This morning campers finished up their final round of Interest Groups. From soccer to creative writing, fishing to Miniwanca magic, embroidery to ceramics, and theater to dune discovery campers wrapped up their experience with Interest Groups this morning. Lunch was a fun and wild affair with rolling “funsies.” Typically, campers can only do three funsies, such as song challenges, demands for people to shake their booty, or just plain old banging on the table. Today campers started the funsies early and kept them going throughout the entire meal! It was a grand accompaniment to our quesadilla lunch and kept the spirits and the energy high.

After a normal Rest Hour, campers headed over to the Council Circle for an Awards Assembly. We celebrated our astonishing 138 Polar Bears (the most at one time in recent history) and our campers who referred a friend to come to camp. We also learned the “Secret of the Tags,” our special way to make sure your campers go home with everything that belongs to them.

This afternoon, amid distant rumbles of thunder, campers started the packing and cleaning process. After two and three (for some campers, even five and six!) weeks of camp, there is plenty to go through and pack up. Campers will be bringing home smiles, crafthouse projects, and a greater sense of self.

Dinner was another fun affair with our Avail Slumber Party Banquet! Campers came dressed in their PJs and enjoyed classic “take out” food (sweet and sour chicken with egg rolls), ice cream, and a movie playing in the background! Avail spent most of the afternoon decorating the Eating Lodge to really get us in the feel of the theme.

After dinner we all gathered in Council Circle for Closing Council. We celebrated and recognized many accomplishments from our Foresters who took their first step into wilderness adventure to our Avail campers who were leaders of their tribes to our Odyssey campers who biked almost 13o0 miles from Merrowvista to Miniwanca. First Year Camps, and Explorer and Adventurer campers were awarded patches to recognize their successes. Avail campers were awarded a long sleeve t-shirt. Voyageur campers earned their Rugbys, whose stripes connect them with all Voyageurs past and present. Odyssey campers earned their jackets, which they will wear with pride to remind them of all they have overcome. We are so proud of the accomplishments of all of our brave, daring, and loving campers here at Miniwanca.

We closed the night with an incredible Vespers led by our Odyssey campers in Church of the Dunes. Every story had the words, “nevertheless I persisted.” Through the good times and the hard, in rain and shine, through triumph and heartache, this summer we all persisted and here is the end too soon.

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Before the ride in, bright and early at 7:45 this morning came the rising bell. Campers hopped out of bed to get ready for Doc Wheels, our once-a-session co-ed Fun Run with Boys Camp. The run is named after a doctor who worked at Miniwanca once upon a time and loved to run. Since the days of Doc Wheels, campers have completed the Doc Wheels Fun Run, which takes them from Creek Field, into Girls Camp, out to Boys Camp, up over Baldy, through the draw, down the beach and back to the Green Acre for donuts and other goodies for breakfast.

After their arduous toil over the dunes, campers were thrilled to encounter the donuts, water, and bananas at the Green Acre. A quick Polar Bear dip and some dancing perked them up, and by the time Odyssey and Voyageur were ready for ride in at 9:55 the energy in camp was at full blast. Odyssey came riding down the Green Acre, dumped their bikes and met Voyageur campers out in the water. Together they sang Founder Hearts and then we all celebrated their safe and triumphant return home.

After much cheering, hugs, and tears, campers regathered in the Hollow to dress their leaders! Campers were given 15 minutes to create the perfect costume for a camper or leader in their sister cabin grouping. There was a bride, the statue of liberty, some fancy clothes and so much more.

After a pizza lunch, campers headed into a typical day with Extended Rest Hour, followed by IG’s 3 & 4. Astonishingly enough, today was the last round of our afternoon IGs for the session. How has this day come so soon? It feels like only yesterday the campers were choosing their first Interest Groups, and yet here we are already. After that final chance to sail, climb, shoot arrows, learn survival skills, create ceramics, knit and more, campers headed into a relaxing Free Time. The paddle, which was hidden on Monday night, has still not been found. Campers are eagerly searching for it to win a few more points for their tribe.

