Good Counsel Camp

2011-08-04T12:34:00.000-07:00

The last week of session 4 has been an exciting one. We started off Monday with the usual chapel, breakfast, and cabin clean-up. Monday marked the first day of a new opportunity to win Honor Cabin. After that, the campers went to their 3 departments followed by lunch, the last chicken patty day of the summer. We all then continued on to rest period to recharge our batteries for the even more fun activities to come. After canteen, the Cabin 1 boys packed their bags and made their way to Sumter, an off-property camp site in which the campers and their counselors stay the night to bond and do fun activities. The rest of camp did various afternoon activities which include slip 'n' slide, basketball, volleyball, etc. The evening consisted of Cabins 12, 11, and 4 having an ICS (Ice Cream Social). Cabins 8, 9, 3, 2 all had a refreshing night swim while Cabin 7 had open handicraft, which concluded another day at GCC.
Tuesday started off similar to the previous day. Cabin 10 swapped with Cabin 1 and also spent the day/evening at Sumter. Both Cabins had a blast! Cabin 3 and 11 also had little trips filled with fun and excitement. Cabin 3 went to the DLB, Dry Lake Bed, where they had a fire, played sports, talked and laughed. Cabin 11 spent their night at the (not so) scary Haunted House where they also had a fire, exchanged scary and funny stories, and sang campfire songs. Cabins 1 and 2 had a boys game night and Cabins 12 and 4 had a night swim. Cabins 8 and 9 spent the nighttime activity "Cooking with E-Bone", our camp's chef, Eric. They baked and later ate brownies and cake.
Wedensday was the kitchen staff and the cook's day off, so the Department Heads were in charge of the kitchen this day. They kept the day simple with cereal for breakfast and PB&J for lunch. As for dinner, we had a good ol' fashion cook-out which consisted of hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, and chips. It was delicious. After the cook-out all the cabins got ready for our last dance of the summer. The theme was Geeks vs. Jocks. The counselors all got dressed up as either a geek or a jock and, with the campers, danced the night away. We were all so exhausted after this exciting event that putting the campers to bed was an easy task.
Today, the last full day of camp, was started off by some delicious bagels. The campers did their usual departments for the last time. Today was their last opportunity to rack up points for different departments to get awards. After, the kids all enjoyed camp's infamous grilled cheese with tomato soup. Then, the campers had the usual rest period followed by canteen. After, the campers were given the option to either play soccer, basketball, or volleyball for their afternoon activity. Tonight we are planing to have our award ceremony in which campers will recieve recognition for their hard work in the different departments. We are all sad to see the campers leave tomorrow but excited for them to tell you guys about the wonderful experience they just had. A reminder: you must pick up your child or children from camp by noon. I hope you have a safe trip up and back.
See you tomorrow!

//Sara

2011-07-31T18:02:00.001-07:00

This weekend was the start of the last week of camp, and though we are all sad to see it come to an end, it has been a good couple of days. Friday began with the usual mass, breakfast, cabin clean up, 3 departments, lunch and then rest period. The second half of the day included afternoon activities such as the slip n' slide, ropes courses, and basketball. Next was dinner followed by showers and getting ready for the dance. The theme (for the counselors) was prom, so the entire day the male counselors were finding creative ways to ask the girls. The dance was a lot of fun, but wore us all out, so we were ready for bed after!
Yesterday began with the usual, aforementioned schedule, but instead of being assigned departments the campers could choose which 3 they wanted to go to. Handicraft was especially busy tie dying shirts campers had been DYING (get it?!) to put to good use. After departments was lunch and rest period followed by the infamous game of capture the counselor. The counselors did surprisingly well against the campers. Only about 6 or 7 counselors didn't make made it back to the base. Afterwards, campers could choose between dodgeball, volleyball, basketball, and soccer to play against the counselors. A much needed spaghetti dinner followed along with a relaxing movie night where we watched "Rango." Then, we went straight to bed to rest up for another exciting day.
Today began with a delicious biscuits and gravy breakfast followed by mass. Sunday is the day when many people from the outside world (parents, locals, or fellow camp lovers) join us to celebrate mass. It is especially exciting when old campers come to visit their favorite counselors which, as Patrick can attest to, certainly happened today. Next, was free day again for 2 departments, lunch, rest period, and canteen. After canteen we played the second ever game of capture the camper. Once again the counselors won, but with so many more campers then counselors it was not easy. Then, we all headed to the mess hall to wait out the storm and enjoy an indoor cookout. All the campers then took showers and are currently enjoying a concert from the Christian band, The Final Moment. Keep checking in to see how the session finishes up!

//Kayla

2011-07-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

Hello again! Its been awhile since we have last updated you guys on all the fun activties your kids have been doing. Tuesday was our second full day and it was full of excitement. We started our day with delicious, fresh bagels. After cabin clean up, the kids all participated in various departments which include riflery, archery, handicraft, swimming, and boating. And after, we enjoyed a lunch of turkey and cheese sandwiches with soup. Cabins 1 & 2 went to Tomahawk lodge, a two-story house that sits directly on the Rainbow River. While they were there they went tubing down the river and had the chance to kick back and relax. Back at camp, the rest of the cabin participated in different afternoon activities such as Slip-n-Slide, volleyball and basketball, ropes course games, and free swim. Wednesday was another normal day, but since it was the kitchen staff's day off, we had a breakfast of cereal, a lunch of peanut butter and jelly, and for dinner we had a cookout of hot dogs and hamburgers. Cabins 1 & 2 came back from Tomahawk and Cabins 8 & 9 swapped out with them. Today we played a camp favorite, Risk! Risk is a camp-wide game of capture-the-flag. Everybody dresses up in their team colors. The teams this session were the Hill, the Ville, and two new teams, the Dock, and Cabin 13. The winners in their respective order were Cabin 13, the Hill, the Ville, and the Dock. Thursday night the whole camp had a movie night and watched Night at the Museum 2. The session has been wonderful so far and we can't wait to let you know about the rest of it.

Until next time,

//Sara and Patrick

2011-07-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

Hello GCC parents! Today, Monday the 25th of July, was the first full day of our fourth and final session of our 2011 summer season. Opening day, although one of the hottest days we've had all summer, went even better than expected. After Sunday mass the campers started pouring in, eager to finally be back in their home away from home. At 4 p.m., after all the campers had arrived, we began our cabin meetings and introductions. Afterwards, the kids enjoyed either fishing off the dock, soccer, volleyball, or basketball. We then had a delicious dinner prepared by our cook, Eric, and visited the chapel for some general camp rules. And then, nighttime activities! The campers were divided into two groups and headed to two different campfires: the youngest, cabins 11, 12, 3, and 4 enjoyed several campfire games in the pavilion. After a ninja tournament, chubby bunny, a bug juice chug, and a few rounds of giants, wizards, elves!, the younger kids headed back to their cabins, showered, and went to bed. The older campers of cabins 10, 9, 8, 1, and 2 had more of a campfire social at the firebowl, where they got to catch up after a year away from one another, roasting marshmallows and enjoying the stars.

Today was a full and busy day for our fresh campers, with the bell promptly ringing at 6:55 a.m. After mass and a delicious breakfast of french toast sticks (my personal favorite!), the campers set off to their first three departments. Since today was boating's day off, the choices were between handicraft, swimming, archery, and riflery. Each cabin did three of the fours available, and then had chicken patties (a camp favorite) for lunch. After an extended rest period due to a storm, the campers had popcorn for canteen and then went to a fourth department, the one they didn't get to go to in the morning. Swimming gave the swim test, handicraft made God's eyes, and archery and riflery began teaching campers to shoot. We then had chicken for dinner, and the campers got to choose between soccer, boom ball, volleyball, or basketball for after dinner activities. And now, as I type this blog entry for you, our avid readers, our campers are in chapel learning the lyrics to our beloved camp songs and mass hymns.

Soon, the kids will begin their evening activities, followed by well deserved sleep before they begin a brand new, bright day here at G.C.C.

//Camila

2011-07-20T16:18:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody! It's been a busy past couple days here at G.C.C. when Kayla left off on Sunday morning the campers were choosing which departments they wanted to go to for free day. Then we ate some lunch and headed down to the cabins for rest period. After rest period we had canteen and then a couple Camper vs. Counselor games. We started off with the famous Capture the Counselor. Then we mixed things up a little bit and did Capture the Campers! Then after that we played a couple more camper vs. counselor games of dodge ball and soccer. The campers beat the counselors in Soccer but the counselors beat the campers in dodge ball. After that we headed to our cabins to clean up for dinner. After dinner we had fishing off the dock, volleyball and basketball and the camp store was open. Later that evening we headed to the Devils Canyon to watch cabins 1 and 9 put on the Creation Campfire. Which was followed by a couple of stories told by Father. The kids seemed to really enjoy themselves. After that it was time to shower and head to bed. DING DING DING it's 6:55am on Monday morning and the bell is ringing nice and loud, like usual we head up to chapel, then to breakfast and back down to cabin clean-up. After cabin clean-up the kids headed to their 3 departments of the morning. After departments we went to lunch then rest period. After lunch cabin 11 headed to the caves with Andrea and Shaun and got all dirty and had a great time. After rest period it was off to canteen and afternoon activities which included Ropes, Free Swim, Soccer, Volleyball and Basketball, Dock Social and Tubing on the lake. Then it was time to get ready for Monday Night Tacos :-) After dinner cabin 10 was sent to the D.L.B (Dry Lake Bed) for a little outdoor camping. Cabin 12 went to the Haunted House. Cabins 1 and 9 had a baking night with E-Bone (Eric, the Cook) where they made apple pie, cherry pie and no bake oreo pie. Cabin 11 went on a sunset cruise with DJ and did some star gazing on the pontoon boat in the middle of the lake...they loved it! Cabin 2 had a star gazing social on the dock... it was a beautiful night for looking at the stars, the moon was full and the weather was a bit chilly. Cabin 3 had a night swim. After their night time activities were done it was time for bed. It's Tuesday at 6:55am and the bell is ringing, time to get up and head to chapel, breakfast and then back down to the cabins for cabin clean-up. Cabins 11 and 3 headed off camp property for a Tomahawk Social, where they swam in the Rainbow River (it's a cold 74 degrees year round) and hung out and had lunch there. It was a nice surprise for them and they all really enjoyed it. Back at camp the rest of the cabins were off to departments. Then came lunch and rest period. After rest period the kids went to canteen and then their afternoon activities of Ropes, Free Swim, Dodge Ball, A Water Balloon fight and Soccer. After activities we headed back to our cabins to get ready for dinner. Dinner was a wonderful Thanksgiving in July...we had turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and stuffing. It was delicious! Then there was Dodge ball in the L.C.A and Fishing off the Dock. Once those were finished we lined up on the basketball court for an awesome chapel talk given by Chris M. on good sportsmanship. After that the kids headed off to their night time activities. Cabin 5 spent the night at the Haunted House. Cabins 6 and 12 had an I.C.S. (Ice Cream Social) Cabins 11 and 3 had a star gazing social on the dock. Cabins 1,2,9 and 10 had a Night Swim. Then it was off to bed. Today is Wednesday, and once again the bell is ringing at 6:55am for everyone to get up. We do our normal morning routine of chapel, breakfast and then cabin clean-up. After cabin clean-up we head off to 3 morning departments. Then we headed to lunch followed by rest period. After rest period it was off to canteen. Then the boy cabins played an intense game of soccer. And the girl cabins had Ropes, Free Swim and Dock Social. We had a Cook-out tonight of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and baked beans. Now, the kids are all getting showered up and putting on their nicest clothes and getting ready to head to the last dance of the session. But, that's all I have for you now...I hope you are enjoying your kid-free time! See you Friday morning!

//Andrea

2011-07-17T08:29:00.001-07:00

The weekend in the middle of session 3 turned out to be another good one filled with some of the campers favorite activities. On Friday the campers and counselors danced the night away. The counselors dressed in their rock n' roll attire, and the DJ played old rock hits. Afterwards, the campers went to bed. On Saturday after chapel, breakfast, and cabin clean up the campers got to pick which 3 departments they wanted to go to for free day. Handicraft did tie dying, so campers brought white shirts, socks, and even shorts they had saved up specifically for this favorite activity. After departments, we headed to lunch, rest period, and canteen. After a quick snack, the campers rallied together in the infamous blue, red, and yellow teams for an intense game of Risk. This session the teams were divided into the ville (an area in the softball field), the bell, and the hill. The latter prevailed with a score of 1588. Second place went to the bell with 1320 and third place went to the ville with 975. The campers were well in need of dinner and a relaxing movie night where the campers watched "Tangled." After seeing that, and going to bed, camp got to wake up at 7:30 as per usual for Sundays (but is still looked forward to every week nonetheless). This was followed by breakfast, mass, cabin clean up, and now they are enjoying free day once again.

//Kayla

Thursday, July 14th

2011-07-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

The session is in full swing right now, as campers become familiar with the packed schedule and get used to the heat. Questions like "Do we have to bring our water bottles?" no longer echo among the cabins, because everyone knows the answer: yes. Yesterday was a classic day at Good Counsel, with routine departments and a gentle rain during rest period. Afternoon activities varied from cabin to cabin, including everything from swimming to ropes course games to slip-and-slide. Instead of normal dinner in the mess hall, all the campers- besides cabins one and two, who spent the night at Tomahawk Lodge- enjoyed a cookout with hamburgers, hot dogs, and baked beans around the picnic tables. After dinner, campers chose either fishing off the dock (several fish were caught using bread as bait) or volleyball and basketball (they didn't bother keeping score- they just played). When the chapel bell rang, activities ended and everyone lined up at the basketball courts. Following chapel, rumors that the dance was later that night, and the possibility that one of the younger cabins would spend the night in the haunted house, contributed to the campers' excitement as they waited to be told their evening activities. Last night, cabin 6 was the lucky one- the youngest boys were sent to their cabins to pack up their sleeping bags and head to the old, empty, supposedly bat-infested house. Meanwhile the oldest girls were sent to shower and then to the mess hall for a baking social (they made cookies) and the youngest girls had a night swim. The youngest girls were the first to finish showering, as usual, but unlike a normal night, they didn't head straight to bed. After some instructions from their counselors, they changed into dark clothes and camoflauge and crept to the haunted house, where they banged on the walls and scared the pants off their arch-enemies in cabin 6. By the time the girls had finished giggling and gotten in bed, the rest of the cabins were winding down as well: lights were turned off, fans were turned on, and another day at GCC came to a close.

