Happy Banquet!

Today marks one of the last days of this session…and to celebrate, we had banquet! The day started with some warm bagels for breakfast, all of our morning classes with LOTS of campers passing, and then dinner!

Dinner was a variety of sandwiches and then came rest hour!!! Definitely one of the best parts of the day. Instead of doing our typical after-rest hour general swim, the campers went up to the A-Field and played Run Around Town. They LOVED this change of pace, but did miss the warmer weather that would have allowed another swim.

Fourth period came along, then was activity period. Lexi hosted archery, Hailey hosted basketball, and there were some other varieties of activities as well!

Then came time for the best part of the day…banquet! The campers all got dressed in green and white clothes, the counselors got ready to reminisce, and we all sat in the same room to eat a huge thanksgiving dinner! Thank you to all of the guests that came! We showed a slideshow of pictures from the session, sang some songs, and then it was time for candlelight service! Campers enjoyed this sentimental tradition, and then were sent to bed and given a chance to silently reflect on the past two weeks.

Tomorrow will be our last full day of the session; we are hoping for sun!

Wednesday, August 9th

Finally, a day of great weather! We kicked the day off with some chicken fat and delicious blueberry bread. The girls worked hard in their swimming classes to perfect their strokes and get ready for testing. Many campers took out rowboats with their friends during counselor’s swim!

For Dinner, we had spaghetti and chicken melts, along with Rice Krispie treats made from scratch by the kitchen. We had a relaxing rest hour while the LT’s finished up their final lifeguarding test. Activity period was filled with fun; hair-braiding, jumping off the tower and more!

We had our last eat-out for supper. Evening program was the famous game, PIRATES!!! Green versus white… stay tuned to find out the winner.

We can’t believe banquet is already tomorrow! We are sad to see the session coming to an end, but love seeing all the strong bonds the campers have made with their peers and their counselors :)

Tuesday, August 8th

Yet another rainy day! When the wake up bell rang this morning, campers awoke to a down pouring haze outside their doors. For this reason, we slept in 30 minutes! After skipping flagpole, we had English muffins for breakfast and got on with our day!

Sports was inside for the morning since the field was too wet to use; swimming and boating were still able to run since the sun did start to peek out with only a few rain sprinkles! For dinner, we had beef barbecue (which is generally a boys’ camp meal) but nonetheless the girls enjoyed it! The best part was our dessert: vanilla pudding!

Rest hour was much needed today for counselors and then came our general swim. It was still sunny enough for this with some slight showers at the end. Fourth period passed through, activity period went well, and back to another meal! For supper we had meatball subs which were a hit!

Evening program looked a little bit different today since it was time for the LTs to showcase the carnival they have been planning all session. They decided on a Taylor Swift Eras Tour theme which the campers LOVED! There were so many activities like face paint, freeze dance, and water balloon tosses! The karaoke was probably the biggest hit of the night! It was so fun for the kids and staff! For snack, everyone got ice pops which were of course a hit! We then sang goodnight songs and got ready for bed. Everyone is eager for the warmer weather to wrap up this session! 

Monday, August 7th

Classic rainy day at Camp Asto Wamah! Although some people get bummed out from bad weather, others love to get the chance to play fun indoor games in replacement of regular classes. In sports class, we played play-doughnary (Pictionary but with play dough), and Sweeney’s famous invention- roll or die. Of course for swimming class, we played scattergories in the activity room! The morning boating classes did board games led by their instructors, and arts and crafts classes ran as they normally do.

Today’s meals were filled with some new surprises- lemon poppy seed bread for breakfast, Mac and cheese for dinner, and lemon bars for dessert after supper! We are LOVING the new meals (the mac and cheese was especially a hit). We had a nice, soothing rest hour where we relaxed to the sound of the rain drops hitting the tops of the cabins.

