Monday, July 18th

Last night was a little too warm for our liking, it made it very hard to fall asleep! The first night can be tricky, campers and staff alike are getting used to their new surroundings and the heat did not help. However, campers were still excited for their first full day at Asto Wamah! 

After a filling breakfast of blueberry bread and cereal, campers returned to their cabins and worked together to clean their cabin. Every day, the nurse goes into every cabin and selects the cleanest cabin on Hilltop, Lakeside, and Seniors. The girls are extra diligent and every cabin looked fantastic today! Cabins 2, 5, and 8 won inspection today.

As it is the first day of classes, there were a lot of rules to go over. Swimmers found out who their teacher would be for the next two weeks and showed off their strokes! Boaters, canoers, and sailors alike sat on the logs as Lydia and Sam, our small craft directors, went over safety and how to properly put on a PFD (personal flotation device)! Afterwards, canoers practiced their technique in our shallow water - Aquarium. Sailors learned how to rig and de-rig their Sunfish while boaters went over parts of the boat. In Arts and Crafts today campers were introduced to our more creative staff members. Deb is our arts and crafts director, Carol is our basket maker, and Kevin is our nature expert. After the introductions, campers began their projects! Sports classes played Nuke 'Em, it is a great first day game because it is a good way to learn everyone's name. 

Ziti was served for lunch today! Campers enjoyed french bread and salad as side items, and dessert was vanilla pudding. After rest hour we finished our daily class schedule with 4th period. A small storm hit us this afternoon so all 4th period classes took place in the lodge. Luckily, it cleared quickly and we were able to resume a normal schedule for activity period. Campers were allowed to jump off the tower, go for a run, play badminton, or participate in Aquarium games. We had a lot of fun!

Dinner tonight was chicken melts, with a side of potato chips and applesauce. Chocolate cake was gobbled up for dessert.

Because our athletic field is still too wet to run on we are playing reverse scavenger hunt for our evening program tonight. For this game each girl brings one item of their to the lodge. Then will then use these items to plan out a skit as a cabin that fits the theme set by counselors. It is definitely a favorite game for our campers, they are VERY excited to participate.

Thankfully the rain cooled things down a little bit so tonight should be more comfortable for sleeping. Overall it was a great camp day today!

~Taylor and Shannon 

First day of Girls Session 1

The hot day was definitely not ideal for drop-off day, but even still campers, parents, and siblings were hauling trunks to their new homes! Campers quickly settled in and started to learn the rules of the cabin, and more importantly, they met the other girls in their cabins. 

After some housekeeping within the cabins the whole camp gathered to go over some expectations for the next two weeks. New campers were tested for swimming and assigned a swimming level while old campers caught up with their camp friends. Following that, everyone went in for a general swim! The water really cooled everyone off making things a little more comfortable. 

After a half hour of free time the tables were set for dinner and we all sat down for our first meal together - hot dogs! The hot dogs were served with tater tots, baked beans, and a dessert of brownies. 

Evening program tonight is Medical War! Medical War is a variation of dodgeball that allows campers to be "saved" if they get hit so they can return to the game. It's definitely a camp favorite!

The first bedtime at camp is always a restless one, especially with the heat tonight, but we expect everyone will settle in and be comfortable in no time! We are excited for the two weeks that are ahead of us!

~Taylor and Shannon 

Banquet & Campfire

Hello there Birch Bloggers! We have had an exciting past two days here at Asto Wamah, but first, we would like to remind you that pick-up is TOMORROW from 8:30-10am.  We are all so sad that the first girls’ session has finally come to a close. Yesterday was banquet, a Thanksgiving-style meal that has everyone dressed up in green and white. Sue, the cook, served us a delicious meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry slices, and bread. This was followed by either chocolate chip cookie dough or chocolate caramel crunch. During banquet we sing plenty of songs, see a slideshow of pictures from the session, and campers receive year awards. Banquet is concluded with a candlelight service; it was too windy to put the candles on the lake, so we stood in a circle around the flagpole before blowing them all out.

Today was the final day of camp, so campers had one last chance to show off all of their newly acquired swimming and boating skills, and finish up any last minute arts and crafts projects. We were also finally able to finish our game of Mission to Mars in place of activity period. There was a bit of thunder, but we were still able to have our campfire this evening.

Campers were treated to s’mores and songs. They also were recognized if they passed in either swimming or boating, or if they placed in any of the track and field events. This has been another wonderful session here at camp, and we are sad to say goodbye to what has been an amazing group of girls this session. We hope they have enjoyed this session as much as we have!