After dinner, campers headed out to the Assembly for our Leader Show, titled A Wink In Time. A camper from the summer of 1938 is transported to Miniwanca in 2017 and has to learn to cope with time travel, new friends, being her best self, creating an inclusive community, and being a leader. This show is a tradition from way back in the day, and is always a hit at camp. Be sure to ask your camper about it and find out more!

We ended the night with a Vespers by Avail on being their best selves. After this moving end to the night, everyone headed off to the cabins to tuck in and get some rest. We’re looking forward to tomorrow!

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After some tasty breakfast sandwiches to fuel us up for the day, campers headed out for CORE and their morning IGs. After some soccer, pottery, Harry Potter, Circle Journals, campers all met in the Hollow just before lunch to welcome home our Adventurer campers! The Adventurers have just completed a 500 mile bike trip to the Leelanau Peninsula and Traverse City. After braving the hills of Northern Michigan, we are so happy to welcome them back to Miniwanca for the last few days of camp. “We are proud of you” indeed!

The afternoon continued in a typical way with Tribal Games and afternoon IGs. Campers spent their Free Time in the Crafthouse, swimming in Lake Michigan, and searching for the paddle. Just before dinner started, we welcomed home our Explorer campers, who are returning to Miniwanca after 6 days of canoeing the Manistee River. This completes the second of their two trips, and represents their first big step into the Four Trails Program.

This evening we had the amazing chance to enjoy the Talent Show! Our Avail campers hosted the event, which featured singing, dancing, joke-telling, and more. We had several original songs, including those from campers Ellison and Louisa. Julia astonished us all by playing the ukulele behind her head AND singing to her own accompaniment. Campbell and Elle showed their gymnastics skills, and Ella, Ellie, Maddi, Sam, Grace, and Meera told some jokes (what do you call your cat after you put it in the fridge? The coolest cat in town!). Maddi also played the piano and Rhoswyn played the flute. Abby and Kate did a classic “Not Your Arms” sketch that had us all laughing. Sophie and Anna sang a cute duet about being sisters, and Emily helped us transition to the Adventurer vespers on overcoming obstacles by leading everyone in Barges.

It has been another wonderful day here on the shores of Lake Michigan. We’re looking forward to the Doc Wheels Fun Run tomorrow and our Ody and Voy Ride In!

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After our traditional Sunday breakfast of Wancabread, sausages, applesauce, and hard boiled eggs, everyone found a quiet spot for some meditation and reflection time. When the bell rang, we all gathered at Church of the Dunes for Something Sacred. Something Sacred is a special part of our Miniwanca tradition in which we spend some time on Sundays connecting with something greater than ourselves. We have campers who are Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, atheist, non-practicing, spiritual, and every other possible description under the sun. Something Sacred offers everyone a chance to come together to think about their own values and beliefs and to listen a bit to the practices of others. This week we all created prayer flags, prayers that we have for the community that we will hang in camp in hopes that they fly back out to the community.

After Something Sacred, an amazing lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup, and Rest Hour, campers convened in Girls Camp Council Circle for the start of Tribal Cup! This is one of the two co-ed events in each session. Campers combined tribes from Boys and Girls Camps and then ventured out into camp to get to know one another, play fun games, and see both sides of camp. At 4:45 we all met on Bryant Field in the Thunderdome and started the Tribal Cup Competition. Campers competed in minute-to-win-it style challenges, such as tying a balloon on a string to their ankle and trying to keep their balloon alive while popping the other contestants balloons, all for Tribal Points! After that exciting event, we had an awesome cook out dinner on Bryant Field and ate brownies for dessert that the Boys Camp Challengers made this morning as their service project.

As I write this, our Girls Campers sit in the Upper Tipi watching Moana and having some well deserved rest after such a big and exciting day. We had a fantastic day today and cannot wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us.