2011-07-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

Last time you heard from us, the youngest campers were enjoying pavilion games which is made up of numerous ice breakers while they enjoyed a small fire. The youngest campers went to bed on the early side that night to ensure they were all prept and ready to go in the morning for their first full day at camp. As they left the pavilion, the older campers eagerly flooded in to start their own series of icebreakers and roasting marshmallows by the fire. A series of our camp favorite game 'Ninja' was played all through the night along with catching up with old friends from past years. The next morning all campers woke up bright and early on their summer day at 6:55 AM to start their activities. We started our day off with a lovely mass in our outside chapel where we could hear the birds singing along, feel the morning breeze pass through, and watch the sun make its way through the so very many tree we have here at camp. After chapel, we enjoyed a classic breakfast of eggs, toast, and sausage and then they were off to cabin clean-up. After cleaning, we departed to our morning activities that were giving to us by the head counselor, Joe. The campers participate in 3 of the 5 departments, which are Boating, Swimming, Archery, Riflery, and Handicraft. Most of the campers had Swimming that day to have their swim test. After hours of departments, the campers headed to lunch, all of them probably hoping for a camp favorite of chicken patties to be served. Lunch is followed by a much needed 'rest period'. The purpose of rest period is to keep the campers out of the sun during the hottest part of the day when the sun is blazing down on us. Also, it gives time to both campers, counselors, and all our staff time to just refresh and take some time to themselves, whether they decide to sleep, read, write, listen to music, or socialize with their cabin-mates. Around 2:30 the campers went to Canteen. We give the campers a little snack and have them socialize around the picnic tables with all the different campers. This is our way of making sure all the campers wake up from their hopefully relaxing 'rest period' and to fill them with snack foods in order to ensure their energy level is full for the afternoon. Cabins 5, 6, 11, 12 all went to ropes and free swim and cabins 9 and 10 did Italian gulf. Cabins 2 and 3 played soccer. For a good 3 hours the cabins played eagerly at whatever activity they were assigned. Before we knew it, it was already time for dinner which was BBQ chicken, peas and carrots, and mashed potatoes. As they day was coming to an end, we embarked on two more exciting activities. One being in the chapel. All the campers fill in the chapel and wait for that nights chapel talk hosted by one of the amazing counselors we have here at camp. Mondays chapel talk was hosted by our new found choir head, Tristen. He introduced many camp songs like "Pharaoh, Pharaoh", "Our God is an Awesome God", "Father, We Adore You", and our camp version of the "Alleluia". To end our night, we went on to our night activites. Some cabins went for a swim and some played Ultimate Frisbee along with a list of other activities. With our first full, exhausting, and dirty day at camp complete, showers were necessary. After that it was time for bed so we can get ready for another exciting day of camp tommorrow!

//Zach

2011-07-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

In the past twenty four hours we've ended one session and begun another here at GCC! We've been very busy this last week finishing out one session and getting ready for another. Last week, after being divided into teams of red, white, and blue for our Fourth of July Olymics the campers traded in those teams for the teams of the Hill and Archery for our camp wide game of Risk. Risk is a giant game of capture the flag that spans the enitre property. Each camper and counselor is assigned a team, in this case it was either Archery or the Hill, and the game is played from right after canteen in the middle of the day to right before dinner. Risk is one of our most popular activities here at camp because it is a bit more challenging than a regular game of capture the flag. In addition to trying to take the opposing team's big flag each player wears a personal flag that can be stolen and given to the score keeper for points. This particular battle ended in Archery's favor but hopefully the Hill can make a come back next session!
Later that night the camp ended the team rivalry as everyone came together for the dance. The campers danced until it was time for bed as chants for "Once more song!" rang through the mess hall. The dance was a great way to end the session on a high note and for the campers' last night with us we had a much more relaxing night watching How to Train Your Dragon and giving out awards from each department. The next morning the campers got up extra early to pack their stuff and await the arrival of the families who were on their way.
We had very little time in between sessions as the next session began the next day. The counselors got the camp ready for a new group and we welcomed them today. Currently the campers are enjoying their first meal together with their cabins and will later break the ice with some opening night camp fires. That is all for now but we are hoping to have another unforgettable session here at GCC, stay tuned!

//Erin

2011-07-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

Today was another great day at GCC! Everybody woke up and went to chapel, followed by a breakfast of pancakes and sausage. After breakfast was Cabin Cleanup, a period of time where all of the campers clean up their cabin in anticipation of being graded by Head Counselor Joe later in the day. Next the campers went to the five Departments: Riflery, Archery, Swimming, Boating, and Handicraft. Lunch was turkey and cheese sandwiches with bug juice and afterwards everybody went to Rest Period. Rest Period is a time where everybody hangs in their cabins during the hottest part of the day and sleeps if they choose to. After a Canteen of popcorn, cabins participated in different activities like Soccer, Free Swim, Ropes games, and the Slip-N-Slide. After a dinner of baked chicken, green beans, and potatoes, the campers had three activities they could choose to go to: Fishing off the dock, Volleyball/Basketball, and open Archery. Everybody then was treated to a wonderful Chapel Talk by one of our counselors, Kayla Hernandez. Cabins then went on to their own activities, including Star Gazing and an Ice Cream Social. Cabin 5 is sleeping at the Haunted House tonight, and Cabins 2 and 3 are staying at the DLB. The DLB (Dry Lake Bed) is an open field that's about a ten minute walk away from the main camp property. They'll most likely have a campfire and cook breakfast out there in the morning. Overall, it was a great day and we're excited for the rest of the session!

//Patrick

Session 2 Underway!

2011-07-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Hope you had a great 4th of July as I know we certainly did here. Sunday was opening day which means a new round of campers! Once all the campers arrived, the fun started to begin. In the afternoon we had after-dinner style activites such as Dodgeball, Volleyball/Basketball, and Fishing off the dock. Later after dinner we had our annual GCC Fireworks presentation in the softball field, where everyone got to watch an epic fireworks show. The following morning, it was time for everyone's first round of Departments. Campers got to try shooting at Riflery and Archery for the first time, as well as the first visits to Handicraft and Swimming. In the afternoon, we had the GCC Olmypics. Everyone was split into 3 teams which competed in a variety of games such as our GCC Shoe game, Dizzy-bat relay, and Everybody's-it-tag. In the end, the white team took home top prize as the winners. After that was dinner followed by more after-dinner activities, which were: Capture the Flag, Soccer, and Volleyball/Basketball. Next up we had Chapel talk, where we learned the words to all our favorite camp songs. Our grand finale here on the 4th of July was our first ever Nightime Shaving Cream Fight! Everyone enjoyed running around throwing shaving cream at people while trying to avoid getting hit themselves! All in all it was a great first full day of session 2 and we are already looking forward to tomorrow!

Also added the first round of pictures from the session, which can be found in the top right corner under Session 2 Pictures...

//Joe

Goodbye Session 1!

2011-07-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

"I can't believe it's already over," was something I heard many campers and counselors saying on Friday, the last day of Session 1. Just as a recap: On Wednesday night we had our second dance, which was as successful as the first one. Thursday was a free day at Departments; a chance for campers to rack up more points at Riflery or Archery, or to experience the other departments one last time in hopes of earning a reward. Thursday night we had Airband/Awards Night. Airband is essentially a skit night where every cabin performs a skit or song and is judged on how well they did. In between acts, the departments gave out awards to campers. Cabin 5 came in first place for Airband, followed by a close second and third by Cabins 1 and 2. Friday morning, everybody woke up early and moved all of their stuff outside to get ready for their parents to pick them up.

Overall, it was a great Session 1! All of the campers were great and seemed to have an awesome time! We got to do things we normally don't, like the Haunted Trail and the County Fair, which was a fun break from the normal schedule of camp. It was sad to see everybody go, but we're glad everybody had fun and we hope to see everybody back again next year!

Goodbye Session 1!

//Patrick

P.S. There will be more pictures added from Session 1 soon! Be sure to check them out...

2011-06-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hello again, camp friends and family! As Andrea mentioned Sunday and the following days have been filled with lots of exciting activities. Sunday afternoon the campers and counselors held the county fair around the mess hall. The county fair is an activity that hasn't been done for a couple of years, but was a complete success. Each cabin came up with a booth they wanted to host with their counselors. Then, the campers alternated between working their booth and visiting other cabins' booths. Some examples of the booths' activities were hay rides, face painting, and soaking a counselor. The campers were given 24 red tickets to use at these different activities and were awarded a blue ticket if they successfully completed a booth's challenge. At the end, 3 of the blue tickets could be redeemed for 1 water balloon. Once everyone had their water balloons, a refreshing and fun water balloon fight began. Then, all the campers went back to their cabins to shower. The campers were told that there would be a presentation awaiting them and to save 1 of their tickets for admission. Once the campers were showered and brought to the mess hall, they were surprised to find out a haunted hay ride (for the younger cabins) and a haunted hike were their evening activities. The counselors had been planning this hike on the the camp trails complete with a tour guide who led them through the trails as they encountered some of camps' scariest stories coming to life and other frightening characters such as pack of zombies at the end. Once all the campers were done with their hike the general consensus seemed to be that it was one of their favorite camp activities they had ever participated in. They all had individual stories about how the hike was for them and the group they went with. After this the campers were happy to return to their beds for the night. Monday began with chapel, breakfast, cabin clean up, departments, and lunch as usual (happy belated chicken patty day, by the way!). Then, rest period and canteen were followed by airband practice for everyone but cabins 3 and 4 who headed to Tomahawk. Airband, for those who do not know, is a show that the entire camp puts on for themselves that consists of each cabin doing a different thing onstage. This could be a song, a dance, a skit, or anything else the campers come up with. Afterwards the campers got to pick between ultimate frisbee, volleyball, basketball, and ultimate frisbee. Next, campers listened to a chapel talk and went off to do their evening activities which included baking with E-Bone for 9 and 10 and heading to the haunted house for 5 and 6. Then, the campers were off to bed! Today has so far consisted of chapel, breakfast, cabin clean up, departments, lunch, and now, the campers are heading to a much needed rest period. Hopefully cabins 9 and 10 won't mind finding out that they'll have to give up rest period to spend an exciting afternoon and morning at the beautiful Tomahawk Lodge!

//Kayla

Sunday, June 26, 2011

2011-06-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! So just to catch you up on what has been happening at camp...I'll finish off with Thursday, cabins 7 and 8 were off to Tomahawk for the night. After dinner cabins 9 and 10 were heading out to the D.L.B. Also, that night cabins 5,6,11 and 12 had an Ice Cream Social and cabins 1 and 2 had a video game night in Handicraft. Friday we woke up went to chapel, breakfast and then back down to the cabins for cabin clean-up. It was a close race for Honor Cabin, but the winners were the boys of Cabin #4!!! Way to go guys! We had our normal 3 morning departments then it was off to lunch and rest period. After dinner we all headed down to our cabins and got ready for the first dance of the summer. Everyone seemed too really enjoy themselves at the dance. Then it was off to bed and time to prepare for the next day ahead of us. Saturday we woke up went to chapel and breakfast and then back down for a little cabin clean-up. After cabin clean up it was Free Day, which means the campers get to pick which departments they would like to go to. There was face painting at Handicraft, Open Boating, Riflery and Archery. After departments it was time for turkey sandwiches and chips for lunch. After lunch we headed down to the cabins for rest period...but, most of the campers were too excited to sleep because after rest period and canteen we were playing a game we like to call Risk. Risk, is a giant game of capture the flag. There were 3 teams...Archery, the Canyon and the Hill. The Canyon came out on top with a whopping score of 2,130. Way to go Canyon!!! After Risk we went back to our cabins to clean up for dinner. We had an awesome dinner of Chicken Alfredo, salad and garlic bread prepared by our cook Eric and with help from the Kitchen staff. After dinner we heading down to our cabins to prepare for our nighttime activity which consisted of getting showered and watching Toy Story 3...the kids really enjoyed the movie. After the movie it was bedtime. We got to sleep-in this morning till 7:30am :-) Then it was off to breakfast and mass. Today is another Free Day so right now the campers are trying to decide which departments they want to spend their morning at. But that's all I have for you so far today...we have a lot of exciting things planned for this afternoon and tonight! So be sure to check-in tomorrow night to find out exactly what we are doing later!!
Have a great day!!
//Andrea

2011-06-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

As campers form friendships with their cabin mates or rekindle friendships from the previous summer, session one continues to be a very enjoyable one. Yesterday began like a typical camp day with chapel, breakfast, and cabin clean up. This was followed by 3 assorted departments for the cabins. Next was lunch, rest period, and afternoon activities which consisted of free swim for the girl cabins first department and then volleyball or ropes courses. The boys did soccer followed by a free swim for their 2 departments. This was followed by a delicious cook out dinner of hamburgers and hot dogs prepared by the department heads, chapel, and nighttime activities. Cabins 1 and 2 were already at Tomahawk, cabins 5 and 6 played man hunt in the canyon, cabins 9 and 10 went on a gator hunt, cabins 7 and 8 had a baking social, cabin 11 had open handicraft, cabin 12 went to the haunted house and cabins 3 and 4 headed to the DLB. After this, the campers headed back for showers and bed. Here's a video taken earlier in the day at Departments:
Currently, the campers are enjoying the afternoon activities such as ropes courses, dodge ball, and a slip n' slide social after a normal morning of chapel, breakfast cabin clean up, departments, and a spectacular chicken patty sandwich lunch. //Kayla

2011-06-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

Today was another great day at camp! We started the day with chapel followed by a breakfast of eggs, toast, and sausage. After cabin cleanup, the campers visited three departments each. Cabins 1, 2, and 7 visited Boating, Archery, and Riflery, Cabins 3, 8, and 9 visited Swimming, Boating, and Archery, Cabins 4, 10, and 11 visited Riflery, Swimming, and Boating, and Cabins 5, 6, and 12 visited Archery, Riflery, and Swimming. Next was a lunch of macaroni and cheese with applesauce. After rest period and canteen, the cabins participated in some afternoon activities like football, dock social, soccer, volleyball, basketball, slip-n-slide, free swim, and some ropes games. After a baked chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes dinner, there were after dinner activities including capture the flag in the canyon, fishing off the dock, and volleyball/basketball. Later for evening activities Cabins 1, 2, 7, and 8 had an ice cream social, Cabins 3, 4, 9, 10 had a night swim, and Cabins 5, 6, and 12 went on a boar hunt. Cabin 11 went to stay the night in the haunted house. Overall, it was another great day at camp! New pictures have been added so check them out!

//Patrick

The Summer Has Begun

2011-06-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

It's finally here! The counselors had been anxiously awaiting the campers arrival for a week as we did work projects around camp and prepared it for the long summer ahead. Before we knew it, it was opening day on Sunday, and it was quite a success. The counselors woke up, attended mass in the chapel, had breakfast, and went to the cabins to help campers settle in from 11am to 4pm as they arrived. Afterwards, the campers and their counselors discussed cabin rules and made a list of the campers' favorite activities. Next, the campers could pick of their favorite activity (such as volleyball, basketball, or soccer) to play until dinner time. Then, we all met in the chapel to go over other camp rules and introduce the counselors and staff. After that, the cabins split up to do night time actives. The older cabins did either stargazing on the dock or a mess hall social. The 4 youngest cabins did games in the pavilion (including camp favorites such as chubby bunny). By then, even after only half a day, the campers were more then ready for showers and sleep.

