July 18

First nights at camp are always full of excitement, and many campers have trouble falling asleep in their new forest-surroundings. Despite these first-night jitters, campers are already settling into the busy schedule and the Asto Wamah Way. It was a hot and humid day, so everyone was excited to cool off in swimming classes and general swim. Beginning boaters and canoe-ers had their first launch out on the lake, while sailors learned how to properly rig and derig a sunfish sailboat. At sports class, some went off to archery or to play tennis, and others stayed to play Nuke-'um on the field. Campers chose an arts & crafts activity: weaving a basket with Carol, sewing a pillow, decorating flip-flops, weaving gimp, or making friendship bracelets.  LTs (Leaders in Training) are also settling into their new role, and are actively helping to teach classes and lead camp songs.    At dinner, campers were re-fueled with the hearty cheeseburgers and Colombia farm-fresh lettuce from farmer Chris across the lake.  The light rain this afternoon did not slow us down, so we will be playing Capture the Flag for Evening Program. Hope my team wins! -the Birch Blogger