This evening showed what camp is really all about: that at the end of the day it doesn’t matter who won or lost because the bonds we made getting through challenges will last forever. After a fierce day of competition on the lake and on the shore (a morning of Land and Sea that had the entire camp working together to collect hidden blocks and transport them safely to the Voyageur Canoe anchored across the lake, and afternoon of heart-pumping marathon culminating in the captains’ rope-burning fire-building), the feeling of pride was palpable in the air. After dinner the mood shifted from competition to camaraderie as the teams gathered together in the Main Lodge to present the alma mater songs they’d been writing and rehearsing for the past 2 days. Tune choices were old classics this year, including Lion Man and Fast Car, and all sent shivers down my spine, reminding me of my glory days up there nearly 20 years ago (the summer I got my Arowhon A and was a Colour War captain will forever make me more proud than getting my masters degree or any amount of money I could ever make). Listening to them I reflected on how much camp has changed for the better since then in terms of inclusion and social safety, but how the wonderful traditions have remained, uniting campers across generations.

Everyone is tucked into bed as I write this, looking forward to the combination ETB (early-to-bed) and sleep-in brunch tomorrow. We need our beauty sleep to get ready for the last 3 days of programming which will be jam-packed with awards testing, the Inter-Senior play, and of course pranks and warm-fuzzies galore. We look forward to welcoming the Juniors home from their canoe trips tomorrow to finish summer 2019 off with a bang. So goodnight moon, and goodnight loons, and goodnight Planet Arowhon.