Today was the first "real" day of camp. The campers woke up bright and early, attended mass, had breakfast, and went back to their cabins to get them perfectly clean for cabin inspection (Fr. Johnson and head counselor Joe check each cabin, score them, and award the cabin with the highest score "honor cabin"). Then, the cabin joined the other cabins they were assigned with and went to 3 of the 5 departments. Next was lunch, the always refreshing rest period, canteen (today it was pretzels), and then each cabin went to 1 more department. Afterwards, the cabins were assigned to an afternoon activity(such as a water balloon fight, Italian golf, ropes courses, and football). This was followed by dinner, after dinner activities (boomball, kickball, or ultimate frisbee), chapel time to learn the songs for mass, and a nighttime activity(night swim, ice cream social, star gazing, or man hunt in the canyon). By then, the campers went right to bed looking forward to the upcoming weeks!

// Kayla

P.S. Don't forget to check out the first of this summer's pictures (on the right)!

It's Almost Here!

2011-05-12T11:31:00.002-07:00

Hey, everyone, it's Kayla! I'm going to be a first year counselor at GCC this summer, but because I've been a camper I'm completely aware of how excited everyone must be that the day we've all been waiting for is so close! Can you believe that camp is only 3 and 1/2 weeks away? Until then, I just wanted to refresh every one's memory or inform those who are not aware of a typical day at camp. I hope it's a reminder of all that's in store for you returning (and new) campers this summer.

The day starts by the whole camp waking up, and getting ready for day. Afterwards, daily mass is administered in the chapel followed by breakfast in the Mess Hall (pretty much the cafeteria). Next, everyone returns to their cabins for cabin clean up. All the cabins work hard to keep their individual cabins in tip-top shape in order to win the honor cabin award at the end of the week. What award could keep campers motivated to clean you may ask? A pizza party of course! After their cabins are deemed immaculate, the campers go with their cabins to the 3 departments they were assigned after breakfast. There are 5 possible departments: swimming, boating, archery, riflery, and handicraft, and the cabins will be able to experience each one multiple times before the session is over. After departments, everyone heads to lunch in the Mess Hall followed by a much-needed rest period. Rest period is where the campers (and counselors) go back to their cabins to nap or rest before the rest of the days excitement continues. Next is canteen which is when the campers are given a snack and "bug juice" and are given their 2 afternoon activities. These afternoon activities could include many camp favorites such as Italian golf, rope courses, soccer, cooking, and swimming. Then, campers return to their cabins to get ready and then go to the Mess Hall a final time for dinner. Then comes an after dinner activity. There are many options for this, but it could be one of the following: dodge ball in the LCA, capture the flag in the cannon, boomball, or fishing.Next, campers line up on the basketball courts and are called into the chapel for chapel talk. Chapel talk is when a counselor speaks to the camp about a specific topic pertaining to religion and faith. Then, they are assigned there nighttime activity. Some examples of nighttime activities are an ice cream social, night swim, a gator hunt, or a boar hunt. By this time, the campers have had a full day, and are usually ready for what comes next which is a shower and some sleep to re-energize them for the following day!

Not only is a typical day of GCC something to look forward too, but there are always the extra activities that keep us all counting down the days (there are 32 if you were wondering) until session 1. For example, going to the dry lake bed is always a fun experience. At the DLB campers spend the night in tents or lean-tos, socialize around a campfire, make s'mores, and cook breakfast on the fire in the morning. Another overnight activity is Sumter, where you also sleep in tents, but this time it's off the main camp area, so campers get a small change of environment. Another popular activity is caving. Campers get to explore the caves and, best of all, get dirty! There's also the haunted house for campers to stay at where counselors tell ghost stories around the campfire. And last, but certainly not least there's Tomahawk, which is a house off of the main camp area on the Rainbow River. A couple cabins get to go, relax, and even tube down the river the second day.

I hope you are as excited for this summer as I am, because I know the counselors are working hard to prepare a fun and memorable summer for you. See you all soon!

//Kayla

Summer 2011!

2011-02-12T23:45:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone,

It's great to be back preparing for yet another summer of GCC! It may only be February but many of us are already in full camp mode anxiously counting down the days till camp begins...(125 days..yes I'm counting!) For those of you who enjoyed last summer, we're looking to continue that momentum on towards this summer and hope to see you and your friends back again.

A couple things you can look forward to at GCC Summer 2011:

New staff members
New Department Heads
More new games/activities
Bigger campwide activities(Risk,Airband)
Same great camp experience!

Got some things you'd like to see this summer? Let us know! You can reply to this post and let your voice be heard. Hoping to get alot of input heading into this summer to truly make it one of the best ever...

That's all for know but I'll be back in the coming weeks with more updates and more GCC news!!

//Joe

And so it ends...

2010-08-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, this summer has sped by quickly, and today, sadly, is the last day of the summer of GCC '10. All of the Session 4 campers left today, happy to go home, but sad to leave. Today has consisted of the counselors doing many work projects around camp property like weedeating, lawnmowing, Mess Hall scrub, bathroom cleaning, and just packing things away until they are pulled out next year to be used once again. The last day of Session 4 is a really sad day because not only are the counselors going home, but so are the counselors. If you can think about the bond you campers share when you spend two weeks together, imagine the one us counselors share over these 2 months together. Anyways, this summer has been a great one, one filled with laughs, friendships, good times, and memories that will last forever. We can't wait to see you all next year!

Have a great year!

//Patrick

2010-08-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

Hey! It's Mackenzie, second year counselor here at GCC. I'm going to start off with Tuesday which was a pretty normal camp day. We had chapel, breakfast, and our morning departments. That night we had a very special surprise. Mark Smythe a former counselor, and Garrett Manning our former head counselor came and played some of their hit songs for us. Later that night the campers were brought out to the fire bowl to have a fire bowl social, not expecting what was in store for them. After hearing a scary story from father, the campers boarded a hay ride which led them around camp, where they were shown several spooky camp scenes.

Wednesday was another normal camp day. Dinner was set up in buffet style, where we had our famous chicken patties. Our last dance of the summer was held in the pavilion where the campers dancde, bonded and sang the night away. Today on our last full day of camp for the summer, we had a FREE DAY! The campers got to decide from three different departments. They were riflery, my department, where campers tried their hardest to increase their scores to get an award, swimming, and boating. It was an awesome day at all three departments. Tonight, which is our closing night for the session and summer we will be having an award/movie night. Awards will be given to campers who have accomplished certain things in our 5 departments. This has been a GREAT end to the summer here at GCC. Thanks for staying tuned!

//Mackenzie :)

P.S. The Session 4 pictures are up on the ride sidebar of the blog...

2010-08-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hi there!
My name is Sabrina and I’m a 5th year staff member here at GCC. Hope all the readers out there have been having a great summer, I know I have. It is my pleasure to fill you all in on one of my favorite days of the session, Sunday. The head counselor, Joe, graced us with an extra 30 minutes of sleeping time so the day already started off well. Then, we had a delicious breakfast and it was off to Sunday mass. There we were joined by family and friends of campers, as well as some parishioners from Our Lady of Fatima.
After mass, the campers had “Free Day” for morning departments. This is where the campers can choose which departments they want to go to and don’t necessarily have to go with their cabin. At my department, boating, we spent a gorgeous day out of the lake canoeing and kayaking, as well as reminiscing on the session under the sun.
Following lunch and rest period, we began our traditional counselor vs. camper games. We started off with “Capture the Counselor”, a camp favorite. This is where each of the counselors is given an envelope with the amount of points they are worth, along with three flags. We hide as best as we can throughout camp and wait for a herd of campers to hunt us down. If they find us and take our flags before we reach base, they receive the points. However, if we make it to base with at least one flag, the points are ours. After much running and sweating, the campers took the win with a score of 1150 to 1350, our closest scores of the summer.
When Capture the Counselor was over, the campers had a choice of taking on the counselors in either dodge ball or soccer. The soccer game went back and forth with goals being scored by both the campers and the counselors. In the end, the counselors went home with a victory thanks to Counselor Tristen scoring the winning goal. At dodge ball, the first game was over quickly with a win earned by the campers. After a rigorous four games, it was a tie between the campers and counselors. The counselors decided after all the hard playing everyone deserved a nice dip in the lake.
To end the day, everyone headed to the showers after dinner, got in their pajamas, and joined the rest of the camp in the mess hall for a movie night. We all watched and thoroughly enjoyed “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”. After our long day, it was lights out for the campers so they could rest up for all the activities they had the next day.
Only a few more days until GCC wraps up for the summer, I hope that all of you at home have a fantastic rest of summer and an even better year!

_Sabrina

2010-07-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody!
Thanks for sitting tight over the past week. With the close of summer fast approaching, we on staff have been so busy trying to make the most out of the final session, it seems to have come at the expense of filling in you all at home.

So I decided to come around for the 1st time this summer bearing good news, that despite a heat index of 109 degrees and an equally “heated” game of Risk yesterday, spirits are high as usual, especially for that third of camp that was assigned to represent the Bell team.(For those of you that are new to the family, Risk is a camp-wide game of Capture the Flag and the Bell team won the game.)
For the sake of new beginnings, it’s about time the Hill was put in its place! No less, coming from the winning team, it turns out the shady “Ville” wasn’t far behind us, and the numbers were a little close for comfort when Tristen announced them following last night’s Chapel Talk.

By that time, however, it already seemed like hard feelings had been put aside from the game and campers had moved on mentally to another equally important event here at camp: The Dance. Yes, 4th session numbers may be smaller than others this year, but when Miley Cyrus came on last night I felt like I was spinning inside of a KidzBop CD. Songs from the Killers, Justin Beiber, and even one of former Head Counselor Garrett Manning kept most campers on their feet well past 9 PM, and it’s safe to say they were out pretty fast once settled in to their respective cabins.
Just about now, in fact, they’ll be rising for the second time today after ducking out from the heat for a little bit, grabbing some popcorn from canteen, and beginning some afternoon activities such as slip n’ slide, dock social, and free swim at the pool.
For the past few years I’ve worked at camp I’ve noticed that 4th session is the “spontaneous session” of the summer, where several leftover ideas are often thrown into the mix of the normal camp routine. Just earlier today I witnessed a mysterious transfer of the old flag pole from the mess hall down to the LCA, where an ominous black flag had been raised…don’t know what that’s all about, but looking forward to filling you in on it in the near future (that is if Pat doesn’t cut me off after this blog entry. )

Also, keep checking back for pictures from Risk, the dance, and everything else we’ve been doing here at GCC (I’m wracking my brain, but Sunday seems like a month ago.) What I can tell you, and I think I speak for the entire staff, is that while the anticipation of the end of summer is bittersweet, it sure has been a pleasure working with your kids, and I look forward to helping make these next 6 days some of their best.
Until next time,
Goodbye!
Sarah

Session 4!

2010-07-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody, this is Andrea and Patrick, coming to you from the second day of Session 4. Yesterday was a great day, with all the campers arriving safely, moving all of their stuff into their cabins, and meeting new or reacquainting with old friends. After the cabins meetings, campers split off into sports of their choosing. There was Soccer, Volleyball, or Basketball. Dinner was baked ziti, salad, and garlic bread. Next was chapel, where Father Johnson, Nurse Jo, and Head Counselor Joe explained the rules. After putting on bug spray, the campers headed over to the pavilion for an opening campfire. We played camper/counselor games, like Chubby Bunny, Bug Juice Chug, and the Pudding Game. We also introduced the Staff members to the campers, to help familiarize them with our names. Afterwards, the campers showered and went to bed for their first night here at GCC.

Today was what we like to call the first "normal day". What I mean by normal is that it's a day with the usual schedule. The campers woke up and attended the daily morning chapel, followed by a breakfast of bagels. Then the campers went to Cabin Cleanup, and cleaned their cabins to obtain a good score from Head Counselor Joe. The cabin with the highest averaged score at the end of the week is declared Honor Cabin, and is awarded pizza or a special off-property trip. Departments were next, with each cabin going to three of the five Departments. The five Departments here at camp are Archery, Boating, Handicraft, Swimming, and Riflery. Lunch was delicious chicken patties with a side of french fries, followed by rest period. Rest period is an hour and a half chill time in your cabin, to keep everyone out of the hottest part of the day and to give them a chance to rest. Next was canteen, a snack time where we usually hand out popcorn, animal crackers, pretzels, or freezie pops. Right now the campers are at various Afternoon Activities with their significant cabins.

We have a lot more in store for this session, so stick around to find out more!

Keep a look out for the Session 4 pictures link on the right hand side of the blog!

//Patrick and Andrea

P.S. Clicking on the pictures will show you the entire picture...

2010-07-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

The Olympics are over!! We had a great game of Risk, with Archery winning against the Hill 2300 to 1700. On Sunday, the campers went to two Departments where once again they could participate in competitions to win their team points. After Canteen we had the main part of the Olympics; the sports. Campers split up into four different sports: Soccer, Football, Basketball, or Italian Golf. Italian Golf is played with a round disc that has a hole in the middle of it. The objective is to pass it to the person in front of you, and they have to catch it by placing their arm in the right spot so the disc slides over their hand and down their arm. This was the first time we've included it in the Olympics, and everybody thought it was a lot of fun! That night we had Creation Campfire, a tradition that goes way back, and tells the American Indian version of the creation of man. The coolest part of Creation is when the Chief yells, "Be Light Made!" and a flaming X zip lines down and lights the huge fire in the middle of the canyon. Afterwards, Father Johnson told the campers a few scary stories to make the walk back to camp a little creepier. The campers all slept good that night, as a result of all the running and hard work they'd done that day.

Monday was back to normal, with the regular routine back on. Chapel, breakfast of hash browns, Departments, lunch of chicken patties, rest period, and Canteen. Afternoon activities were Cabins 1 and 2 Free Swim, then Dock Social, Cabins 3 and 4 Soccer, then Free Swim, and Cabins 5 and 12, Slip N' Slide, then Dodgeball. Cabins 10 and 11 visited Tomahawk and are returning today. They'll be switching out with Cabins 1 and 2. Dinner was the usual tacos, and after dinner the campers had the option of visiting Fishing, Soccer, or Volleyball. After a great Chapel Talk by one of the counselors, Sam Esbenshade, the cabins split up into Evening Activities. Cabins 1 and 2 had a DLB Social and went out and visited Cabins 8 and 9 (who stayed the night there) out at the Dry Lake Bed, Cabins 3 and 4 went on a Gator Hunt and paddled out to the Redneck Christmas Tree, and Cabins 5 and 12 had a Baking Social in the Mess Hall.

Be on the look out for a link on the right hand side of the blog for an album full of Session 3 pictures....

//Patrick

2010-07-17T11:46:00.001-07:00

Hey, it’s Patrick, back with another update of what’s been going on here at Good Counsel Camp. The first half of yesterday was pretty normal, with campers going to Chapel, breakfast, Departments, lunch, and Canteen. After Canteen, Cabins 1 and 2 did Ropes, then Free Swim, Cabins 3 and 4 played Basketball, Cabins 5 and 12 had Slip N’ Slide, Cabins 8 and 9 had Ropes, then Dock Social, and Cabins 10 and 11 had Volleyball and then Free Swim. After dinner, all the campers were told to go shower, because next they were going to the dance!! The dance is one of the most popular parts of camp, and everybody always has a good time. The theme for this dance was the 80’s, and all of the counselors showed up in their best 80’s attire. When the dance was almost over, we had all the campers go outside. Most of the campers that have been here before usually know the basic schedule of camp, but they had no idea what was coming next. Suddenly, the theme from Rocky started blasting from the Mess Hall. Down from the basketball courts came a figure, running, and carrying a torch. He ran past the campers, and then handed it off to another person, who then climbed a ladder and lit our new Olympic Torch! The Olympics have begun! The campers were blown away! After, the Department Heads walked in sporting bed-sheet togas, and they explained the Olympics to the campers. The campers were then allowed to finish their dance and then get rested up for the next day. Today has been awesome so far! For the past couple years, the Olympics, though still an awesome time, have been the same routine. This year, everything is completely different! We have four teams: New Zealand (Black), Madagascar (Green), Iceland (Blue), and Japan (Red). We completely re-arranged the Mess Hall to form four long tables, each for one team. Each team had time to make their own flag, and decorate their area with streamers, banners, and balloons, each with their respective colors.