In replacement of general swim, we played counselor trivia! Campers had to figure out which fun fact belonged to which counselor. For activity period, we did hair braiding, friendship bracelets, board games, and ukulele lessons. Evening program was a BLAST! We played murder by night. The LTs each led a group of campers in finding out who “murdered” Fatou and how. Turns out it was her co-counselor CC! The murder weapon was dad jokes (she died of laughter). After the game, we all sang songs in the upper lodge and headed to bed. I’ve always loved a good rainy camp day :)

TRACK AND FIELD DAY!

This is the one day of our session where we have no classes and instead participate in competitive track and field activities! It’s a nice way to keep things new and interesting for campers as we enter into the second week of the session. The camp is split into two teams- green and white.

In the morning after regular camp duties, we had the standing long jump, running long jump, and throwing events. After that, we did the 50 yard dash. Then, we had an early general swim to cool off from all the excitement. Some races were so close, we had to tie for the top places!

For dinner, we had our T&F classic- ham and noodles and white/green cake for dessert. After a well-deserved rest hour, the fun and cheering resumed with the marathon and the team triathlon. The triathlon starts all the way from the start of camp road to main dock, and the last runners pass the baton to the swimmers, who pass it to the boaters, who then pass it back to the runners on Cook’s Dock, who then pass it all the way to polywog back to the final senior swimmers. Long story short, white team was the winner!

After that, we did swim races! This was a great time for everyone to be involved in something they excel at! For supper, we had pickup (leftovers) which the campers enjoy since they have unlimited choices for what they want for dinner. Following that was evening program! We all did relay events (such as obstacle courses, team building activities, etc) to allow more points for each team! Since these events went on for a bit, we went straight to bed. It was a great day for track and field…beautiful weather and great energy!

Saturday, August 5th

Today was a very warm day, which was a nice change after our cooler day on Friday! The campers were enthusiastic about the sun and warmth, ready for their first 3 classes of the day! Breakfast was cornbread and cereal! Many campers had minimal complaints about entering the water as it cooled them off!

Dinner was lasagna, a camp favorite! Everyone LOVED this meal! Following rest hour was a general swim, and then fourth period! During activity period, the campers had lots of options to choose from: basketball, soccer, hair braiding, and friendship bracelets!

Supper was hot dogs outside the lodge to let our kitchen staff have a day off! The campers really enjoy this meal, as it’s a little change of pace for them! Evening program looked a little different tonight…it was talent night! All the campers got together and made several skits ranging from singing, dancing, and Lorax impersonations! It was hilarious, the campers loved it! After that, we all headed to bed. A great day to take us into tomorrow…TRACK MEET!!!!

Thursday, August 3rd

Today was a day filled with great weather and lots of camp songs! For breakfast we had waffles! Many kids tried out the classic peanut butter-maple syrup combo.

It was a bit breezy on the lake, which gave our boaters a challenge. Nonetheless, we still had several campers pass! The water was warmer than the air, to our surprise! For dinner, we had raviloli, salad, and baguettes! The campers LOVED this meal; the perfect fullness for rest hour.

General swim was cut a bit short due to the weather and then it was time for fourth period! For activity period, there were lots of counselors hosting! Lexi and Kyleigh jumped off the tower, Sawyer played nukem, Hailey and Riley did yoga, and Carmela took out a sunfish!

Supper was grilled cheese with a famous dessert: chocolate pudding pie! Evening program was Step It Up: essentially a bunch of smaller games to earn beans (points) to help your team’s “robot” get to the finish line! There were so many games; archery, basketball, freeze dance party and more. The two teams (pink and blue) went head to head… and pink team was the winner! A few kids went for a quick dip after goodnight songs and headed off to bed. We can’t believe it’s almost the end of the first week already!

Second Session Girls' Camp!

Hello and welcome to second girls!!! Due to technical difficulties, this first post is a little delayed. Nonetheless, we’re back to writing!

We’ve had a lovely first couple of days. The meals have not disappointed, evening program games have been a blast, and we are already seeing so much improvement in swimming and boating classes. Many boaters have passed into higher levels already!

The weather has been sunny, not too cold and not too hot. It gives us the chance to bundle up a bit at night (which we love with our singular ceiling fans). We’ve all been enjoying the girls’ funny and unique personalities and love watching them make friends!