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All day long, campers participated in RASKAL, Creative Writing, Harry Potter, Sailing, Climbing, Zumba, Zen Tangles, Glitter Girl Power, Honey I Shrunk the Camp, Yoga and Meditation, Lake Michigan Beach Time, Chillin’ with Chels, Miniwanca Memories, Miniwanca Magic, Wandering Watercolors, Theater, Fishing, Hockey, Soccer, Wood Shop, Ceramics, and more. This round of Interest Groups brought the most offerings we’ve had so far this summer, and the leaders and LITs are bringing all their creativity and love into this last week of camp.

After Rest Hour, campers headed out to the fields for some Tribal Games (are great)! Campers competed in Block Soccer, Captain Ball, Deck Tennis, Smashball to earn tribal points. And speaking of tribal points, the Ridges found the paddle today right after lunch! This is the first Ridge paddle find this session and the campers were thrilled to earn points in that way.

Rest Hour brought another perfect opportunity for campers to head down to Lake Michigan and search for the newly hidden paddle, but campers didn’t find it until right after dinner! The clue “Let’s get to the root of this situation” was too easy for the Draw tribe and they were back within five minutes of the end of dinner with the paddle in hand.

After dinner, everyone gathered in Assembly for the start of Leader Hunt! In this activity, leaders hide around camp and the campers must go find them to earn points for their tribe. The Draw Tribe brought their “A” game and won the day!

We ended the night with a Vespers from both cabins 24 and 34 on creativity and watched a beautiful sunset over Lake Michigan.

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After a yummy breakfast and some dancing to get us ready for the day, we set out with our age groups. The Darers spent the morning tubing the creek, and then worked with their sister cabins to do some service projects around camp. Our Foresters spent the morning doing a team-challenge block to ready them for their adventure tonight. Challengers spent the morning on the high-ropes course, encouraging each other and stepping outside of their comfort zones. In the afternoon, the Darers and the Challengers swapped activities, so they all had the chance to tube, climb, and contribute to our positive community by cleaning up the assembly building, Marie Shaver, The Oley Center, Church of the Dunes, and more!

Our senior Avail campers spent all morning at their service project site, an on-site house called Creek View, continuing the work from our senior Avail girls from Session A . They worked with our amazing Facilities team make a fence around the house and to paint all of the siding that was put up on the house last session.

After lunch and (extended) rest hour, while the Darers and Challengers participated in their new activities, the Foresters did their gear pack-out to prepare to leave for their over-night adventure to the Well Site, which is about a one-mile hike away from the edge of camp property. During this time, the Avail seniors met with Liz in the Four Seasons building to get to know each other a little bit better.

The Eating Lodge was overflowing with energy tonight as groups came back from their various activities, and that energy carried over into night’s doings. Darers and Challengers had a beach party with s’mores, senior Avail campers met with the Avail campers from Boys Camp to do some team building and competition with EPIC, and the Foresters left for their big adventure!

Trailblazers hosted our evening reflection on the beach, speaking about what it means to them to be one’s best self.

Adventure Day was quite a success.

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Campers started the day with their typical hop into Lake Michigan and then headed down to the Hollow for Morning Stretch led by cabin 18. The theme cabin 18 chose is Change, and campers talked about how important it is to work to change so you can be your best self, as well as how good change can be – even when it’s hard. One camper talked about how she had been homesick, but that changed and now she loves being here and wants to be back again next year.

Today’s Interest Groups are the last for this round. Campers are finishing up their Circle Journals, glazing their pottery, going for hikes and dips in the lake, and getting in one last climb at the high ropes course. Tomorrow the campers will have a new chance to choose the next round of Interest Groups.  New offerings for next week include RASKAL (random acts of service, kindness and love), Honey I Shrunk the Camp (a shrinky dink based interest group), Survivor (a conglomeration of outdoor skills), and Doc Wheels Prep (a running group).