Then, at Departments, they had various competitions that could earn them points for their team. We’re now at Canteen, and afterwards we’re playing Risk, a huge capture-the-flag game across the whole camp property! All the campers love it, and this session it’s a little different because Iceland and Japan are combining to form the Hill, and New Zealand and Madagascar are combining to form Archery. It’s going to be an interesting game and I can’t wait to see what happens! Well, I have to go get ready to play! See you next time!

//Patrick

P.S. More pictures soon to come!

2010-07-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm back with another update of everything we've been doing since I last posted! There's so much to tell you about, so here goes...

Tuesday started with Chapel followed by a breakfast of pancakes and sausage. After Cabin Cleanup, the cabins went to their designated Departments, some getting to try Boating for the first time because Monday was Boating's day off. Lunch was turkey sandwiches and afterwards we headed off to rest period. Canteen was Freezy Pops and the camp store was once again open, much to the delight of the campers. Afternoon activities, which is when the cabins split up individually, was next. Cabins 1 and 2 participated in Ropes, Cabins 3 and 4 played Dogdeball and Basketball, Cabins 5 and 12 played Boomball , Cabins 10 and 11 played Volleyball, and Cabins 8 and 9 had a Dock Social. Dinner was barbecued chicken with a side of mashed potatoes and vegetables. Evening activities were Cabins 1, 2, 8, and 9 had a Free Swim, Cabins 3, 4, 10, and 11 had an ICS, and Cabins 5 and 12 had stargazing on the dock.

The first half of Wednesday was basically the same other than a few things. Every Wednesday is the kitchen staff's day off so breakfast is always cereal, lunch is always peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and dinner is always a cookout. Also, the cabins visited different Departments, but other than that, up to Canteen was pretty much a usual day. Afternoon activities were different, with Cabins 1 and 2 playing Football and Dodgeball, Cabins 3 and 4 played Soccer followed by a refreshing Free Swim, Cabins 5 and 12 played Ninja, and Cabins 10 and 11 did the Ropes course. Cabins 8 and 9 left after lunch to go to Tomahawk, a two-story lodge along the Rainbow River. The campers get to hang out away from the regular camp schedule and just hang out. There's a big field out back for sports and just past the field is the river, which the campers go tubing down. It's really fun and I'm sure they had a great time. They get back soon and Cabins 3 and 4 will be swapping out with them. The cookout was really fun, and all the campers had a great time! They had the choice of hot dogs or hamburgers and they had bug juice to go along with it. Afterwards, Cabins 1 and 2 had Game Night in Handicraft, Cabins 3 and 4 played Manhunt, and Cabin 12 took a pontoon boat ride. Cabins 10 and 11 stayed the night at the Dry Lake Bed (DLB), an open field on camp property, but away from the main camp area. When the campers visit the DLB, they have the chance to eat smores, sing songs, and sit around the campfire. Cabin 5 stayed the night at the Haunted House and also had a campfire.

Today had been pretty normal up to now. Breakfast was biscuits and gravy, and they were awesome! Departments were the usual, and lunch was rib sandwiches. The campers are now at rest period and it's pouring rain! They have a lot more activities to do today and I have to get back to my cabin, so until next time, enjoy the pictures and this post!

//Patrick

Session 3 is underway!

2010-07-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

Hello to all you camper parents out there, and if this is your first time reading the blog, welcome! Session 3 has finally begun and I can't wait for you to hear about what we've been doing!

The first thing we did as a cabin on Sunday was a cabin meeting in which the campers helped create their own rules which they will follow these two weeks. Afterwards, they were given a choice between a couple of activities; dodgeball, baskbetball, and volleyball. For dinner we had ziti, garlic bread, and salad, which were all good. Next we went to Chapel Talk, where Father Johnson, Head Counselor Joe, and Nurse Joe explained camp rules. We then returned to the cabins to put on bug spray and soon after all met at the pavilion for our Opening Campfire. We played many fun Camper/Counselor games like Chubby Bunny, Bug Juice Chug, Peanut Butter sandwich eating contest, and the M&M's game. Also, Joe introduced all the Departments and their respective counselors so the campers could start to know who we are. The campers all went to bed that night excited and ready for these next two weeks.

Monday, our first normal camp day, went by fast, but was filled with many, many exciting activities. We started off the day with daily Chapel, and followed it up with a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. Afterwards, the campers experienced their first Cabin Cleanup, a daily restructuring of the cabin. Departments came next, and each cabin went to three. The Departments here at camp consist of Archery, Boating, Handicraft, Riflery, and Swimming. Each cabin goes to three Departments each day, and by the end of the week they should have been to all of them. After Departments was lunch. Monday lunch is the best, a camper favorite! Chicken Patties! And they go great with a side of tater tots.Up next, rest period. After lunch is the hottest part of the day, so we all return to our cabins for some chill time in which the kids can sleep and relax. Rest period is followed by canteen, a daily snack time and also an opportunity for the kids to visit the Camp Store. Afternoon activities are next, and each cabin is assigned to their own. Everyones first activities was the Department they didn't attend earlier to give them a chance to visit all the Departments. Afterwards, Cabins 3 and 4 played Volleyball/Basketball, Cabins 1 and 2 participated in Ropes games, Cabins 8 and 9 had a Dock Social, Cabin 5, 11, and 12 had a free swim, and Cabin 10 played Italian Golf. Next was dinner, and on Mondays, it's always tacos! They were awesome and everyone is excited for next Monday! After-Dinner activities are a little different from Afternoon activities; campers get to choose which one they would like to participate in. We had Fishing, Soccer, Volleyball/Basketball, and Free Time in the LCA. Later, after activities, we learned all the Chapel songs together. Evening activities are assigned to each cabin, and there were a lot of fun ones last night. Cabins 1, 2, 8, and 9 had an Ice Cream Social, Cabins 3, 4, 10, and 11 had a Free Swim in the pool, and Cabins 5 and 12 had a Boar Hunt.

Overall, we had a very busy first day, and all the of the campers had a great time! Right now they're at Departments and afterwards, lunch. Make sure to check back later this week for more updates on what we've been doing.

The pictures on the blog get cut off, but if you click on them it will show you the whole thing. Also, I greatly appreciate when people leave comments under the post. It lets me know that there's actually people out there reading it.

Until next time,

//Patrick

Recap!

2010-07-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, sorry the blog has been so empty lately! We've just been so busy here at camp I haven't had any spare time to write it! A lot has happened since the first day and I'll do my best to fill you in on it.

Each day we've had the five Departments (Archery, Boating, Swimming, Riflery, and Handicraft) and the campers have had the chance to try them all out. Some various activities out of the normal have happened as well. Cabin 6 spent the night at the Haunted House and Cabin 11 visited the next night, Cabins 8 and 9 visited the DLB, Cabins 3 and 4 had an Ice Cream Social, and Cabin 1 visited Sumter, an off-property camp-owned camp site where the campers hang out around a campfire and cook meals on the fire. Wednesday night we all had another cook out with the usual hot dogs and hamburgers, which was awesome!

Today we had a shaving cream fight! Every camper who wanted to, purchased a can of shaving cream using the money in their camp store accounts, and met out at the softball field. When Sergio, one of the first year seminarians, was in the middle of the field thinking he was picking something up, Head Counselor Joe yelled, "Get Sergio!" and all the campers attacked him and then started the fight. Nobody left the fight clean! Later tonight though, after they had all cleaned up, we had the dance! The dance is a huge deal to the campers, and they loved it! The theme for the counselors was PJ Party, and most of them showed up in their PJ attire. We even had one counselor, Greg V., show up in a bath robe! It was a great dance and the campers were very exhausted afterwards. They're now sleeping and resting up for their final full camp day tomorrow!

//Patrick

P.S. If you click on the pictures, it will you show you the whole thing...

Session 2!

2010-07-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody, my name is Patrick and I'm a second year counselor here at GCC. Session 2 has officially begun, and so much has happened since you left your campers in our hands. After you dropped your campers off, they had a few hours to explore the camp and meet new people. At four, we had a cabin meeting where the campers helped to create their own rules and learned each other's names. They were then allowed to choose from various activities including soccer, volleyball, basketball, and fishing off the dock. Soccer consisted of a camper vs. counselor game, resulting in the campers dominating the counselors! At fishing, they caught a giant catfish and a sunfish. Opening dinner was a surprise, and something that usually never happens: a cookout! We had it to celebrate the 4th of July and many kids were both surprised and excited! We then led the kids out to the softball field for a surprise viewing of fireworks!! It was an awesome 15 minutes of music and explosions and the kids left very happy and excited about what the rest of the week had in store for them.

Today we had the first normal camp day. We woke up and went to chapel, which we attend everyday. We then had a breakfast of bagels and cream cheese and returned to the cabins for Cabin Cleanup, a daily cleaning of the cabin. Head Counselor Joe grades each cabin every day, and at the end of the week the cabin with the highest averaged score wins Honor Cabin and receives a prize. The cabins then went to Departments, which we have five of here at camp. Riflery, Archery, Boating, Swimming, and Handicraft. Each day the cabins visit three of the Departments and partake in various activities such as shooting 22's and BB's, drawing pictures, canoe races, and shooting bows and arrows. Lunch was a delicious chicken patties and tater tots. After lunch is rest period, an hour and a half "chill" period where the campers (and counselors!) can rest and sleep. Next was Canteen, a snack time, and the camp store was open for the kids to purchase candy and soda. Afternoon activities included ropes course, volleyball/basketball, and football. Dinner was yummy tacos, a Monday tradition. Afterwards, Cabins 2 and 3 went to the DLB (Dry Lake Bed) where they are staying the night as we speak. I went with them, so I don't know exactly what everyone else did, but I do know that Cabin 6 visited the Haunted House tonight.

Check in later this week to hear more about what's been going on in Session 2!

//Patrick

Session 1 is Done!

2010-07-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Session 1, 2010! It was a lot of fun, but it's time for all the campers to return home to their families. It was a great session, one filled with exciting adventures and new experiences. I hope that every single camper left GCC today with many stories to tell and many memories to recall upon later in life. I met a lot of new faces, and reminisced with old campers. Camp has helped mold me into the person that I am today, and I hope that it's done the same with all of you!

I hope to see you all next summer!

//Patrick (and Amy!)

P.S. There's still room in Sessions 3 and 4 if you campers decided to come back!!

Last Day!

2010-07-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Today, sadly, was the last day of Session 1, 2010. Last nights dance was a success, with all the counselors showing up in their fantasy wrestler costumes. Campers saw wrestlers like The Blue Steel, The Duct Tape Duo, and The Italian Stallions. Campers and counselors danced the night away, knowing it would be one of the last things they did together before they return home tomorrow. Today for departments we had a FREE DAY! Cabins had the option to go to whichever department they wanted to attend. Riflery had a competition between the top 8 shooters of this session, and the winner was Joseph DeMarco. Archery hosted their own competition, and the winner was Caleb Sapp. Boating had open boating, and the Pool had free swim. Handicraft did tie-dying, and all of the shirts came out great! Later in the day there was a game we like to call Campers vs. Counselors. Each counselor receives an envelope with an unknown point value in it, and then hides somewhere in the camp. When the game starts, the campers hunt down the counselors, trying to pull off both of their flags before they return to the base, a giant circle in the LCA. If a counselor makes it back to the base, their points go towards the counselors, and if they are caught, to the campers. The envelopes are then opened, and the points added up. Final score: Campers 3,500 and Counselors 1,700. Go Campers! Tonight, the campers are recieving their awards and then watching a movie! I know they'll be sad to leave, but they'll be even happier to see you tomorrow!

//Patrick

Quick Recap

2010-06-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, sorry the blog has been so...empty, lately. I've been using all my free time at camp to get college stuff ready for the orientation I had today and tomorrow. It's been crazy! But I'll try and fill you in on what's been going on.

When Erin left you last, the camp was getting ready for Risk, the camp-wide game of capture-the-flag. Risk is the most competitive game in all of camp, and the campers and counselors really go all out for it. The camp was divided into two teams this year, Hill and Archery. The Hill's color was red and Archery's color was yellow. When the campers started heading down for Canteen, they were all dressed in their appropriate colors. We had red and yellow face paint and we decorated everybody with team logos and designs. Tensions rose as the teams separated and went to their home bases. The bell rang, and both teams were off! In Risk, each team has a giant flag that they guard at their base. It's worth 100 points if you can steal it and return it to your base. Each person that's playing the game has one flag around their waste. If you can pull it, and bring that back to your base, you will also recieve points. It's a very intense game, full of ambushes, duels, and sneak attacks! Archery has been the reigning champs for as long as I can remember, so every game is a challenge for the Hill to come out ahead. At this end of this game of Risk, the score was Archery 2000, Hill 1400. Archery stood strong and kept their winning streak going!

Monday and Tuesday were pretty normal days. Departments as usual both days. Cabin 10 went caving in the set of caves that are off property! It's always a fun time and you always come back dirty! Cabins 8 and 9 went to Tomahawk and had a great time! Cabins 1 and 2 were set to go to the DLB, had all their stuff packed, and then we were hit with a bad thunderstorm. So, they stayed in the cabins that night, disappointed they couldn't go.

Tonight is the second dance, and the theme is Fantasy Wrestling. Each counselor is making up a wrestler with a backstory and then dressing as them. I'm sure the kids are having a great time as I write this! Session 1 is almost over, and the campers only have one more day to have fun, and I'm sure they'll have a great one!