Today was one of the kitchen staff’s nights out, so for supper, we did eat out! This is when we make sandwiches and the campers all eat together with their cabin outside (usually on the docks)! We also had sign ups to sail on the Hunter (our large sailboat) and campers decided to paddle-board during activity period! We had lots of fun archery classes today where some of Lexi’s campers shot bullseyes!

Today’s evening program was King Dodge, and the girls brought out their competitive side! It was a great day marking half way through the first week. Time is already flying by…please slow down…we don’t want summer to end! 

Friday, July 28th

Hello and welcome to the last blog of the session! Today was a stark difference (weather wise) from yesterday, and was a perfect last day. We started today with bagels and cream cheese (as well as other options) to fill the campers up for the activities ahead. Each swimming and boating class found out the results of their tests today while sports classes did the trust fall and arts and crafts classes did a nature scavenger hunt. 

For dinner we had beef barbecue, which is essentially a Sloppy Joe. Campers headed off to their final rest hour and soon were back at the waterfront for general swim. Many excited campers were able to swim in new areas because they had passed their swimming levels. During Activity Period, the new level four campers jumped off the tower for the first time, much to the excitement of their friends watching from the shore. 

For supper we had English muffin pizzas, which were a hit. After supper, we went to clean our cabins to get them ready for pickup in the morning. Campers put away everything they didn’t need for the night so they can easily pack the rest tomorrow. 

We then went to watch a slideshow of all the pictures from the session. Some throwback pictures of staff were included, which were met with giggles from the campers. Afterwards, we went to our campfire, where campers had s’mores, sang songs, and received their boating, swimming, track and field, arts and crafts, kitchen, and stacking awards. We ended the night with our traditional song of Linger, which is about the great memories made at camp and wanting to linger a little longer at Asto Wamah. Thank you for reading our blog this session! We had so much fun reflecting on each day as we wrote for all of you. 

Love from the lake (for the final time),

Grace, Emma, and Maggie

Wednesday, July 26th

Welcome back to our last couple of days of girls’ camp session one!! Today we had a breakfast of lemon poppy seed bread and cereal. We then headed off to morning classes. During first period, campers in level six and above had the opportunity to swim to Frog Island! Frog Island is a sandbar across the lake where campers can swim around and pick up rocks to bring back to camp. Ten campers went on the swim and had a ton of fun. In arts and crafts, everyone worked hard on secret sister projects as the reveal will be tomorrow at breakfast.

For dinner, we had chicken parmigiana with spaghetti, bread, and salad, followed by yummy sherbet. Afterwards, we all headed off for rest hour while our LTs completed their lifeguard testing. Rest hour was followed by general swim to cool us off during this heat. We then headed off to fourth period and activity period. 

For supper, we had our last eat out, with cabins spread out across camp eating their sandwiches picnic-style and laughter filling the air. Afterwards, all the campers headed up to the A field to play the long awaited game of Pirates! Campers dressed in dark clothing and separated into their green and white teams. They ran through the woods trying to find the other team’s treasure and pelting each other with flour “guns”. It was a ton of fun and spirits were high. Afterwards, we sang good night songs and went to bed! Thanks for reading; be sure to tune in tomorrow for our banquet blog! 

Love from the lake, 

Grace and Emma 

Tuesday, July 25th

Hello and welcome back to the blog! Today was an awesome day at Camp Asto Wamah! We started off the day at flagpole by picking people for secret sister. Secret sister is a girls’ camp tradition where campers and staff randomly pick another person and make little gifts for them. Breakfast was waffles, peanut butter, and syrup. We also had a cereal table campers could go to. Afterwards, we had camp duties and cabin clean up. Morning classes were a success, with evaluations beginning in some swim classes, trips to the ropes course, and campers working on secret sister projects in arts and crafts.

For lunch we had ziti and salad with vanilla pudding for dessert. Everyone was super tired so rest hour was very needed. Most campers went in for general swim today because of the heat and humidity, so our swimming areas were busy. During fourth period the wind was great for sailing but not so great for rowboats and canoes, yet the seniors persisted through the wind. The weather continued to take a turn for the worse and it began to rain at the end of activity period.