Campers spent the first part of Free Time preparing for Tribal Council tonight, which was themed after the Four Folds. Each tribe had to create three separate acts with at least one of them based off of their theme (mental fold, social fold, physical fold, and religious fold). The campers brought all their creativity and fun to their planning and performance. Notable acts included a Tribal Cheer Mash Up from the Ridges, who were representing the social fold, and a spot-on impression of coordinator Jensen leading zumba brought to us by members of the Draw tribe as they represented the physical fold. We also sang a rousing 4 part round of My Paddle, complete with dance led by the one and only Liz Marshall. In the end, the Draw tribe gave it their all and won tonight’s Tribal Council!

We ended the night with an Evening Reflection on the beach brought to us by cabin 27. The gorgeous sunset tonight is a view we will take with us into our Adventure Daringly, Serve Humbly day tomorrow.

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The rain broke just as campers were entering the Eating Lodge for a lunch of soup and sandwiches and luckily passed before the meal had even ended, leading to a quiet and cool Rest Hour. In Tribal Games, campers competed in Block Soccer, Deck Tennis, Captain Ball, and Smash Ball. Be sure to ask about all of these great camp games, which each add a fun twist to traditional and competitive sports here at camp.

The afternoon brought campers the chance to Watercolor, Chill with Chels, make Pottery and more. Unfortunately, rain interrupted our fourth period. Campers from waterfront Interest Groups headed to the Eating Lodge for a board game party. During Free Time, the hunt for the paddle was on. Today’s clues were “The paddle is near the grapes,” and “It is a mark of leadership to adjust.” Campers headed out to find grapevines and searched around buildings that might be linked to leadership with no luck.

After dinner, with more rain threatening on the forecast, campers headed off to Assembly for Grab Bag! In this wacky Night’s Doings, each cabin fill a pillowcase with random things they brought with them to camp and gathers as a tribe. The announcer will list an item, such at “A Harry Potter book,” and each tribe will have to either produce such an item or get as close as they can to the item as fast as possible. The first tribe to convince the judge that they have the correct item wins the round. Tonight, the Dune Tribe brought plenty of creativity and speed to the game and won!

We ended our night with an evening reflection brought to us by Cabin 12 on beauty. It’s been another great day at Miniwanca, even with with rain, and we can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us!

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After a delicious breakfast of local strawberries and blueberry breakfast cake, campers headed off to CORE. Darers all gathered together on the Green Acre to learn more about one another and then learned the self worth song! This new addition to camp has been a big hit all summer and goes something like this:

I’m big, I’m strong, I’m ready for whatever comes along

I have great friends, we’ll stick together until the end

I like myself, I’m worth a lot

And you can’t tell me that I’m not

‘Cause you can’t see inside of me

Self Worth

Morning Interest Groups kicked right off after CORE and campers headed out to make some Fairy Houses, Microwave Mania crafts, dance in Zumba, go Climbing, and begin working on Pottery among many other options. After lunch, campers took a Rest Hour and then headed up to Assembly where they learned the Crawdad Song and got their tribal t-shirts. Afternoon Interest Groups had campers Sailing, Chilling with Chelsea, Horseback Riding, doing Harry Potter activities and so much more. During Free Time, campers ran down to Lake Michigan for some beach time and searched Girls Camp for the elusive paddle.

After dinner, campers gathered together for Soldiers and Spies! Each tribe worked together to pass small notes and win tribal points. Spies from the tribe have a small colored piece of paper they hide somewhere on their person. If they can make it from one of their bases to the other with the note, they win a point for their tribe. Soldiers try to tag the spies. Once tagged, the Soldier has three guesses to try to find the note. If they receive it, they get a point for their tribe. This is one of the most fun and exciting Night’s Doings and we had so much fun with it. Tonight, the Dune Tribe prevailed with an astounding 258 points!

We ended our day watching a beautiful sunset over Lake Michigan as cabin 26 led our Evening Reflection about growth. The cabin invited everyone to write ways in which they hope to grow in the next two weeks here at Miniwanca and will hang the poster boards for all to see. With that peaceful end to the day, we’re ready to tackle another great one tomorrow!