//Patrick

2010-06-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hey, it's Erin, maybe you remember me from last year. I'm Pat's first guest blogger this summer so I'll try to pick up right where he left off. On Friday night we had our first dance of the session which every cabin had been anxiously looking forward too since the beginning of the session. D.J.s Andrea and Pat played some great music and the whole camp danced until bedtime. Everyone had a blast!
The next morning instead of going to our normal morning departments we started the camp wide Olympic games. All the campers and counselors were separated into four different teams: USA, UK, Brazil, and Italy. We started out the competition by an exciting game of the Shoe relay then we played everybody's it tag, the dizzy bat relay, and finished the morning off with a race around camp. We used a point system to keep track of wins and losses. After lunch team Italy was in the lead by three points. From lunch we went right to rest period which was definitley a nice break from the relay races int he morning. Rest period and canteen flew by and then we continued the games in the afternoon.
Campers were assigned specific games to compete in the represent their teams in the afternoon. The four different games were Dodgeball in the LCA with most of the younger campers, Basketball, volleyball, and soccer. I was personally assigned to play dodgeball and the games were close but Italian team managed to come out on top. The same fate awaited team Italy in both Volleyball and Basketball. Soccer, however was a different story with the UK coming out on top. The final rankings of the teams were Brazil with the least amount of points but plenty of heart as their chant was heard all around camp at every differnt event. Next there was a two way tie between the UK and the USA for second place and Italy came out on top over all. It was a great day, everyone had tons of team spirit and enjoyed the change of pace for the day.
That was not it for the excitment on Saturday though. At night Cabins 8 and 1 put on the Creation Campfire for the rest of the camp. Creation campfire is a version of the creation story of Adam and Eve set around a bonfire in the canyon. By the time the Campfire was over everyone was more than ready for bed and were very excited to learn that they would get to sleep in an extra half hour the next morning before we went to mass.
Today is Sunday, all the campers are currently enjoying their rest period and getting ready for the camp wide game of Risk! Pat will update you on the results of the game later!

2010-06-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

I left you last at the cookout we were having Wednesday night, and now I'll fill you in on what's happened since. That night Cabins 3 and 4 visited the Dry Lake Bed (DLB), a big open field where they spent the night. I was there with them and while we were out there we played Can Somebody Get That?, a game where the counselors kick a soccer ball as far as possible, and both teams try and return it first for a point. We also played Mafia and Ultimate Frisbee. We closed the night with a campfire and then slept in two lean-to's that are screened in to keep out the bugs! Back at camp, Cabins 8 and 9 had a baking night, and they made brownies and cupcakes, which I heard turned out great. Cabins 5 and 12 had an Ice Cream Social (ICS), an event where the cabins eat ice cream and play games in the mess hall. Cabins 10 and 11 went on a Gator Hunt! They paddled out on the lake in our war canoes at night, shining flashlights to try and reflect them off of the gator's eyes.

Thursday Departments were Cabins 8 and 9, Swimming, Riflery, and Handicraft, Cabins 10 and 11, Handicraft, Swimming, and Riflery, and Cabins 5 and 12, Riflery, Handicraft, and Swimming. Departments were pretty quiet at camp because Cabins 1 and 2 were still at Tomahawk and Cabins 3 and 4 were still at the DLB. After lunch Cabins 10 and 11 left to switch out with the boys at Tomahawk. They're still there and should be back by lunch. For afternoon activities, all the cabins practiced for Airband. Airband is one night of camp where every cabin goes on stage and does a skit, either something funny, or something to music, and then they are judged in 5 different categories. After dinner, which was an awesome baked chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes, we had some After Dinner Activities. The campers had the choice of going to soccer in the Softball field or fishing off the dock. For evening activities, Cabins 8 and 9 went out to the DLB, Cabins 5 went to stay at the Haunted House, Cabin 12 went stargazing on the dock, Cabins 1 and 2 had a Game Night in Handicraft, and Cabins 3 and 4 went on a gator hunt in the canoes.

Today has been a pretty normal day, with all the cabins at their respective Departments right now. Tonight is the Dance!! The Dance is always a camp-wide favorite, and all the campers get extremely excited about it! The campers don't know about it yet, but the theme is Hollywood, and all of the counselors are dressing up as a character from a movie or a celebrity!

See ya next time,

//Patrick

2010-06-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! I'm back with another exciting update from GCC! Things have been going great since I last posted and there's so much to talk about!

Wednesdays are the kitchen staff's day off, so breakfast, lunch and dinner are always the same. For breakfast, the campers ate cereal, which is always fun because different cabins receive various types of cereal and throughout the meal there is a lot of trading that goes on. After the usual Cabin Cleanup, the cabins headed off to departments. Cabins 1 and 8 visited Handicraft, Archery, and Boating, Cabins 2 and 9 visited Archery, Boating, and Swimming, Cabins 3, 10, and 11 visited Boating, Swimming, and Handicraft, and finally Cabins 4, 5, and 12 visited Swimming, Handicraft, and Archery. At Handicraft the campers had the option of making tissue paper flowers or God's eyes, made out of Popsicle sticks and yarn. At Archery, the campers shot bows and arrows, trying to increase their scores so as to possibly receive an award at the end of the session. Swimming consisted of a diving contest, followed by a free swim. Boating held a canoe race to the dock and back resulting in a tie between both teams. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a Wednesday tradition, were served up with a side of chips for lunch. After rest period, the cabins broke off into their own specific Afternoon activities. Cabins 1 and 2 left to stay the night at Tomahawk Lodge, a two-story lodge that sits right on the Rainbow River! They don't return until tomorrow, and I know they'll have a lot of fun tubing down the river, playing soccer, and especially getting a little bit of air conditioning! Cabins 3 and 4 first played a game a soccer, with the final score being Cabin 3: 5, and Cabin 4: 1. Afterwards, they got to cool off in the pool with a free swim. Cabins 8 and 9 played volleyball, and also got to cool off afterwards with a Dock Social.

Dock Socials usually consist of the boys jumping off the dock (sometimes the girls...) and the girls tanning. Cabins 10 and 11 participated in some Ropes games, including the infamous Nitro Crossing, and then later joined the boys in a free swim. Cabins 5 and 12 started off with a Dock Social and finished up with a game of soccer!

Right now the whole camp is enjoying an awesome cookout, with tons of hot dogs and hamburgers, which by the way, I need to get back to!

I hope you've enjoyed my post for today, and make sure to check back for another soon!

//Patrick

P.S. Make sure to check out the Picture of the Day at the bottom of the page! It's really cool!

Session 1 has begun!

2010-06-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Session 1 is finally here! For those of you who are new to the blog, my name is Patrick, I'm a second year counselor at GCC, and I'll be posting all the exciting updates right here for you to be a part of! Throughout the summer I'll have what I like to call my "guest writers", other counselors from around camp, writing one or more entries. So make sure to be on the look out for your favorite counselors!

Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday, opening day is always such a CRAZY day, and this is the first chance I've had to post. Opening day was a lot of fun, as usual! Throughout the day we had many campers arriving, all with excited smiles on their faces. After everyone had arrived, and all the parents had left, each cabin had a cabin meeting in which we let the campers make their own rules (with a little guidance from us...) and they helped us make a Wishlist of things they wanted to do this session. After the meetings, we gave the campers the option to participate in games around camp. Soccer, basketball, volleyball, and kickball were the four choices and the campers soon dispersed to which one they thought was best for them. All the campers had a blast, but were also introduced to or reminded of how hot it gets here! After a dinner of baked ziti and salad, we met in the chapel to go over some of the general camp rules, courtesy of Father Johnson, Head Counselor Joe, and Nurse Harris, who has returned to camp after a three year absence. Our planned campfires were ruined by the traditional always-rains-on-opening-day curse. So instead, Cabins 4, 5, 11, and 12 hung out in the pavilion while Cabins 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, and 10 hung out in the Mess Hall. In the pavilion we played camp games like Bug Juice Chug and Chubby Bunny. We also sang songs like Aroostashaw and Last Night I Ate. In the mess hall, the older kids had a Ninja tournament. Ninja is the new game this summer that everyone is playing...

Today was the first full, normal day of camp. After waking up, we attended morning mass in the chapel, followed by a breakfast of pancakes and sausage. Cabin Cleanup, a daily cleaning of the cabin, happened next. All the campers make their own beds, sweep the floor, and make the cabin look as clean as possible. Later in the day, Joe goes around and grades the cabins, giving them a final score for the day. At the end of each week, the cabin with the highest averaged score wins Honor Cabin, and is rewarded with a prize (usually something like pizza for dinner...). After Cabin Cleanup the cabins went to Departments. There are five Departments at camp: Archery, Boating, Handicraft, Riflery, and Swimming. Cabins went to three different ones today and will experience the rest throughout the session. Lunch was a camp favorite: chicken patties. They went perfect with the tater tots served on the side and everyone left with full bellies. Everyone then went to Rest Period, a two hour break where we stay in our cabins during the hottest part of the day. Sleeping is optional, and most of the older cabins take advantage of it. Next we had afternoon activities which included Dodgeball, Free Swim in the pool, Volleyball, and Manhunt. Dinner was tacos, another camp favorite! After dinner activities were Capture the Flag in the Canyon, Fishing, and volleyball/Basketball. Campers could choose which activity they wanted to participate in. Later we had Chapel Talk, which usually consists of a counselor talking to the campers about a subject of Christianity. Since it was the first night, we taught all of the campers the songs we sing in chapel in the morning. For evening activities, there was Ropes games, a Pontoon boat ride, and baking in the kitchen. It was a great first day, and I can tell the campers are ready for more!

And now, we wait

2010-06-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

It's been another two days, both filled with hard work and determination, and a quick glance around the property serves as proof of all we've done. We've finally mowed all the grass, gotten the Departments straightened out, and the cabins are spotless. Yesterday, the counselors and I played some of the ropes games that you campers will participate in here at camp, including Tomahawk Walk, The Swinging Log, and The Islands.

Today has consisted of mostly last minute things: trash pick-up, Mess Hall scrub, weedwacking missed spots, etc. Sometimes it's the little things that count, and that's been the work focus today. We want to make sure everything about camp is up to par for you campers so you can have the best time possible!

Good Counsel Camp is looking opening day worthy, now all it needs is you campers to get here! We've done all the preparation, and now all we can do is wait.

Opening Day is near, and we can't wait to see you Session 1 campers there!

It's all coming together!

2010-06-16T06:25:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody! The counselors and I have been working harder than ever since the last blog, and we have a lot to show for it! The sounds of weedeaters and lawn mowers are heard from almost anywhere in camp. The pontoon boat and the bus have both been washed and cleaned and are ready for use. Arrows are being gathered for Archery, the Pool is being filled up, and other tasks are being done at the Departments to prepare them for the campers. Many fallen trees, logs, and other brush have been collected and moved from the paths. Many of the trails have been trailblazed, making it easier for all to navigate through them. Our sound system has been checked and fixed to make sure we have some awesome music for the much-anticipated dances!

Many jobs have been completed, but we still have a lot more to finish. While I'm working around camp, I can't help but notice all the other couneslors, working their very best, and with huge smiles on thier faces! Despite all the tough work they're doing, they're just as excited as I am for all of you campers to get here and enjoy all those great things you love about GCC! Yesterday, about an hour before dinner, we were hit with a rainstorm, which was a great relief to everybody! This summer at camp has been one of the hottest I've ever experienced, so campers, bring your fans!! You'll definitely need them!

Opening Day is getting closer and closer, and the anticipation and excitement level is growing, probably as much for us as it is for you!

We can't wait to see you all this summer!

//Patrick

And so it begins...

2010-06-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hello all you GCC'ers! My name is Patrick Walsh, a 2nd year counselor here at camp, and this year's writer of the Good Counsel Camp blog. For those of you who followed Erin's posts last year know that I have some pretty big shoes to fill, but I hope I can provide you with accurate and entertaining updates of everyday happenings here at GCC.

The staff arrived Saturday, with a few new faces, back for another great year at GCC! If you loved the food last year as much as I did, you'll be happy to hear that Eric, our cook from last year, has returned to provide us with his services once again. After a great dinner all the counselors met with Father Johnson and our new Head Counselor Joe Pulte to talk about this upcoming year. We all introduced ourselves individually, and afterwards played a name game testing the counselors to see who payed attention. We all went to bed that night ready for the week that lay ahead of us: Work Week.

Work Week you say? You mean camp doesn't just magically stay in perfect camp condition? You mean the grass doesn't mow itself, the bathrooms don't stay clean, and the spiders don't move their cobwebs when we get here? As much as we wish this were so, camp takes a lot of preparation to get it ready for all you campers to enjoy. Work Week is filled with many projects that have to be completed in time for Opening Day. Here's an idea of what we've been working on so far: Weedwacking, painting, cleaning cobwebs and dust, trailblazing, replacing broken lights, taking down dead trees, and many other things that make GCC look good as new. We have much more to do, and only five days left, but you can bet on it that when you arrive here at camp, it will be looking great!

All of us here at GCC are excited about your arrival, and I bet you are too!
For all you Session 1 campers out there, we'll see you soon!
Make sure to look out for more updates this week on what projects we'll be doing.

Until next time,
//Patrick

Summer 2010!

2010-04-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone again the days are counting down quickly until the summer starts! The staff is close to 90% full, and camper numbers are approaching that quickly so be sure to send in your applications asap!

The big news from the past couple weeks was the endorsement of a new Head Counselor. That being said, it is both and honor and a priviledge that I will get to step forward for the next couple summers as the Head Counselor. What does that mean for the upcoming summer? Well for starters, you'll no longer find me hanging out at the pool for regular departments. Instead you will now find another great counselor running the show at the Swimming Department. That's not all, across the board 4 of our 5 Departments will have new leaders different then this past summer. All these changes breathe fresh air as we look forward towards an exciting upcoming summer. So who's going where? You'll have to stay tuned as we announce the new Department Heads over the next few weeks....

The other question about the upcoming summer is what will happen to the Blog? Will I be too busy to update it or take photos?!? Absolutely Not, in fact the Blog will remain a priority here at Camp for as long as I'm around, and this summer there will be a new person stepping up as our official camp writer/photographer. I have complete faith that this person will be the best writer we've had yet and with the summer we have planned He(first clue) will have plenty to write about!

As you can tell there is a lot of new things to look forward to this upcoming summer, so check back often as I'm going to need some feedback on some of the planned changes! Look for polls and comment spots on galore these next few weeks on the Blog as I give you, the camper or parent, a chance to weigh in on what you'd like to see this summer!

That's all for now, check back the first week of May for the regular weekly blog updates and the announcement of several key positions around camp!

//Joe

We're Back!

2010-02-15T22:55:00.000-08:00

Hello again out there GCC Nation...

It's been quite awhile since the last time you've heard from us, but rest assure the summer is gearing up quick! The first couple batches of Counselors have signed up and been added to the official camp website(myself included) and the first camper applications have already been sent out. And with all these preparations came one unfortunate announcement that our fearless leader for the past two summers, Garrett Manning, is stepping down from his role as Head Counselor to focus on his upcoming career options. Sad but we wish him the best of luck and I'm sure Garrett will stop by quite often this summer to make sure things are running smoothly.

What does that leave for the upcoming summer? Well for the 3rd time in 5 summers we will have a new head counselor, which is an exciting new opportunity. Each new Head counselor brings in fresh perspective and lots of fun new ideas so we'll have to see what is to come from the opening.

In other news as promised every year there will be upcoming changes for the Blog including as you can now see a link to our Twitter page. Why Twitter? Because it's faster, easier, and we will be able to update 5x as much as the Blog. This does not, however, mean we will no longer be doing our semi-daily updates here on the Blog. Those will continue and with new technology be sure to check back often for lots of updated posts, pics, videos and more!

That's all for now, as you can see I'm back full time on the blog now that Erin has finished her journalism credit so look forward to hearing from me often as we get ready for another great summer!