Supper was Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and gravy. We also had sugar cookies for dessert. Fun fact: an author of this blog once ate 33 Swedish meatballs as a camper! For evening program we had LT carnival. The theme this session was Barbie in honor of the new movie that came out. The LTs offered a variety of different themed activities like painting rocks, an obstacle course, and pin the ponytail on the Barbie. It was a super fun night and everyone enjoyed themselves. Goodnight songs were sang and then we all went off to bed. Thanks for reading!

Love from the lake,
Grace, Emma, and Maggie

Monday, July 24th

Hello everyone and happy Monday!! Today was a great start to the second week of girls’ camp. For breakfast we had everyone’s favorite, chocolate chip bread. It was as delicious as always and the bread was gone quickly. After camp duties, campers went to their morning classes. The lake was super warm today so everyone was eager to jump in.

Then, we had mac and cheese for lunch! I’ve been going to camp for eleven years and this was my first time having Mac and cheese here; it did not disappoint. We all went off to buy store and go to rest hour, and hopped back into the lake for general swim. Fourth period was a success as seniors got to go on the water and lakeside finally had another sports class! For activity period, counselors offered Gaga, kickball, jumping off the tower, and drawing lessons.

After activity period it was time for supper, which was pickup (aka leftovers)! Campers got to pick from many different options of things we’ve had throughout the session like chicken melts and lasagna. Once supper concluded, we went up to the A field to play King Dodge(ball), which was very intense but a lot of fun. We ended the day with goodnight songs and a quick dip! Thanks for reading!

Love from the lake,
Grace and Emma

Sunday, July 23rd

We have officially been at girls’ camp session one for a week! Today was the camp tradition of track and field meet. We started this morning with a breakfast of french toast and cereal to fuel us for our morning events. Campers participated in the running and standing long jumps, softball throw, and 50 yard dash. The top three scorers in each section (hilltop, lakeside, and seniors) were able to earn points for their respective green or white teams. Everybody did an amazing job and their enthusiasm was through the roof. 

We then concluded the morning events with a general swim. After swimming in the lake, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of ham and noodles. For dessert, we had the classic cake with green or white frosting depending on your team. Campers then headed off for a much need rest hour. After that, campers had the option to participate in the marathon run (a half mile race) down camp road. The marathon ended near Cabin 5 and the runners got to finish surrounded by their fellow campers who were cheering them on.

Campers then participated in the team triathlon where they are divided into groups of runners, boaters, and swimmers. Campers passed their team batons from all the way at the top of camp road down to the finish at the edge of main dock. Campers then participated in optional swim races in their respective swimming levels. We enjoyed a delicious supper of the camp counselors’ favorite, chicken melts. Followed by another favorite, butterscotch pudding, for dessert. For evening program, the campers participated in a multitude of relays with their teams, such as dribbling soccer balls, balancing ping pong balls on spoons, running, and an obstacle course. Today was truly a day for the girls’ camp history books.

Love from the lake, 

Grace and Emma 

Saturday, July 22nd

Welcome to the sixth day of girls’ camp!! This morning we had tasty blueberry bread for breakfast. We then headed off to classes where we swam, boated, played sports, and made arts and crafts. 

For dinner, we had a camp classic: our director Chris’ famous lasagna!! Everyone loved the lasagna, especially as it was followed by vanilla cake. We then nominated and voted for team captains for our Track and Field Day, which is tomorrow. The newly appointed captains picked the Green and White teams for Hilltop, Lakeside, and Seniors. We all headed off to Rest Hour as our LTs worked hard during lifeguard training. Following Rest Hour, we cooled off in the lake during General Swim. We enjoyed our last period of the day and activity period doing fun things throughout camp. Campers had fun jumping off the tower, learning how to braid, and sailing our big boat, the Hunter. 