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The day started off quietly, with a little extra sleep for our three week campers and a traditional Sunday breakfast of Wanca Bread, sausage, hard boiled eggs, and applesauce. Campers headed off for some quiet reflection time and then up to the Church of the Dunes for Something Sacred, our multi-faith Sunday service where campers are welcomed to share a little bit of their own personal connections with something greater than themselves. Today’s theme was loving self and others. Campers Liza, Maddie, and Charlotte as well as leader Maura shared some of their thoughts on how they care for themselves and others. We all also received a necklace with a small mirror on it. Campers were encouraged to look at themselves with love when they look through the mirror, and when they wear the mirror it is a way to reflect love to others.

After lunch, our two weekers started to arrive! As campers moved in and got settled, they took tours, got string from the crafthouse, and started playing games to get to know one another. Our two week campers headed out to Baldy and then down to the beach for a bit of swimming.

Tonight, we headed down to Council Circle for our Opening Council, where all our two week cabins introduced themselves with a cabin cheer! The LITs presented a song about the typical day, and our new Tribal Leaders were elected. Check out the pictures to see which campers are leading which tribes.

Our Voyageur re-ration drivers returned today and report that all the trips are doing really well! The first few days were apparently a bit rainy, but since then the weather has been beautiful and warm, and all the campers are enjoying themselves a lot.

We’re really looking forward to these coming two weeks with our mighty community here at Miniwanca and know that there are many things ahead of us!

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As our one week campers closed out their experience with a slide show and a closing council (where 35 of our 48 one weekers received Polar Bear shirts for hopping in the lake each morning), our three week campers were starting off of some service! The Trailblazer campers tackled the beach and did some clean up of the straw that washes up. Our Darers, 6th and 7th grade campers headed off to do some trail work and to help take down the railing of Zeke’s Stairs. The stairs, which once led up to Vesper Dune, have fallen out of use in the last few years as the dunes slowly shift over them.

Campers then headed back for an early lunch and an extended rest hour before trekking over to the Stony Lake waterfront for a fun afternoon! There was sailing, paddle boarding, and kayaking, swimming, diving, and Nucomb. Campers ate watermelon for snack and enjoyed a chill afternoon at the waterfront all together.

After a cookout dinner in the Hollow, we all had some ice cream and toppings and then headed to the Upper Tipi to watch The Parent Trap – the version from the 1960’s. With this old camp classic under their belt, campers are heading off to rest up for the start of week two and the arrival of our two week campers tomorrow!

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The day started off the typical way with morning Interest Groups. Campers got in one final round of Miniwanca Magic, Soccer, Wanca Spa, and Sailing before heading off to a wonderful lunch of baked potatoes and garden chili. As is traditional for Fridays, we had an extended Rest Hour this afternoon, and campers took full advantage of the extra nap time. As the bell rang, our one week friends rose to start the packing and cleaning process. How crazy that a full week has already passed us by and tomorrow it will be time for our one week friends to go home!

Our Darer campers headed down to the creek to do some tubing this afternoon, and our 7th graders headed to Lake Michigan for some beach time. The 6th graders hiked over to Boys Camp to participate in a team challenge, and our 8th graders headed to Graceland to start learning about Gear Pack Out for their Trailblazer trip.

This morning, our Explorer and Adventurers all headed out to start their bike trips! The Explorers are off on a four day adventure here in Western Michigan where they will journey on a supported bike trip. Our Adventurers are heading off unsupported (meaning they carry everything they need for the trip with them on their bikes) for a 500 mile trek that will take them through Traverse City and all the way to the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula. We won’t see our Adventurer campers here at camp again until August 1st! Our Voyageurs have just received their re-ration and are enjoying all of the mail and packages we sent their way. The Odyssey campers have crossed into Canada after a fun day at Niagara Falls on Wednesday!