//Joe

2009-08-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

Hola! Welcome to the very last blog entry of the fourth session. It was a bittersweet day here as the campers realized that today was the last full day they could spend with their new friends but also realized that they would soon be home with their families in central air. Tomorrow the campers leave until next summer when we hope they choose to come back and join us again next year.

Today we woke up and went to our very last mass of the summer together and then went to breakfast where we had bagels with butter and jelly. From there the campers, instead of being assigned departments, were given a choice as to how they would spend their morning. We reconveined as a camp for lunch where we had chicken patties which was a perfect ending lunch as it is definately a camp favorite around here! We then went to our last rest period and canteen from there. For the last time this summer we seperated into cabins and proceeded to our afternoon activities. Some cabins had free swim, and others dock social, or dodge ball. Cabins 1 and 2 went on a hike while cabin 9 strategized about a way to surprise them with water baloons because their activity was water baloon raids on random people and they so happened to target cabin 1. After activities we went to dinner for turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing with gravy. A mini thanksgiving if you will which in my personal opinion was an entirely appropriate ending so we could thank God for haveing a safe and fun session. After dinner we took showers and started packing in an effort to not to have to wake up even earlier than normal tomorrow morning. When the next bell rang we met at the mess hall we each department handed out awards for accomplishments in a given field. Right after the awards ceremony we had a movie night and watched Bolt. Campers are currently sleeping, awaiting tomorrow and the good byes and reunions that await them in the morning. I would like to thank everyone for keeping up with the blog and providing your comments and support, it was great to hear from everyone! Till next time, signing out!

//Erin

2009-08-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

Hey, it's hard to believe that we only have one full day left here! The past two days have been jam packed full of fun so let's get to catching up on that!

Tuesday started as every other day does with chapel in the morning then breakfast. Campers went to departments then lunch and headed to the cabins to catch up on some reading for school, or to write letters home, or to just catch a little nap during rest period. We woke up for canteen and got pumped for our afternoon activities. These included things like free swim, dock social, and ropes courses which are used for team building and bonding. Instead of afternoon activities cabins 1, 2, 8, and 9 went to confession with Father Johnson which was a very relaxing and cleansing experience for us all and I believe the rest of the camp has been scheduled to benefit from the experience some time before camp ends. Tuesday night, after dinner cabins 8 and 9 were sent to the DLB where we hung out, listened to some scary stories and just relaxed and got to know eachother a bit better. In the morning we got to get up a little later than usual and make our own breakfast of eggs which we turned into breakfast burritos with tortilla shells. Other cabins watched movies in handicraft, went star gazing on the dock and night swim.

Wednesday was the day of the last dance of the summer here at GCC. The theme was tacky prom and once the campers got wind of that they immediately went to ask that special someone they thought was cute over the past week or so. We had our departments in the morning, minus archery because they were off for the day. Wednesday is the cook's day off so we had cereal for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly for lunch and a cook out for dinner where the campers got a chance to mingle with the other cabins during meal times and got to go to the camp store. After dinner we took the time to shower and get ready for the dance. When the bell rang we headed up to chapel where counselor Tristen talked to us about power and God and how for examples of power we should not always look right to the richest man on the planet or the most well known but to Jesus Christ for inspiration. After chapel talk we went right to the dance and danced the rest of the night away...until bed time that is! Because it was prom themed there were baloons and streamers and a photo booth where everyone could take pictures. We also had all the campers and counselors vote on prom king and queen. Everyone voted on a prom king and queen for both the campers and the counselors and we have pictures of the winners and the runners up. It really is hard to believe the session is almost over and we are sad to see it end but we still have another super fun day planned for the day ahead so more to come tomorrow!

//Erin

2009-08-03T19:02:00.001-07:00

Hey, it is currently Monday night here at GCC and all the campers are tucked safely away in their cabins getting some much needed shut eye.

First let me tell you the Risk results. For the second time this summer the Hill team beat Archery, I am not positive on the scores but a win nontheless. After Risk we met in the mess hall for leftover night which is actually a good thing here becuase it allows for a choice of whats for dinner that night. From dinner campers participated in the normal after dinner activities then went to chapel talk. Night activities, however, were a bit different. Instead of splitting up into cabins, everyone went to the canyon for the Creation Campfire which is a huge bon fire and skit put on by the oldest boys and girls cabins about the creation of the Earth. The fire blazed as it set the mood for the story and provided light and warmth to the campers. The campers definately enjoyed the change in scenery for night activites.

Monday leaves us with only 4 days left in session 4. We woke up to the morning bell at 6:55am and went to chapel, then breakfast where we had hash browns, eggs, and bacon. From there we went to cabin clean up and today began a new week to strive for the title of honor cabin. We went to morning departments minus boating as it was their day off and then went to lunch which was a camp favorite of chicken nuggets and tatter tots. We slept through the rain during rest period and woke up to the smell of fresh popcorn drifting through the lower cabin area. That creating quite the incentive for the campers and counselors alike to wake up have a snack and begin afternoon activities. Afternoon activities included dodgeball, free swim, slip and slide and so on. Cabin 2 was sent to Sumter to camp out for the night and Cabin 1 is spending the night at the DLB. We had one more overnight trip and that was by cabin 5 to the haunted house. Everyone will get back tomorrow at some point and mesh right back into the camp groove. Afternoon activities brought us to dinner where we had tacos. Everyone enjoyed their tacos except for cabin 9 who won honor cabin and got to go eat pizza at Cooter Park as their prize. Cabin 9 had a blast playing volleyball games and playing dodgeball on the shuffle board courts which we have plenty of pictures and videos of that will be up shortly! Cabin 9 got back just in time to shower and hang out before bed while everyone else who was not on a overnight trip either watched a movie in handicraft or had an ice cream social in the mess hall. Just another great day here at GCC, more tomorrow!

//Erin

2009-08-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! It's been a while so lets get caught up. Our last update was on Thursday which brings us to Friday, the end of the first week of the session. Friday was a normal busy day here with departments in the morning, minus swimming as it was their day off then lunch, rest period and afternoon activities. Afternoon activities included free swim, slip and slide, dodge ball, and dock social. Afternoon activities brought us to dinner where we had baked ziti. After dinner, instead of our normal camper's choice of activities we went and took that spare time to shower in preparation for our first dance of the session. Cabins 1 and 2 stayed behind and moved all the benches and tables out of the way so we would have plenty of room to boogie. The dance was a hit and everyone had a great time. Father opened the store and sold many many glow sticks as they were by far the most popular item on sale for the dance. Campers drank bug juice and danced until bed time to their favorite music.

We woke up the next morning and went to chapel as always then breakfast where we had toast with eggs and sausage. Then instead of scheduled departments for each cabin, every camper as an individual got to choose which departments they would attend that morning. The free day in the morning brought us into lunch where we had chilli cheese dogs which has been a nice little addition to our normal camp menu. After lunch we went to rest period but not many people got relax because later that night was Airband and everyone took every opportunity they could to prepare. Then, when we would normally split off into cabins and do separate activities we had a camp wide relay. Every camper was assigned a department to be with and those were the teams. Each team had about 16 campers and each camper had a specific task. This task could have been to run from riflery to the pool or to swim a lap, or to paddle a kayak to the dock etc. The very last stop on the race was at the bell where each team had to answer one correct question about camp. The question: What year did camp open?" The answer: 1948. The catch to this was that for every wrong answer the team gave they needed to step back for 15 seconds, ponder a different answer then try again. I was personally stationed at the bell and let me tell you, things definately got a bit intense! The pool won the race with a second place finish by riflery. Archery came in third, handicraft in fourth, and boating finished last. After the relay everyone headed to the softball field where we had a huge shaving cream fight. Because of their last place finish boating recieved the privilage of starting the shaving cream fight in the middle of the field with the other four teams starting from the four corners. After hosing everyone down and preparing a bit more for Airband we went to dinner then we showered and got ready for the night's activity. Nerves were high and performances were great last night at Airband. Cabin 8 took home the prize for most style with their musical skit. Cabin 1 won for creativity with their interpretation of a day in the life of cabin 1. Cabin 9 won for accuracy with their dance to "You can't stop the beat" from Hairspray the musical and cabin 5 took home the grand prize for overall best skit with "Kiss the Girl" from the Little Mermaid. These were all performances you wouldn't want to miss and we will have plenty of pictures and videos from that night to show you.

Today is Sunday and it's hard to believe there is only 5 days left of camp! We woke up a half hour later than normal today because mass today started at 9 and was open to the public. From mass we did a quick cabin clean up then had another free day for two departments. Everyone is currently in rest period resting up for a game of Risk this afternoon. For those of you who don't know, Risk is a huge version of capture the flag, and in addition to the big flags, each camper and counselor has an addition personal flag. Each camper and counselor are worth a certain number of points and the point is to get as many points as possible to win. The big flags are worth the most at 100 points a piece, the trick thought is making it all the way back to yoiur home base with the flag still in your hand, and personal flag still attached. On the subject of the big flag, we have a generous new addition to our game in the from of brand new, home made, big Risk flags made by counselor Shaun's mother way over in Scotland so we would all like to send out a big thank you to Mrs. Docherty for that thoughtful contribution! The game will start in about an hour and I will get back to you with results and pictures. Till then!

//Erin

2009-08-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to give everyone a quick update on the pictures. Im currently waiting for a couple more cameras to come in but I added a few already and will be uploading more later tonight as well. Also be sure to check out the video bar at the bottom of the screen to check out this sessions videos....Thanks again for the patience and I hope you enjoy....

Picture Link: http://picasaweb.google.com/GoodCounselCamp/GCC09Session4#

Video Link: www.youtube.com/GoodCounselCamp

//Joe

2009-07-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday Everyone!
It's another bright and sunny day here at GCC, with lots of new and awesome things going on. For example, yesterday (Wednesday) after our daily routine of chapel, breakfast, cabin clean up, and morning activites, Cabins 8 and 9 were chosen to venture off camp property to Tomahawk. The remaining campers were devestated they were not the first to go, but have fingers crossed and high hopes that their cabins will be the next chosen.

As for everyone else, their normal routine continued throughout the day. After lunch the campers headed down to rest period followed by refreshing freezie pops at canteen and afternoon activites, which seem to be an all time favorite for campers this session. Cabin 5 was lucky enough to have tubing as their activity, where they took the challenge to see how long they could last without getting thrown off! As for Cabins 10 and 11, they had their very own waterballoon fight/toss where their counselors worked dilligently in trying to get enough balloons filled for all their balloon-crazed campers. After a long day of activities, the campers enjoyed their first cook-out for the session, where Hamburgers and Hotdogs were served around the picnic tables, an all time favorite meal here at GCC.

Following after-dinner activities, it was announced that Cabins 3 and 4 would be taking an adventure out to the Dry Lake Bed, commonly known as the DLB. Here they are able to experience camping first hand, by make breakfast for themselves under the fire in the morning and singing campfire songs by night. As for the remaining campers, they proceeded to Chapel where counselor Felipe did a righteous chapel talk on Holy Orders and said his goodbyes, as he will sadly be leaving us for the rest of the summer to go back to Miami and prepare for the coming school year at the seminary.

After chapel, it was told that Cabin 12 would be sleeping at the Haunted House for the night and return for breakfast the following morning. They were all set to roast marshmellows, tell stories, and sing around the fire- a typical camping night at GCC. The rest of the cabins continued to night activities, where Cabins 10 and 11 enjoyed their very own "baking social" where they made funfetti cupcakes together and took turns singing on kareoke. Cabins 1 and 2 enjoyed a game of Manhunt in the canyon, where things got very competitive. All in all, it was another successful day at GCC. The campers are anxious to find out which activities lay ahead of them today...

// Nicole

2009-07-29T10:42:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! Tuesday was another exciting day here at GCC. We woke up to the normal bell in the morning, went to chapel and then went straight to breakfast where warm, flaky buscuits and gravy were served. We then proceeded to cabin clean up and to our departments. Handicraft was closed for the day so campers went to archery, riflery, swimming where we played sharks and minnows, and boating where everyone learned the stroaks and basic boating saftey. From there we went on to lunch where we had ham and cheese sandwiches and potato chips which was basic but tastey non the less! Rest period came next and everyone got to catch up on some sleep which is greatly appreciated during our long and active days here. We woke up to a canteen of animal crackers and bug juice and from there went to our afternoon activities. These activities were things like a refreshing dip in the pool at free swim, tanning on the dock with a dock social, and exciting round of slip and slide, and some sports to add a little healthy competition between cabins. From afternoon activities we went to dinner which was baked ziti and very delicious with garlic bread. Campers then got to choose which after dinner activity they would like to participate in between capture the flag in the canyon, frisbee football, and basketball where a game of knock out got pretty intense! The next bell rang and we went to chapel where we learned about the second commandment from counselor Jackson. Night activities were next on the list which and ice cream social for 1, 2, 8, and 9, pontoon boat ride for 5 and 12, night ropes courses for 9 and 10, and movie night for 11. All in all it was another action packed day here at GCC!

//Erin

2009-07-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, sorry for the delay in posts but it has been another busy day here! Monday was our first full day of the fourth session and we began our normal schedule. We woke up to the morning bell at 6:55am and got ready for the day. After that we headed to chapel and breakfast where we had scrambled eggs, toast, and sausage. Breakfast was over and we went to our very first cabin clean up where the campers clean the cabin to achieve a high score according to Garretts inspection that takes place during departments each morning. The next bell rung and it was time to begin departments! It was boatings day off so the campers learned how to shoot a rifle and a bow in arrow in riflery and archery, got in touch with their creative side in handicraft while making picture frames, and took swim tests at the pool. Campers had a lot of fun getting to know the different campers and counselors and learning about each department. The bell rang for lunch and we headed up to the mess hall to be greeted by rib sandwiches and potatoe chips. Next came rest period where the campers get a chance to relax for a bit and stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, this is also a chance for them to write home to friends and family or to catch up on some summer reading. We then woke up to a canteen of popcorn and bug juice and campers got a chance to mingle with all the different cabins while waking up and getting ready for afternoon activities. Because it was the first day and everyone needed to take a swim test, campers went to the one activity they did not get to attend that morning and from there everyone split up into cabins and went to another non-department related activity. These activities include things like dock socials where the girls will tan and the boys will jump off the dock, slip and slide, and assorted sports like soccer or dodgeball. The next bell rung and we had a few minutes of cabin time to lead into dinner where we had tacos as is tradition here on Mondays and it is definately a camp favorite here! After dinner campers are given a choice as an individual as to what activitiy they want to attend. Yesterday the choices were between kickball, soccer, and fishing off the dock for those who chose to take the more mellow approach to after dinner activities. The final bell rung for chapel where we learned the songs we will be singing each morning. Chapel at night brings us to our night activities where we once again split into cabins and did our own things. Night time activities include things like volleyball with our new lights on the court, star gazing, night swims, and ice cream socials. Yesterday was just the beginning of another great session here at GCC!