One final REMINDER, please arrive between 8:30-10am TOMORROW MORNING to pick-up your campers!

-The Birch Blogger

What a Wednesday!

It's been a wonderful day at Camp Asto Wamah! The day started off with a nice swim to Frog Island. There is a nice sandbar in the middle of Columbia Lake, about a quarter mile away from camp. Swimmers who are in a level six or seven swim class can participate in the swim, so during first period four or five campers each follow a row boat, being rowed by a lifeguard, out to Frog Island. Then the swimmers have a little break at the sand bar, when many will look for the perfect rock to keep as a souvenir, then the different teams turned back toward camp and made to to second period just a few minutes late.

Swimming classes have improved a great deal, and many of the girls are just about ready to pass to the next level. It is really wonderful seeing the girls become more confident in the water, especially when it is here that girls are first learning to swim and dive here. The girls are becoming more confident in general throughout all of their classes and even in their free time and decision making. What a great experience.

Today the LTs are putting on a carnival for the rest of camp. They have been working hard to come up with a theme, costumes, signs, and most importantly lots of fun Games for the campers to play. There will be lots of booths set up around the flagpole, arts & crafts room, upper and lower lodge, and porch area. Each camper will get a few beans that she will need to play the games (and get her face painted) and the girls have the chance to win more beans by beating the different games. It will be lots of fun for everyone!

Thanks for reading!

- The Birch Blogger

Track Meet Recap!

Hello Birch Bloggers!The weather had our track meet (scheduled Sunday) split into two days. Yesterday morning we were struck by rain, so instead of the regular events, we played a new dice game called Same or Die. It was created here at camp, and has become a fast favorite. The afternoon was met with sunshine, so we were able to do our morning events after rest hour. Campers competed in the running long jump, standing long jump, 50 yard dash and softball throw on the A-field. They were then given the opportunity to participate in the marathon, a half mile run from the field down Corduroy Road, the Camp Road, and finishing at the Cabin 5 wash stand.

We later competed in a set of group challenges which forced the girls to work as a team to earn points. The evening brought even more rain, so we had a game night in the lodge. Counselors selected their favorite board game, and campers were able to jump from game to game as they pleased.

Today, we had our regular classes, but before general swim, we did the Indian War Relay. The Indian War relay has campers running a baton from the top of the Camp Road down to the docks where it is passed to swimmers and boaters. The boaters bring the baton over to Hungerford Cove, and it is then run back to main camp and swam in to main dock. The green team walked away victorious, in what was a very close race!

Tonight we are either finishing up Mission to Mars, or playing games in the lodge. Campers have been looking forward to Mission to Mars, so hopefully the rain holds out and we are able to play. Tomorrow night is talent night, so stay tuned to hear all about our wonderful acts.

-The Birch Blogger

A Beautiful Thursday at Camp

Hello Birch Bloggers! It was another perfect day at Columbia Lake! The weather was beautiful and everyone is having lots of fun. Today we ate wonderful cinnamon bread, one of my (and most campers) favorite breakfast breads. Then for lunch we had Sue's famous lasagna, and hamburgers for dinner - everyone's stomach's are full and happy! Classes ran smoothly, as usual. In arts and crafts, many of the campers are starting to sharpen their sewing skills, learning how to make pillows and cross stitch - you will be amazed by their skills when they return home. Sports classes played nuk'em and Kan-Jam, while swimming and boating classes went smoothly.

Campers just picked out teams for track and field day which we will have on Sunday. All of the campers are split into two teams, green and white and there will be different games and activities throughout the week, opportunities for campers to win points for their team. Tonight, to start off the competition, we are playing Pirate Gangs! This is an extremely fun game which takes place throughout most of camp. Campers are dressed in black and running around the camp look for a hidden treasure, trying to collect trash for extra points, and partaking in "gun battles" with girls on the other team. (Camp Asto Wamah guns are a small cloth tied with a rubber band to keep hold flour in it, so when a camper is hit, a small spot will appear on her dark clothes.) The girls all love the game and were so excited when they heard we were playing it!

That's all for now!