Tonight was the Tribal Council! The rainy evening forced us indoors, but nothing could keep these campers down. Campers preformed three acts in their tribes to the themes of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. There were songs, dances, cheers, and skits galore, as well as a number of camper- and staff-led camp songs between each act. At the end of the night, the Trail tribe pulled out a narrow win ahead of the Dune tribe. We will find out tomorrow which tribe is currently in first place in the Tribal standings!

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Our theme today is involvement, and cabin 16 shared the ways that they stay involved. The morning went smoothly with CORE and IGs 1 & 2, and before we knew it, it was time for lunch! We had a camper favorite today: quesadillas and chicken tortilla soup. During the announcements, campers received a cryptic clue to find the paddle, which was the quote, “It is a mark of leadership to adjust.” This joins other recent clues, that it is “near sand”, to “seek the green”, and “where does the Wells Fargo Wagon go?” Campers searched high and low for the paddle at every free time they had, and finally during Night’s Doings, the Dune Tribe found it right by the DDLC, or Donald Danforth Leadership Center, a building where campers receive their mail. The clue will be hidden again shortly, and campers will start receiving new clues at breakfast.

Night’s Doings tonight was the ever popular Gold Rush & Wild West Showdown! Campers sought gold, won tribal points, fought off nasty bandits, and competed to see who had the best hog call. This wild and crazy night has campers running around in search of hidden gold as they try to avoid leaders dressed as bandits. When they turn in their gold at the Bank, they receive points for their tribe. After two rounds of gold seeking, campers gathered with their tribe for the Wild West Showdown, where they competed in minute-to-win-it style challenges. Some campers had to create a pyramid as fast as they could, others ate a cracker and then had to whistle twinkle twinkle little star. My personal favorite is the hog-call, where campers will show off their loudest hog call to the judges, yelling, ‘Souuueeeeeeeeee”. It’s always worth a good laugh.

We ended our night with a Vespers led by cabin 14, and watched as the sun set. Tonight, while the sun disappeared into the mist of the lake quickly, the clouds captured and reflected the sun in a unique way. Instead of reflecting the path of the sun onto the water, we saw the path of the sun reflected into the clouds. It was a beautiful and strange experience that had campers turning their heads upside down to image the sky was the water.

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After a tasty breakfast of cinnamon rolls and hard boiled eggs, we all headed off to do a little connecting in CORE. The morning Interest Groups started off strong with Creative Writing, Soccer, and Fairy Houses, and campers continued to enjoy the beautiful day at Miniwanca in IG2 with Zumba, Crafthouse Medley, and Woodshop. Our Adventurer campers took a short shakedown bike ride to Country Dairy, and the Explorer campers enjoyed the morning by Paddleboarding.

At lunch campers found out the new clue to find the paddle (it’s near sand), and discovered their themes for this week’s Tribal Council. The themes this week are Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. We’ll see what amazing acts the campers come up with on Friday when they perform for us all.

The afternoon continued smoothly with Interest Groups like Theater, Yoga, Archery, and Dream Catchers. After a delicious dinner of Sweet and Sour Chicken, campers headed off for Age Group Night’s Doings. The Darers headed to the beach for fire, s’mores, and an evening swim. The Challengers also made s’mores, and then headed to the Crafthouse to make a little tie dye! The Trailblazers headed to the Low Challenge Course for a team challenge, and our older trip groups had some trip choice time. The Explorers did some decoupaging and the Adventurers enjoyed various crafts.

It’s been another wonderful day at Miniwanca, and we’re looking forward to the fun and excitement of tomorrow!

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After breakfast and some brief camper free time, we headed into C.O.R.E., which stands for Connect, Orient, Reflect, and Empower. This is a time for campers to be with members of their own age groups. They get to know each other and themselves better while participating in positive community, best self, and balanced living activities.

Following C.O.R.E., campers were excited to begin their classes, or Interest Groups. Some went all the way to the waterfront for sailing and paddlesports. Others had the opportunity to climb our high ropes course. With classes like pottery, zumba, yoga, zen doodling, and many more, the possibilities for fun are seemingly endless.