//Erin

2009-07-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone out there! We have just started our fourth and final session here at GCC. It was a busy day here with checked in at the office to completing medical forms in the infirmary to setting up one's new home for the next two weeks, and that was only when the campers first got here. After everyone was all settled in the bell rang at 4pm and we had a cabin meeting to discuss both camp rules and cabin rules to make sure everyone respects others and stays safe. From the cabin meeting we went and lined up to get into chapel where Garrett, our head counselor, called us in cabin by cabin to listen to more general rules about camp and to introduce Father, Garrett, and the nurse to all the new campers. We were then dismissed to dinner where, again, we lined up to be called in cabin by cabin and as we sat down to eat we were greeted by barbeque chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans with gravy. In addition to that we had a dessert of cookies which was a nice little surprise for everyone. For those of you who don't know, we have a new cook this summer whose name is Eric and he has been doing a great job! In fact Eric has started giving a tour of the kitchen and teaching the campers a little about cooking as an afternoon activity. The last cabin I saw do it was cabin 6 during session three and they loved and and many more cabins are interested in that oppurtunity. After dinner instead of doing a scavenger hunt all around cmap we went back to the old way of doing things and went to a very shortened version of each department where once again the campers listened to the rules that each department presented. We try to knock all the rules out in one day so the campers can maximize the fun they have here the rest of the time. For night activites where all campers would normally go to a camp fire Garrett chose to mix things up by keeping the middle group of kids at a campfire, sending 12 and 5 on a night hike, and giving 1, 2, 8, and 9 a night swim. The campers reacted very positivly to this change in plans and actually enjoy not knowing what exactly when and where a super exciting activity is going to take place! Anyways Joe is going to be finishing putting up pictures from session 3 and will be working on getting session 4 picture up soon as well so make sure to check those out too! Till tomorrow!

//Erin

2009-07-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Today was Christmas in July for us here at GCC. We began our day by singing Christmas songs in chapel as apposed to the regular songs we sing every other day. Today was also the cooks day off so we had a breakfast of cereal and a lunch of peanut butter and jelly which is simple but still a classic. The archery and swimming departments were closed for the day so the campers were sent to the remaining three departments where they shot BBs and bullets in riflery, played a new game in boating that ended with a water balloon fight, and learned how to make a new camp friendship official by skillfully crafting a friendship bracelet in handicraft. We woke up after rest period to a canteen of freshly popped popcorn and pink lemonade. From there we went to our afternoon activities which included volleyball, dodgeball, and dock socials. The second afternoon activity for everyone was a door decorating contest in which each cabin put their minds together in an attempt to decorate the best looking Christmas door in all of camp! There were elves made out of brooms, Santa riding in a kayak, and shaving cream snow. It all really set the mood for our Christmas themed dance tonight. Campers danced away to some classic songs and some Christmas carols until it was time to end the dance and part ways for the night. It was a very merry Christmas in July here at camp, and we cannot wait to see what our very last full day of the session brings us! Till next time!

//Erin

2009-07-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

Howdy GCC bloggers!
My name is Sabrina, I’m a 3rd year counselor here at camp. I’m the counselor for cabin 9, so I’ll be able to give you an inside on what the older cabins did today. We started off the day with gorgeous weather and in turn, happy campers. I work in the boating department so let me start off with the activities there. There was a new game introduced called “ping-pong snatch” where a number on ping-pong balls were placed in the lake with different amounts of points written on them. Each camper had 30 seconds to kayak onto the lake and collect as many ping-pong balls before the time ran out. The winning cabins were cabin 6 and 10. In the swimming department there was a cannon ball contest that, off the record, I would have won if I was there. Anyways, all other departments went through their daily routine of shooting and crafting. After rest period, we had afternoon activities that included slip and slide, free swim, and Italian golf. There was a new addition to the afternoon activities called “Cooking with E-bone”, where Cabin 6 joined our very own GCC cook for a tour of the kitchen and even helped him cook the rice that was eaten for dinner along with some good ole friend chicken. After dinner activities today were dodge ball in the LCA, basketball/volleyball, and soccer. Chapel talk was done by counselor Val Johnson who spoke about the differences between mortal and venial sins, which was very interesting. From there each cabin was dismissed to their nighttime activities. Cabins 12 and 11 caught fireflies and played flashlight tag in the canyon. Both cabins caught a combined 10 fireflies, which is a new camp record! Cabins 10, 9, 3, and 4 had quite an eventful night with karaoke, baking, and bacon social in the mess hall. They sang some classics like “I will survive”, baked funfetti cupcakes, and ate some crispy bacon. Cabins 8 and 7 left around 2 p.m. for Tomahawk lodge and will return tomorrow around 2:30 p.m. Cabin 2 had open boating where they raced our 3 person canoes across the lake and back and Cabin 6 went snipe hunting around camp property. Cabin 1 camped at another one of camp’s properties called “Sumter” where they go back to the basics. They cook their own meals, sleep in tents, and meet Florida’s favorite insect, the mosquito. After the activities, campers got ready for bed and called it a night. Only a couple more days until you see your GCCers again, but there are a lot of fun and exciting activities planned! Enjoy the rest of your week and I hope to see most of you on Friday :)

-Sabrina

2009-07-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

Good evening everyone! It was another great day here at GCC. We woke up to our normal bell at 6:55 and got ready for the day and headed to chapel. From there we went to breakfast where we had warm flaky biscuits and gravy. After breakfast we had our first cabin clean up of the new week then went to our morning departments. Boating was closed for the day so campers went to riflery and shot .22s or BBs depending on age, shot bow and arrows at archery, made bracelts and necklaces with the assortment of beads in handicraft, and played charades in the pool. After a fun morning at departments we went to lunch where we had a camp favorite of chicken patties and tater tots and once again the seconds line was crazy! Later on we woke up nice and refreshed from canteen and had animal crackers and pink lemonade and were then dismissed to our afternoon activities. Cabins 1 and 2 prepared for a trip to Sumter where they would camp overnight, cabins 3 and 4 had a dock social and ropes games while 12, 11, and 6 played an intense game of dodgeball for the first activity and ended up getting so into the game they voted to continue playing completely through the second activity as well and cabins 7 and 8 went on a canoe trip. Afternoon activites brought us right to taco night here at GCC. A much loved dinner here at camp, the food went quickly and everyone was happy and had plenty to eat. Capture the flag, fishing off the dock, and kickball were the choices offered for after dinner activities as the campers got to choose which activity suited them best this evening. The bell rang and we went in for chapel talk and were released to our night time activities. Cabins 1, 2, 7, and 8 had a night swim while cabins 9 and 10 enjoyed ice cream sundaes in the mess hall. Cabins 3 and 4 were sent to Tomahawk lounge earlier in the day for an overnight stay and cabin 6 played man hunt in the canyon and stopped by the haunted house on their way back to join the girls of cabins 11 and 12 for some roasted marshmallows and hang out time. It was a great way to end another busy day here at camp.

There are also new pictures and new videos that Joe has posted from the past few days so make sure to go check those out!

//Erin

2009-07-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone it has been quite an exciting day here at GCC. Today began as normal with chapel and a breakfast of oatmeal. From there we went to 2 departments of the the campers choice as the mass was open to the public and was therefor a bit longer than usual which enabled only 2 departments to take place. After morning departments we had chicken nuggets and french fries that were a big hit and went very fast and the seconds line was out of control! After lunch Garrett announced that tonight would be our Air Band night and that we should use rest period to practice which most everyone did. We woke up to a canteen of pretzels and orange bug juice and used the time to plan teams for our camp wide Olympics. Instead of our normal afternoon activities we broke into teams of red, white, and blue. Each team chose a smaller team to participate in each sport. The choices were between volleyball, basketball, kickball, and soccer. The white team came in last after the results for the day were tallied, and the red team finished second which means the blue team took the win for the day! We ended the Olympics with a shaving cream fight in the softball field that began with only the campers playing but when the campers saw the nice clean shirts of the counselors they just could not resist themselves and had to go give big hugs or handshakes or pats on the back. After being quickly hosed off we headed to dinner where we had baked ziti and garlic bread that was much enjoyed by everyone. Showers and rehearsal occupied the next hour or so of our time here in preparation for Air Band. When the bell rang we lined up for chapel and were then dismissed to the mess hall for our event. As the campers were nervously awaiting their turn they said anxiously watching each cabin's performance. We had a number of judges deciding on the winners of the night that ended up being cabin 10 for the most style with their dance from the end of the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Cabin 6 won for most accurate with their more appropriate version of A Night at the Roxbury as they were bobbing their heads and having a blast on stage dancing as the crowd loved it and ate it up. Finally cabin 2 took home the big win of best overall performance with their progression of music skit that ended with a passionately sung version of "Bleeding Love." The night was a big hit with all the campers as they were kept laughing and entertained all night. It was a great night here at GCC and we can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

//Erin

2009-07-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

Quick update:

The first batch of session 3 pictures are now up...be sure to check them out...I'll be adding lots more over the next couple of days as well as more videos so stay tuned!...

//Joe

2009-07-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon to everyone out there, welcome to backwards day here in the GCC universe! Our morning started out by being woken up at 7:25 which allowed us to sleep in for an extra half hour and that was greatly appreciated. After getting ready for the day we headed right to the mess hall lines where campers and counselors walked up with backwards shirts and hats, shoes on the wrong feet, long silly socks, and sunglasses on the backs of their heads. Then as Garrett rang the bell campers lined up backwards in honor of this wacky day. We then went into the mess hall, cabin by cabin, to enjoy a dinner of pizza and fruit salad. From dinner the campers recieved a choice of 4 different after dinner activities. They chose from open boating, fishing off the dock, basketball/volleyball, and capture the flag in the canyon. The basketball game got pretty intense as it was boys against girls and in my personal opinion I definately think the girls won! The next bell rang and we lined up for chapel where counselor DJ tought us the meaning behind the Apostles Creed. From chapel we split into our afternoon activities where cabin 11 and 12 worked on their team building once again with some ropes games, cabins 9 and 10 played a pretty intense game of Italian golf across the camp through the rain, and 7 and 8 enjoyed a free swim. The oldest boys of cabins 1 and 2 got to practice their canoeing skills in preparation for a longer trip later in the week, now I am not entirely sure what exactly went on during this practice but I do know that it turned in to somewhat of a race with one group of boys carrying their war canoe across camp in an effort to win, this random event definately emphasized our backwards day! While all this was going on cabins 3 and 4 were engaging in a game of soccer in the softball field and 6 was shooting BBs in riflery. This brought us to the middle of the day where we had a lunch of rib sandwiches and a camp favorite of tatter tots. We are currently in rest period awaiting canteen. From canteen we will go to our morning departments in but in the afternoon. Boating is closed for the day so the cabins will move between 3 out of the 4 departments left of handicraft, archery, riflery, and swimming. The campers seem to be really enjoying this temporary change of routine and have gotten pretty into the whole backwards theme. After returning from departments we will then head to breakfast where we will end our backwards day and move onto regular night activities then bed. Its been an exciting day here at GCC and its only half way done, more to come!

//Erin

2009-07-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, its Friday afternoon and we have a whole day to catch up on! Thursday was another eventful day here at GCC. We began our day with chapel, like always and a breakfast of bagels and cream cheese. From there we did our last cabin clean up of the week and the Honor Cabin was announced, although I will have to get back to you on who the winner actually is. After breakfast we split into our morning departments which included archery, handicraft where the campers made water color shapes, boating, and swimming. Departments ended and we went to lunch where we had chili cheese dogs which were a pleasant surprise as we have not had those all summer. After lunch Garrett announced that we will be having Air Band sometime in the next few days so most cabins used their rest period to start brainstorming about which song and dance to perform in front of the rest of the camp. Instead of taking a nap or working on their Air Band performance cabins 9 and 10 packed for an overnight trip to Tamahawk where in the morning they woke up and swam to the lagoon close by and kept themselves entertained at night by having their very own trash bag fashion show using their creativity that the handicraft department has helped enhance to make an outfit out of one trash bag and model it for the other girls. For those of us who stayed for rest period we woke up to a refreshing snack of Freeze pops and then separating into our afternoon activities where we had things like water balloon dodgeball, dock socials, free swims, soccer, and slip n' slide. After dinner the campers, as usual got to choose between three activities as an individual instead of being assigned as an entire cabin. The next bell rang and it was time for chapel and after a chapel talk from Counselor Pat we were dismissed to our night time activities. These activities were things like night swims for cabin 12 and 11 while cabin 6 was at the haunted house for the night. Some other night time activities were things like movie night in handicraft and night ropes courses. The camp was scattered with the different cabins having fun and making new friends.

Friday brings us only one week away from the end of session 3 and my goodness the time has just flown by! Today, instead of Garrett assigning departments to each cabin, each camper as an individual got to choose which three departments to attend in the morning. Archery played tic tac toe, riflery made smiley faces, the boating department had tubing for those campers who are ten years of age or older, and finally handicraft spent the morning turning plain white t-shirts into works if art with tie dye. In the afternoon cabins 9 and 10 returned from Tomahawk and unpacked, cabins 11 and 12 played dodge ball and did sidewalk chalk which brightened up the walk from the mess hall down to the lower cabin area. Cabins 7 and 8 had a free swim and a slip n slide social with the boys from cabins 1 and 2. Currently we are in the middle of after dinner activities where the campers got a choice of boom ball, soccer, and free time in the LCA for those who wanted to finish up the last few knots on a friendship bracelet or catch up with campers from different cabins. The bell will ring shortly where we will all line up and head into chapel before our night time activities commence.

//Erin

2009-07-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hey, so when we last left off we were right in the middle of rest period here at GCC. We woke up to a snack of popcorn and were split up into cabins for our afternoon activities. These activities were a late rest period for the boys of cabins 1 and 2 as they had just gotten back from Tomahawk and were exhausted after, from what I hear, was a very exiting day spent in the lagoon off the Rainbow River that Tamahawk Lodge is located on. Cabins 3 and 4 played dodgeball later soccer in the softball field, which from the looks of things the boys were pretty into it and like getting to compete cabin against cabin. Free swim and early shower time were the activites for 7 and 8 which was much appreciated by the girls as the first dance of the session was tonight! The girls of cabins 9 and 10 enjoyed a relaxing dock social and also early shower time in preparation for the dance. An afternoon of team building is what was in store for cabins 11, 12, and 6. Each cabin participated in games like Magic Shoes, the islands rope course, and Tomahawk walk which are games all used to bring the girls and boys closer as a cabin and to enhance teamwork amongst each group. I have some pretty good pictures from our afternoon of team building that will be up soon! After completing as many ropes courses as they could, cabins 11, 12, and 6 sliped and slid their way into dinner time. Dinner, because it is the cook's day off was a cookout prepared by the GCC counselors with campers choice of hot dogs or hamburgers with baked beans, potato chips, and bug juice. The cookout provides a change of scenery in our normal dinner routine. We get to sit outside on the picnic table and Garrett even brought out horse shoes and got a game going with that. Campers also got the chance to throw around the football a little bit and play a little one on one soccer. After the cookout it was right into the showers for those who had not gotten around to that yet. It was dance night here at GCC and everyone was pumped! This particular dance was in the mess hall, father had the store open where one of the hottest items of the night was a glow stick that would serve as a beacon in the dark to one trying to find a friend or just trying to show off some new crazy dance move! We listened the songs like "Livin' on a Prayer" and "You're the One That I Want" from Grease which got everyone up dancing and singing. It was a pretty great night over here and there are plenty more to come with 9 days left in the session!