For supper, our kitchen had another day off so we had a picnic of hotdogs and cookies. For evening program, we played Step It Up, where campers try a variety of games and earn “beans” for their robots that travel different routes around camp. After running around, we jumped in the lake for quick dip and headed off to bed. Excitement is brimming throughout camp for the long awaited Track Meet!! We’ll see you tomorrow with all the updates from the meet! 

Love from the lake, 

Grace and Emma 

Thursday, July 20th

Hello, everyone! In our opinion, today was a perfect camp day. The weather was gorgeous, the lake was warm, and the food was great.

We started our day with some delicious cinnamon bread, which was such a hit the kitchen gave almost every camper seconds. Campers used their full bellies to have an action packed morning. Camp duties switched today, so campers got to try new things around camp, like sweeping common areas and helping take care of the boats. Morning classes were super fun. Some senior swimming classes were able to practice diving, and most sports classes got to try out elements on our low ropes course.

Lunch was ravioli with our favorite dessert, chocolate pudding pie (thank you, Annee Bess). Cabin one came up nine times for refills on the baguettes! Rest Hour was peaceful as always and then we all hopped in for General Swim. The campers enthusiastically jumped in the water, as it was very hot.

Seniors boating was finally able to hit the water during fourth period, so the lake was speckled with rowboats, canoes, and sailboats. The Lakesiders were finally able to try tennis and archery during their sports class. During Activity period, there was a very competitive drawing contest and large, long, loud game of Gaga.

Dinner was grilled cheese, with a special new dessert of freshly baked sugar cookies! Evening program was Spies and Smugglers, a game where campers attempt to smuggle their hidden ticket across camp without being caught by the opposing spy team. Spirits were high as campers tried to find creative hiding places for their tickets so the spies couldn’t find them. Afterwards, everybody was sweaty, so we went in for a quick dip, sang songs, and went happily to bed. Thanks for reading, and special thanks to our guest blogger, Maggie Bush!

Love from the lake,
Grace, Maggie, and Emma

Wednesday, July 19th

Welcome to day three of girls’ camp! This morning we had a delicious breakfast of waffles with peanut butter and syrup. Morning classes were a success with lots of boating and splashing during swim classes. Campers also continued to work on their arts and crafts projects. 

Dinner was another camp classic of Shepherd’s pie (meat, potatoes, and corn). Afterwards, we headed off for Rest Hour and our kitchen staff left for their night off. After Rest Hour we enjoyed a special guest, CZR reptiles, who brought a multitude of reptiles including two tortoises, 5 snakes, a tegu, and a baby alligator named Cupcake! We also hopped in the lake to play diving games, participate in contests, and jump off the tower. 

For supper tonight we had sandwiches, chips, bug juice (lemonade), and cookies. When our kitchen staff have the night off, we eat picnic style with our cabins throughout camp. It’s personally one of our favorite nights.

We then headed up to the A-field for a camp favorite, Capture the Flag. Tug-a-wars were had all across the boundary line, sprints were run, fun was had, and flags were captured. We then sang goodnight songs, had a quick dip, and campers headed off to bed. We are all excited for yet another day on the beautiful Columbia lake. 

Love from the lake, 

Grace and Emma 

Tuesday, July 18th

Welcome to day two of girls’ camp!! This morning, we started off strong with a camp classic for breakfast: blueberry bread. After our bellies were full, we headed off to our morning classes. Campers were brimming with excitement about getting out on the water in boats and splashing around in Columbia Lake. 

For dinner, we had chicken tenders with rice and green beans. We then ate chocolate pudding for dessert. It was delicious! We had a brief rain shower during Rest Hour. The rain cleared in time for General Swim before the next rain shower rolled in. We then had fourth period inside with our lakeside campers playing dominos and our senior campers going over parts of the boat/canoe/sailboat. 

Campers played board games and made arts and crafts during activity period. Then we headed off to supper, where we had meatball grinders and apple crisp for dessert. We played a fun game called “Murder by Night” where campers tried to solve a murder mystery by asking counselors for their alibis and finding clues for the murder weapon. It was Sophie and Carmela with an oar lock taking our beloved swimming supervisor, Sami. Then we sang goodnight songs and campers headed off to bed. Campers are excited for another day on the lake tomorrow! 

