbies and develop new skills; and a supportive community every step of the way. And with that, the confidence gained will bolster them for many years to come.
On campus this past week, we gathered, toiled, trekked, paddled, crafted, and created. Last Saturday, we celebrated all campers and staff with July birthdays during our special monthly birthday dinner. The dining rooms were decked out in handmade decorations, each birthday camper and staff member received their own specially made birthday crown, and the evening culminated with a beautifully decorated cake for dessert featuring home-grown berries and edible herbs and flowers. Though those born in July aren’t able to be with their families for their birthday, they always have an extra special day at Treetops!
On Sunday, our weekly housekeeping day, campers tended to laundry, took showers, and wrote letters home. Before lunch, many campers went out to our front entrance to cheer on the hundreds of Ironman competitors who were on the cycling portion of the annual triathlon. Following a steep climb from the village of Lake Placid, many competitors were surprised and energized by the unexpected bunch of cheering young people, alerting them that the downhill cruise to Keene was about to begin!
On Community Monday, we tended to our gardens, weeding rhubarb and asparagus, trimming back trees and brush that had encroached on the garden beds, and generally spruced up other farm spaces to ensure they’re well taken care of and getting the sun, water, and nutrients they need to thrive—not to mention looking their best for this weekend’s visitors! Monday also marked the beginning of this week’s trips. Another twenty trips went out from campus this week, including various day trips, overnight hikes and paddles, double overnights in Senior Camp, a trip to Blue Pepper Farm, The Wild Center, an on-campus horseback riding overnight with our most accomplished riders from both Junior and Senior Camp, a sailing trip on Lower Saranac, a paddleboarding trip, and a trip to our on-campus climbing Crag.
Sending out this variety of trips is an incredible feat, and a feature that distinguishes Treetops from other summer camps. It’s also a tremendous effort for our trip-leading staff, those who stock and pack the food, and those who ensure the trip gear and equipment are in good working order and ready for use. At the end of the day, the campers make it all worthwhile—to see a camper who has never hiked before summit eight of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks in just four weeks of camp is truly momentous.
Whimsy is also well and alive on campus, demonstrated by the Junior Camp search and rescue trip for our beloved Napkin Horse. This hand-carved wooden horse holds court in the Junior Camp dining room and serves an important role of holding the junior campers’ cubbies, which keeps their cloth napkins organized and ready to be used at the next meal. Composed of campers and staff, the rescue mission team eventually spotted the Napkin Horse from the middle of Round Lake while out in a Peanut Shell rowboat, carefully paddling to shore to recover her and return her to her proper place of honor.
Your campers have also been busy designing and crafting. Throughout the summer, it is miraculous to see the imagination that campers bring to the various shops around campus. It’s also inspiring to watch them create as they demonstrate the mastery of skills they gain and hone with the proper materials, tools, and instructors, as well as uninterrupted time to focus on and attend to their craft.
Our Supers continue to lead their younger peers as they volunteer for tasks, hold the role of Barn Manager up at the barn during work-jobs, set the example by acting as a responsible tablehead in the dining rooms, and help put Junior Campers to bed at night. Supers are also toiling away on their hand-carved wooden canoe paddles, and diligently finishing their weavings on the Super looms, our largest on campus.
Supers have also decided on this year’s Super project, an agreed-upon contribution they will make to the community. This year’s effort will result in a horse wash stall up at the barn, a necessary addition to help keep our horses clean and free of the dirt and grime that can contribute to saddle sores and the fly population, while ensuring there is proper water drainage so as not to wash out areas of the barnyard. Working together to bring this task to fruition bonds the Super group together, while solidifying their commitment and contribution to the Treetops community.
Which returns me, yet again, to why I’m so excited to welcome so many of you to campus this weekend. I can’t wait for you to see how your children have grown over these past four weeks—to meet the friends they’ve made, witness the pride of place they’ve built from the hard work done in and for the community, the masterpieces they’ve created, and the confidence they’ve gained.
And thank you, endlessly, for trusting us with your children. It is no small thing to send them to the mountains for the summer so they can roam and ramble, explore and discover. This is a huge gift you have given to your children. Know that it is also a tremendous gift to us, the adults entrusted with their care. Together we share the joy, the pride, the love, and the magic of a timeless summer in our Treetops mountain home.
With gratitude,
Hannah Edwards
Camp Treetops Director