It\u2019s a beautiful morning at Miniwanca and at Graceland. Blue-bird skies and all the sunshine you could ever want. Stony Creek is rushing after the rain this week, and the wild raspberries just finished ripening.<\/p>\n
The campers and leaders are running back and forth, grabbing their gear and checking out bikes. As we move into the last week and a half of camp, our final trips are departing and there\u2019s a nostalgic feeling all around Graceland.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>Trailblazers <\/strong>departed moments ago for their 3-day hike in the Manistee National Forest. They\u2019ll hike nearly 20 miles on the North Country National Scenic Trail experiencing some of the most beautiful forested land Michigan has to offer.<\/p>\n Our Explorers <\/strong>are back in camp after 4 days of cycling around the coast of West Michigan. Yesterday they participated in the many different Founders Day activities, and today they\u2019ll begin preparing for their 6-day canoe trip down the Manistee River. This morning they packed up all their gear and food into dry bags. They\u2019ll spend the afternoon canoeing on Stony Lake and Stony Creek to start practicing paddling and boating skills they\u2019ll need for their excursion.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Adventurer <\/strong>campers have completed half of their cycling trip up the coast of West Michigan. For the next two days they\u2019ll be on the Leelanau Peninsula, enjoying afternoon ice cream and sunsets on the beach. They\u2019re excited for the second half of the trip where they\u2019ll bike through central Michigan and the Manistee National Forest on their way back to camp. It\u2019s possible that they\u2019ll cross paths with our Explorers who are canoeing close to where the Adventurers will be biking!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Voyageurs<\/strong> are enjoying a gorgeous silver (cloudy) day in the Georgian Bay. They are crossing channels to wild, uninhabited islands and are becoming much more confident in their paddling skills. They\u2019re learning to read currents and the weather, and more than that they are settling into a wonderful sense of family that has developed within their group as the weeks have passed. We\u2019ll be picking them up in just five short days, so we hope they\u2019re enjoying their final days on the water!<\/p>\n Our Odyssey <\/strong>campers will experience a culminating point in their cross-country Odyssey today as they ride into Merrowvista. They\u2019ll be greeted with cheers from Merrowvista campers and staff as they ride in past the Farmhouse, drop their bikes, then run down and dive into Dan Hole Pond. They\u2019re having to work around some cloudy and rainy weather today as they plan their ride in, but they\u2019re excited nevertheless.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s a beautiful morning at Miniwanca and at Graceland. Blue-bird skies and all the sunshine you could ever want. Stony Creek is rushing after the rain this week, and the wild raspberries just finished ripening. The campers and leaders are running back and forth, grabbing their gear and checking out bikes. As we move into the last week and a … <\/p>\n