Love from the lake, 

Grace and Emma 

Monday, July 17th

Welcome to the girls’ camp Birch blog!! Today was a spectacular first day of camp. After a very rainy move in day yesterday, we welcomed today’s sunny weather. After breakfast of French toast, campers headed off to their morning classes. In sports we played the first day game of nukem, which helps everyone learn each others’ names! The lake was busy with eager new boaters and swimmers ready to learn in their classes.

For lunch (called dinner at camp), we had a fan favorite of ziti with salad and bread. We also enjoyed chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles. Next was store, where campers could buy any items they forgot as well as candy for rest hour. During Rest Hour, everyone stayed in the cabin and took a much needed break, except for our LT’s (leadership trainees) who worked hard on their lifeguarding prerequisites. After Rest Hour was General Swim. Campers got to swim around with their friends and cool off in the lake for a while. Next, we went off to fourth period and then activity period where campers can participate in different activities counselors offer such as Gaga, jumping off the tower, hair braiding, and frisbee! 

For dinner (aka supper), we ate tacos with a bunch of different toppings as well as peaches for dessert. After a bit of free time, everyone went up to the A field to play medical war! We usually play medical war on the first night of camp but did not last night because of the rain. Campers and counselors played hard and cheered loudly for their teammates. After the game, campers were offered a quick dip which is an opportunity to hop in the lake to cool off after evening program. Lots of campers participated in the dip as we were all very sweaty. Then, it was time for bed so we’re ready for another awesome day at camp!

Love from the lake, 

Grace and Emma

Friday, July 14th

It’s our last day of boys’ camp :(

We had an extra 30 minutes of sleep this morning because of the rain, and then played some fun indoor games for morning classes. Scattergories is a camp classic, and we were glad to get the chance to play it today in replacement of swimming class. Board games are always a classic for us at camp on a rainy day.

For dinner, we all got dressed in our nicest clothes and had a Thanksgiving feast for Banquet. There’s nothing like potatoes and gravy! Coming from two girls’ camp counselors, banquet looks a lot different at boys’ camp. Nonetheless, it was still a great meal to begin wrapping up our amazing session!

Campers had one final Rest Hour, and one final General Swim. Newly passed level 5 swimmers got to try jumping off the tower during General Swim for the first time ever! The boys worked really hard in boating classes as it was their last chance to pass into the next level. The hilltop campers finished up their arts and crafts projects and made paper airplanes during period 4.

For supper, we had grilled cheese and tomato soup! Since it is the last Friday of the session, we did not have an evening program. Instead, we did our traditional campfire where we had s’mores and gave out camp awards! Then, we did our candlelight service as our final goodbye. Campers enjoyed this sentimental tradition, and then were sent to bed and given a chance to silently reflect on the past two weeks.

It was an amazing session; lots of fun, sun, rain, and enthusiasm! For it being our first ever boys’ camp, it definitely did not disappoint! Now it’s time to send the campers back home and say our final goodbyes; see you tomorrow!

Thursday, July 13th

Today was packed with lots of passes in our swimming and boating classes, some campers trying new foods, and a swim across the lake to Frog Island! The weather was beautiful from the start of the day all the way to dusk.

For breakfast, we had cornbread and orange juice. In the morning, lots of campers passed out of their swimming classes which allowed some of them to finally jump off the tower during Activity Period! We also completed our annual Frog Island swim, where we allow our highest level of swimmers to swim to the sand bar on the other side of the lake!

Dinner was ravioli which led to yet another amazing Rest Hour. Campers were hesitant to get in the water because of the slightly windy and cloudy weather, but luckily the water felt warmer than the air during General Swim.

For supper, we had a build-your-own sandwich meal, except the kitchen staff added a twist and used hot dog rolls instead of buns. The evening program game was called Garbage Collector - a no-contact, fast paced handball type of game. Everyone got involved in it, and used so much energy that it called for yet another quick dip in the lake to end our night.

One more full day left of camp!