After lunch and rest hour, campers played Tribal Games, engaging in friendly tribal competition such as deck tennis, smash ball, block soccer, and captain ball. They then dispersed into their afternoon Interest Groups and free time. Free time is a great opportunity to swim at Lake Michigan, play games in the Hollow, work at the Craft House, or even take a shower.

Our nightly activity was Wacky Olympics! Campers ran from activity to activity alongside their sister cabins. Some challenges were competitive while others were collaborative. It was incredible to feel all the energy around Miniwanca while campers settled in to their routines at camp.

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After a delicious breakfast of local strawberries and blueberry breakfast bread, campers headed out to Stony Lake for a Water Carnival (with light swim assessment), down to the beach to take cabin photos, and off to the Dad Waite Deck to talk about having a fun and safe summer with Liz Marshall!

The afternoon started off with Assembly, led by our LITs, where campers got to learn some fun facts about leaders, found out how many states our current community pulls from (26), and received their Tribal t-shirts. Campers quickly headed off to Interest Groups after that and spent the majority of their afternoon in fun activities like Glitter and Slime (pictured above), Climbing, Lake Michigan Beach Time, Paddleboarding, Nature Exploration, and so much more.

This evening, campers participated in the Amazing Race, a fun Night’s Doings that orients them to camp and gives them opportunities to learn more about Miniwanca while running around with their tribe. Campers visited locations such as the Church of the Dunes, Upper Tipi, and Minisino Class Cabin, and would complete a challenge for a leader there. At the end of the night, after much excitement and many challenges the Trail tribe pulled out the win!

Our night ended with a glorious sunset over Lake Michigan as we listened to our Explorer 1 group talk about inspiration. It has been a great first day here at Miniwanca and we are looking forward to all the rest of the days to come in the session!

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Today we welcomed 130 girls ages 8-15 to our program– some will stay one week and others will be with us for three weeks. The oldest campers,  Explorers and Adventurers, will complete cycling and canoeing adventures around Michigan while younger campers take Interest Groups and explore Miniwanca.

After choosing bunks and making their beds, campers gathered for games in the Hollow and Eating Lodge Orientation. Dinner was a high energy first meal of pasta with marinara sauce, garlic bread and carrots followed by brownies. After returning the dishes at the Exchange, staff unveiled the 2017 Flash Mob dance as campers jumped right in and began to follow along with enthusiasm.

While in the Eating Lodge, Sally explained the Interest Group options and campers made their choices for this week’s classes. Once the sign-up was complete, we gathered in the Council Circle for Opening Ceremonies with skits and cheers. Each cabin prepared a silly presentation, many complete with costumes and songs created this afternoon. We had many laughs as we met each member of our community and campers learned whether they will be Dunes, Draws, Ridges, or Trails.

Tonight campers are tucked into bed and quiet whispers can be heard throughout the cabin area as they settle in for the first night in their bunks. It’s going to be an incredible session!

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Our morning had one last round of Interest Groups. Campers finished up their projects in the Crafthouse, got in one last session with the ukulele, one last dance in Zumba, one final game of dodgeball, and then headed in for lunch. After Rest Hour, we held an Awards Assembly where we recognized our Polar Bears (campers who have done the Polar Bear Plunge on all available mornings), campers who referred a new friend to Miniwanca, and divulged the secret of the tags! It was exciting stuff down in the Council Circle today.

The afternoon was full of packing and cleaning, followed by a little camper free time. Our Avail campers put in a lot of work and effort readying the Eating Lodge for tonight’s Banquet, which was Winter Wonderland themed. We ate chicken Alfredo, roasted broccoli, and corn, and for dessert we got to decorate our own sugar cookies and have some delicious hot chocolate! The Eating Lodge was full of balloons, white and blue table cloths, and other beautiful decorations the Avail campers had worked so hard on.

