Second session kicked off with a bang! Campers were greeted with open arms and smiles, making everyone feel right at home.

We once again enjoyed our classic first day meal: spaghetti with veg sauce, garlic bread, and Caesar salad, and mixed it up a bit with chocolate cupcakes instead of the usual brownies. After the meal the Point started a sing-a-long that got the entire camp on their benches belting “Hooked on a Feeling,” and it was magic to watch the whole camp fall silent after as 2 Tadpoles put up the plate – what a cool place camp is!

For evening activity, we gathered around the campfire. This one was particularly special as Rachel Canoe, Imo Sail, and Kate (Owls Section Head) received their 10-year jackets, honouring their decade-long commitment to Arowhon. Each of them gave a touching speech about why they keep coming back, and here’s on of them:

As a camper I didn’t hate camp but, I never counted down the days, unable to fall asleep from excitement the night before the anticipated first day of camp. I went to camp, left and continued my life as if I had never left my home for 2 months. I didn’t wake up one morning to the mist covering Tepee Lake and suddenly uncover my hidden admiration for camp. My love for this place grew slowly.

When I reflect on my time at camp in recent years, one thing is evident: I find myself back every summer because the person who drives down the camp road at the end of August is a different person than who drove in June. Bright-eyed to a place that, although I know more than the back of my hand, continues to surprise and teach me.

Camp for me is not about the special days or large events; it’s the little moments that make my time here so meaningful. The downtime before cabin circle, kids piled up on my bed making space where there is none. A random hug on days when the sky seems grey and ominous, and the wind bites instead of tickles. The run and jump of a kid filled with glee seeing their counselor after a day off, and an embrace that evaporates any possible blues.

I could not be more lucky to have grown up in this special place. I can tell you the magic is most definitely still alive. I see it every day in the love and care counsellors have for their kids. I don’t know how, but a group of 500 people feels like such a close-knit community filled with support and belonging, and I feel so grateful to be part of it.