Another Best Day - Week of June 22nd

"The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness." ~John Muir

Being away from your daily routine and amenities can be challenging.  The bed never feels quite the same, the surroundings are filled with unique noises, and people are unpredictable.  But being at camp, away from it all, can also bring new experiences, cool people and familiarity seeing old friends.

Cam said to his parents upon camp dropoff: "You guys need a break too." Cam is definitely intuitive and we told him that he could use the distance from his mom and dad as well.

Cameron's week at Indian Trails is always themed and this one was "Decades Takeover" alluding to fun things over different past years.  Indian Trails Camp motto is "Another Best Day." Over the course of the 5-night stay, Cam made a homemade lava lamp, sunglasses, suncatcher, disco ball and other items.

Our camper declared his favorite activity was being on the zipline for the first time!  His other favorite activity was eating s'mores and his favorite memory was when they were all laughing at the clothespin game. We're hoping to see the pictures posted on the camp website in the next couple of weeks.

This was Cam's first time with older campers (18+) and it definitely suits him.  He completed a mindful summer exercise reviewing his own well-being.  His thoughts on the following were: Physical- eating broccoli and tomatoes helps me feel healthy, personal situations challenge him the most and family and friends add meaning to his life.

Chris and Jane had two days at the family cottage and picked up their son from Indian Trails campground on Friday morning.  He was very chatty on the drive home and enthusiastically told us about his week!

After a very relaxing day and evening, Cam slept in on Saturday.  The next afternoon, we were headed back to the big lake to celebrate our cousin's birthday!  Cameron had a lengthy conversation with "Uncle" Jeffrey about the possibility of legal action in different matters.  We saw some fireworks thanks to our neighbors next door.

Birthdays when you're younger can be magical.  Such was the case for our cousin's bday when she and Cam each had a kiddie cocktail complete with edible glitter!  As Cameron will say: "sometimes you have to take one for the team." 😄

It was fitting that we ended our day with a sighting of swans on Lake Michigan.  Swans are a sign of transformation and personal growth which was also one of Cam's summer goals.  His ultimate summer goal, though, that he provided from his time at camp was simply: "To Have Fun!"

Camology Quotes:

There's always unknown when it comes to experiencing something different.  Cam's parents weren't certain how their son would feel after attending his first adult week for camp.  They were undeniably relieved when their son stated after pickup:

"When do we sign up for next year?  I want to go again!"