After dinner, we all headed down to the Council Circle for our Closing Council. We recognized our campers for the years they have come to Miniwanca, and had gifts for some special groups. Our Forester campers received a necklace in recognition of their first adventure experience. The Explorer and Adventurer groups received beautiful patches to celebrate their accomplishments. The Avail campers received t-shirts to commemorate all of their hard work, leadership, and service for the community. We are so proud of all of our campers who have come and made this session and this summer an incredible journey.

The session is winding down and campers are coming to the end of their experience – and what an experience it has been! We’ve made fairy houses, had a Gold Rush, participated in Tribal Competitions, gone through three rotations of Interest Groups, stretched ourselves physically, mentally, socially and spiritually, and truly had an amazing session here at Miniwanca. Our campers are walking away from camper taller, stronger, more sure of themselves, and ready to go back home and make a positive difference in their communities and the wider world.

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The morning was filled with mostly typical interest groups, though our waterfront friends played some board games instead of heading off to Stony Lake. The afternoon held more Interest Groups, but the skies cleared and the sun came out in full force and suddenly it was a perfect day to head down to Lake Michigan! The boisterous waves offered plenty of fun for the campers in Lake Michigan Beach Time Interest Group and for those who headed down for Free Time. There was much sporting, jumping, and laughing in the surf this afternoon, and many a camper commented that the waves were even big enough to try surfing on!

This evening, after a delicious dinner of sweet and sour chicken, campers headed into the hollow for a short Carnival led by our Avail campers. Some campers did the candy walk, others got their faces painted or their fortunes read, and still more helped created a camp-wide craft that may be seen again tomorrow night when Avail leads Vespers. At 8:00 sharp, the LITs rang the bells and everyone headed up to the Assembly for our Leader Frolic, a play written and put on by the Leaders. This year, Liz plays a young camper from the year 1938 who is whisked to camp of the present day and must navigate the differences in time and culture while staying true to her values and reminding Miniwanca of 2017 to be their own self, at their very best, all the time.

The rain started closing in again just as the Leader Frolic finished and our Adventurer campers led us up to the Church of the Dunes for a sweet Vespers on their journey and the challenges they faced. One camper spoke of how, while biking 500 miles, it’s impossible to not have at least one song get stuck in your head. One day, out of the blue, The Climb by Miley Cyrus just wouldn’t leave her brain. She said she had never quite fully understood that song before, but on that trip, where biking to the top of one hill just led to another and another and another, she understood that it isn’t about getting to the top and seeing the view, or getting to the grocery store and eating lunch; rather, the journey is about the process it takes to get there, about facing the challenges, and going through it all one step at a time.

For all of us, we have gone through camp one step at a time, faced challenges, tried new things, and made new friends. Tomorrow is our last full day of the session, and while we are so sad to see it end, we are so very happy to have been a part of it.

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The typical day got off to a great start as campers headed down to the Green Acre to play some kickball while others went to the crafthouse for knitting and dream catchers, and more campers headed to Stony Lake to sail. We ate pizza for lunch today and found out that the Dunes (or rather, the Crunes) won Tribal Cup yesterday! A Trails camper, Abby,  won a few points for her tribe today by finding the Paddle on the way to Assembly. In Assembly, the campers challenged Liz Marshall, our Girls Camp Director, to sing any song they named from the song book. They tried to stump her, but Liz Marshall is just too good! Liz claims to know every song in our song book here at camp.

The afternoon was full of more interest groups, including ceramics, improv, dancing, and Glitter and Girl Power, and many a camper enjoyed the beautiful weather down at Lake Michigan today during Free Time. Night’s Doings tonight was Safari! This crazy activity has leaders dressing up like animals and roaming around while the campers try to lure them back to Assembly to gain Tribal points. Congratulations to the Ridges, our winners of the night.

We closed our day out with a Vespers led by cabin 24, and watched a beautiful pink and orange sunset over the lake. It’s been a wonderful day at Miniwanca, and we’re excited for another one tomorrow.

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