~ The Birch Blogger 

Thrilling Thursday

Thursday was yet another beautiful day here at Camp Asto Wamah. We received a bit of rain last night, but all was well by morning time. We woke up this morning to everything being a bit damp, but we did not let that hold us back! For breakfast we had waffles and peanut butter, which was followed by cabin cleanup and camp duties time. When the first period bell rang, seniors were in the upper lodge for sports, lakeside was in the lake for swimming, and the hilltopers were making arts and crafts. Today marked the second day of our Secret Sister program here at camp. Last night each camper drew a name out of a bucket; this person was to be their secret sister for the next couple of days. Over the course of the program, everyone is expected to do something nice (give compliments, make a craft, help out, etc.) for their secret sister. The catch is that it is a secret! Tomorrow night we will have a big reveal, and so everyone will know who their secret sister was. This is a great way for campers to get to know someone new and maybe make a difference in someone’s day.

Tonight we enjoyed tacos with all the fixings (tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, hot sauce, etc.) with apple crisp for dessert. Everyone is currently up at the A-field where they are getting instructions on how to play King Dodge. This is another favorite amongst both the campers and staff. It is sure to tire everyone out and make for a good night’s sleep.

-The Birch Blogger

Wonderful Wednesday

Hello Birch Bloggers, Yesterday was a hot day that made it perfect for swimming on the lake! All of our classes ran smoothly, per usual, and in addition to our normally scheduled programming, we had a special visitor. Instead of activity period, we had Bwana Iguana, a reptile specialist, come as special entertainment. Each session we try to bring in special acts as a way to mix things up a bit. Bwana Iguana brought all types of reptiles: a box turtle, alligator, snakes, etc. This was both a fun and educational program for the campers.

Last night the campers played cops and robbers. This is both a camper AND counselor favorite! Cops and Robbers has campers running through the woods with numbered slips of paper looking for their match. The counselors act as cops who stop the campers and try and guess the color of their paper in order to win it from them. The game definitely tired everyone out, making for a sound night’s sleep.

Today we enjoyed bagels and oatmeal for breakfast, chicken parm and spaghetti for dessert, and then had a fun eat out for dinner! Every Wednesday and Thursday the kitchen staff has off once they are finished cleaning up after lunch. That means we have a meal of turkey and ham sandwiches along with as many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as each camper wants. The most fun part is that each cabin picks a different location to eat, some are on the A-field, Main Dock, different rafts, or on different picnic tables around camp. It is definitely a fun time.

Today was a windy day so sailors really enjoyed being out on Columbia Lake. Sports classes today went out to our ropes course; campers had to work together to accomplish a task on the different equipment. One class took to the Nitro Swing, each camper had to swing over and either land on an “island,” base, or wooden board. It seemed easy at first but then the campers had to put extra thought into their movements when the landing zones started getting more crowded. All of the girls had a great time!

Tonight we will be playing a rousing game of capture the flag! Capture the flag is always a fun game but it is even better on a big field with 40 to 50 people on either side. It’s fun seeing campers either sneak onto the other side to attempt to capture the other team’s flag or jail, or see them just sprint in a mad dash. We are confident that we will be able to get in a fun game before it begins to ran and we look forward to the rain bringing in a bit cooler weather!

- The Birch Blogger

Magnificent Monday!

What a fun first full day for our first girls session! We started the day off being woken up by our bell, just like every morning. Then all the campers gathered around to raise the flag, say the Pledge, and do Chicken Fat – a quick morning aerobics (jumping jacks, toes touches, etc). Then it was time for breakfast and we all enjoyed Sue’s blueberry bread. After breakfast campers head back to their cabins to clean up, get ready for classes, and also do a camp duty – every one helps make sure each cabin and the different buildings around camp are nice and clean, the way that we all want to use them.

Then classes began! Campers all have arts and crafts, swimming, boating, and sports throughout the day. We have three different options for boating classes, row-boats, canoes, and sailboats. Sports classes either played kickball or nuk’em (a fun game that is like the opposite of dodge ball, instead of trying to hit someone you want the ball to hit the ground). There are many different options within arts and crafts, many campers went to nature, basket making, or staying in class to make bracelets, geckos or pillows.

In the afternoon, we had a lovely general swim. The weather was perfect so all of the campers were able to swim around and enjoy Columbia Lake. In the afternoon counselor’s offer different activities and campers can decide what they want to do. Many campers signed up to go on The Hunter, our camp’s sailboat, the paddle-boards, or on the sunfish. Other options were volleyball, jumping off the tower, Kan-Jam, Spoons, and Apples-to-Apples. Everyone had a great time!

This evening we will be playing Spies and Smugglers. A game when half of the campers will try to smuggle a piece of paper with a point value up to the A-field while the other half of the campers are trying to stop them from getting the points up. After the game it will be time again for bed. It is always much easier for campers to fall asleep on the second night after a full day of running around.

Check back in tomorrow!

- The Birch Blogger