//Erin

2009-07-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon. This is Garrett, Head Counselor here at GCC. Before you hear what exciting things your children have been doing I just wanted to make a brief statement that this blog is done by counselors using solely their FREE TIME which is very VERY limited. Therefore the blog must not be expected to be updated every day. Sometimes the counselors are off on an overnight trip with their cabin and therefore are unavailable.

Remember, up to this point the only communication we used to send out was one newsletter per session which didn't arrive at your homes until Wednesday of the second week. So lets appreciate what we offer now and applaud the counselors working on this for giving up what little time they have to provide this service.

Thank you and God Bless,

Garrett Manning
p.s. I posted three new videos yesterday....check um out!

Hey so lets get caught up on the past day or two! Tuesday was a beautiful day outside which we took complete advantage of. We woke up and went to chapel like always and then went to our morning departments which consisted of the campers first chance at boating where they learned the strokes, archery, riflery, and swimming where we played the good old game of sharks and minnows. After departments we went to lunch where we had turkey and cheese sandwiches which were simple but very tasty. We then went to rest period where cabins 1 and 2 spent their time packing for the first trip of the session to Tomahawk Lodge where they spent the night. As for the rest of us, we woke up nice and refreshed for canteen which was a snack of animal crackers and bug juice that was much enjoyed! After canteen we went to our afternoon activities that spread us around camp doing things like free swims, slip n slides, and dodgeball. As for Cabin 12, 11, and 6 well, we had a dock social which most cabins will get to experience at some point before their stay here has ended but I can tell you they had a great time jumping into the lake which was only highlighted by their counselors being pushed into the lake which the campers seemed to find very funny. Dinner was the next thing on our agenda and we had spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread, with some plain pasta for those vegetarians among us. The seconds light turned green and the line grew quickly as everyone in the kitchen was kept very busy! After dinner activities approached and the campers got a choice between basketball/volleyball, soccer, and open archery which was a pleasant surprise for after dinner activities. Instead of choosing a sport to play, cabins 9 and 10 packed for the DLB where they spent the night and got to wake up in the morning and have the counselors cook the breakfast right there at the campsite. The bell rang and we went to chapel where counselor Shannon talked to us all about Our Lady of Good Counsel and we learned her prayer at the end. From there we were dismissed to our night time activities, cabins 7 and 8 watched a movie in handicraft and made things a bit more exciting by making friendship bracelets during the movie. Cabins 11, 12, and 6 had an ice cream social in the mess hall that was a huge hit with among the campers as they got to hang out, have some ice cream, and get to know the kids from the other cabins while cabins 3 and 4 hung out at the DLB with the girls from cabin 9 and 1o. It was a pretty relaxing night here at GCC which is always nice after a long day in the hot sun.

It's Wednesday here at GCC and all is well. It is the cooks day off so after chapel we have a breakfast of cereal which is nice because every camper can find something he or she likes as there are a few different options for them. We went to our departments which were archery, riflery, swimming where we played a pool version of Ship Shore, and handicraft where everyone got a chance to make a lanyard with the colors of their choice. We had a lunch of peanut butter and jelly which is again, simple but classic and we are currently in rest period where everyone is trying to take advantage of some down time that is pretty rare otherwise here at camp. The day is only half way over, more to come later tonight!

//Erin

2009-07-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

Good evening out there! We have almost completed our first full day of the third session here at GCC. Everyone is having a blast and looking foward to the next two weeks. When we last left off we were just about to head for lunch where we ended up having chicken patties and french fries which is definately a camp favorite for both campers and counselors over here so everyone was pretty happy about that! After lunch we went to rest period where, again, campers have a chance to just relax a bit as they are kept out of the sun for the hottest part of the day. Refreshing and relaxing, rest period served its purpose and we woke up for canteen which is basically snack time here at GCC. We served popcorn and pink lemonade and the campers got a chance to go to the camp store for the first time where they have the option of purchasing an ever popular slushie, a water bottle, and another popular item of the heat buster personal fans to keep cool during the hot day. Canteen led into our afternoon activities which consisted of going to the fourth department that was open today (not a normal occurance but we try to have swim tests completed on the first day as to not hinder any other activities, and we need to make sure everyone gets there!) and from there we had activities like free swims, hikes in the woods to look for pine cones, and dock socials. As the campers got to grow closer as a cabin and experience the first real day of camp they played games, shot arrows and BBs, played in the pool and dug into their creative sides to make some crayon shaving picture frames.

Dinner proved to be another camp favorite of tacos where I don't think anyone could stop at just one! After dinner there is a choice of 3 activities and the camper, as an individual is provided the choice of which activity he or she would like to go to. Tonight our choices were soccer and kickball for those competitive individuals who would like to work on their game, and we had fishing off the dock for those who would like to take a more relaxing approach to after dinner activities.

Tonight brings us to chapel once again where we will learn the songs that are commonly sung everyday durng mass in the morning. The songs are pretty simple and have little actions to go along so the campers get pretty into it and love hearing those old favorites from the year before once again! From chapel we will split up into cabins once again and we will be provided with a night activity. Tonight cabin 1 will be going on a sunset pontoon boat ride which from what I hear is a prime night time activity and I hope every cabin gets a chance to experience it. Cabins 9 and 10 are going to work on some team building with participating in some night ropes courses that will give the girls a real chance to bond as a cabin. Cabins 2, 3, and 4 will be playing man hunt in the canyon which I'm sure will tire them out as I expect the cabins to get pretty into it. 7 and 8 get to play Betty Crocker and have a baking social which will give them a chance to get inside away from the mosquitos for a night and have a special little treat of cookies and cake. Cabin 11 will be having night volleyball match and cabins 12 and 6 will have a night swim which I know they will be extatic about as they have begged for a night swim since last night when the older campers had that night activity. Tonight promises to be a great night with some great activities and we can't wait to wake up and do it all again tomorrow!

//Erin

2009-07-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone out there! Yesterday we began another great session here at Good Counsel Camp. Campers, after checking in, went down to their cabins and played Goldilocks while trying to find the bed that was just right for them. Campers and parents were greeted by their counselors and fellow cabin mates who they will get to know very well over the next two weeks through games and departments and just hanging out during cabin time. Both campers and parents got to experience their first taste of the food here at camp during lunch with the hot dogs and macaroni salad served at lunch. For those of you who are just joining us we have a brand new cook this year named Eric, or more popularly known as E-Bone, who has been trying some new things and sticking to some camp favorite too. At 4pm the bell rang for everyone to return to their cabins from an afternoon of exploring and touring for a cabin meeting where we all took a chance to get to know eachother and establish some cabin rules. From there we headed towards chapel where we got more of the gerneral camp rules from Father Johnson and Garrett, our head counselor. Everyone tried to keep the rules short and sweet as Father pointed out that we are all well aware that this is no ones favorite activity. After chapel we were dismissed to dinner were we had some very tasty barbeque chicken, mixed vegatables, and some deliciously fluffy mashed potatoes. Campers then got a chance to digest their food a bit and put on bug spray for our next activity that took form in a camp wide scavenger hunt. This scavenger hunt was used as a way for everyone to get ot know their way around camp a bit and start learning the rules of each department so we could jump right in today! Cabin 1 finished first with a very close 2nd place finish from Cabin 6. From there we were split up into our night activities. Cabins 1, 2, 7, and 8 got a surprise and instead of going to the campfire on opening night they enjoyed a night swim which from what I hear was a blast! Cabins 12 and 6 had a campfire in the pavillion where we sang songs like "The Birdie Song" and "A-Roost-a-Sha" which gave everyone a chance to get up, move around, and look a little silly. We played Chubby Bunny where campers are given 2 marshmallows to put in their mouths and the challenge is to say Chubby Bunny loud and clear, the first round was easy breezy and the real challenge came when we started adding more marshmallows. We also had a peanut butter sandwhich eating contest which may seem easy but the game was pretty close as the campers gave the counselors quite a run for their money and even won! The final game of the night was a personal favorite of mine called Ship Shore. Ship Shore is a came won by the last person standing after everyone else gets out, much like the more familiar game of Simon Says. It was definately a favorite among the campers and we played for a few rounds as it got harder and harder to get kids out as they were in the zone towards the end of the third round. The middle group of campers however headed down to the fire bowl to just have to time to chill and make new friends, and roast some marshmallows. We all then showered and went to sleep after a long day of rules and introductions, and scavenger hunts.

Monday brings us to the first full day of Session 3 here at GCC. We begin our day with chapel in the morning and from there we got to breakfast where today we had pancakes and sausages. After breakfast we go to cabin clean up where every cabin must make beds, sweep, and make sure everything is neat and tidy for Garrets cabin inspection. Cabin Clean up scores are averaged and the cabin with the highest score wins Honor Cabin and gets a special surprise. We are currently in departments here where I know the pool is completing swim tests while others are learning how to shoot a bow and arrow in archery, how to shoot BBs in riflery, and making picture frames in handicraft. Departments will end soon and we will head to lunch and rest period when we try to keep the campers out of the sun for the hottest part of the day, this also gives the campers a chance to catch up on summer reading assignments, or write to family and friends. The day is only half way done, more later!

//Erin

2009-07-10T14:18:00.001-07:00

Welcome back everyone, sorry for the delay in posts but we had a few scheduling difficulties to work around but lets jump right into it...

Thursday was another busy day all around camp. In the morning our departments got canceled due to an onslaught of rain but we had a back up plan ready to go! The older campers played an intense game of Bingo and recieved an icey cold soda of choice from the camps very own vending machine as a reward if they won. Later after the rain stopped the older campers went to a free swim at the pool which was very much enjoyed after spending the morning inside the mess hall. The younger campers spent the morning in the pavillion untill the rain let up. We played a few exciting rounds of Ship Shore which proved to be pretty challenging with even counselor Stephen getting out with the first trick played, the "Shark Attack" command was by far the highlight of the game with every kid on the edge of their seat in anticipation of being chosen as the shark and being sent to tag as many fellow campers as possible to end the game, some campers were so anxious to be chosen they named themselves sharks and contributed to the cause anyways! After a few good rounds of that we played a few games of Giants, Wizards, and Elves which everyone got really into as it is a more active, full body version of rock, paper, scissors. We then played a game called Knights, Horses, and Dancers where each camper wandered around the pavillion until an action was called and had to race to find the partner without being the last one with the catch being that one could not be with the same partner for more than one turn which hightened the complexity of the game. Our next game was a more active version of charades where the camper who guessed the correct word had to run for the next clue and hurry on back to gain as much time as possible on the other team. The campers were definately clever in their decisions of clues to give, I was very impressed and am not sure I could do as well! Our very last activity was the classic rainy day game of Four Corners where the campers tried to be as sneaky as possible to get to their decided corner without being heard and called out. While we were occupied with Four Corners the terrential downpour finally came to an end and we were able to enjoy the the beautiful outdoors once again! We split up into two groups, one group played Boom Ball while the other played Red Rover. Red Rover quickly turned into a game of "Do you like your neighbor?" which of course has actually nothing to do with actually liking one's neighbor, its all about strategy in that game trying to make a decision that will land him or her a coveted spot in the circle. Even with the rain the campers had a fun filled morning that wore them out right in time for lunch and rest period. After taking full advantage of the hour and a half or so of relaxation time we got up for Canteen where we had a snack of some particularly delicious popcorn if I do say so myself, and some bug juice. After canteen we headed to our afternoon activities that included everything from scavenger hunts, to tubing on the lake, to water balloon fights, and free swims. We went to dinner where we had some delicious baked ziti by our cook Eric, who actually works at a local Italian resturant so this Thursdays dinner was right up his alley and particularly amazing that night, empasized by the all out race to the kitchen window when the light turned green for seconds, unfortunately things got pretty intense and not everyone was lucky enough to get a second serving of garlic bread but there was plenty ziti to go around! Our night activities were varied as usual with cabins 9 and 10 heading to the DLB for the night and cabins 11 and 12 spending the night in the haunted house where we roasted marshmallows for s'mores and bonded over the campfire. From what I hear the girls got a bit of a thrill during the night but handled it well and said they all wanted to go back and do it again! Other activities that night included night swims, movie night in handicraft, and an ice cream social for 1, 2, 7, and 8.

Friday brings us to the last full day of the second session here at GCC and as always it is a bittersweet feeling to know the campers are leaving tomorrow happy to be going back to their friends and families but sorry to leave behind their new friends and memories. Friday morning brought us beautiful weather and a chance to enjoy a free day of departments. Sadly the pool was closed for the day but the campers had their choice of archery, riflery, handicraft, or boating. The campers enjoyed the freedom of being able to choose which departments they wanted to go to as an individual and it is great to watch them and their new friends coordinate schedules and plan for the day. In the afternoon we had camper versus counselor games where the campers and counselors are assigned to an activity to compete in and although I was not personally there to witness the competitions but I hear the battles were pretty well fought on both sides. Tonight has the campers showing early and starting to pack their things in an effort to avoid getting up even earlier than normal to pack in the morning. After showers and packing we will head to the chapel to listen to our very last chapel talk of the session. We will also be handing out awards given by each department where the campers are recognized for there accomplishments in each department. After that we will go to bed for our last night in session two and the campers, tomorrow morning, will be woken up for one last time by the bell I'm sure they have begun to despise by now. Breakfast will be our last meal together as pick up goes from 8am to noon tomorrow morning. It was a great session and we hope to see everyone again next year!

//Erin

2009-07-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

Quick update I uploaded a lot of session 2 pictures and added some from session 1 so be sure to check them out! Also due to the high volume of people following the blog I've decided to bring back "live" videos of activities, as you'll notice at the bottom of the Blog we have our GCC Video section once again so be sure to check it out....Erin will be back later tonight for the camp update...

//Joe

2009-07-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

It's thirty minutes past 1:00, and the campers have just made their way down to their cabins for rest period following a hardy batch of peanut-butter and jellies. The timing is perfect for campers to catch up on some quiet time, as from this window in the front office I can see a few rainclouds moving in. Hopefully they won't get too comfortable, however. We're hoping to fit in as much excitement today as we did yesterday, which, despite its beginning 30 minutes later than usual, was a very full, fun day.
Yesterday began, as usual, with 40 or so loud dings from the wake-up bell, and we soon headed up to breakfast and to be greeted by fluffy biscuits and delicious gravy prepared by Eric the cook, known more popularly as E-bone. From there the campers headed back to their cabins to try and whip them back (within a mere 15 minutes) into the so fresh and clean conditions in which they'd first found them. Later we'd find out that only the skilled broom-handlers of cabin 10 would earn a perfect 100, although several others were close.
It seemed like no time before campers dispersed to the day's four operating deparments, boating, swimming, archery and riflery, never to be relieved under the roof of handicraft, as it was that department's day off. Despite the heat and high intensity of the morning, campers were able to regain their energy when the lunch bell resounded prompting service of a camp favorite, chicken patty sandwiches.
The mess hall cleared this time yesterday for rest period, only to be flooded only an hour later by campers chowing down on animal crackers and bug juice, some waiting in line to purchase slushies, candy bars, or squirt bottle fans (a cabin 6 favorite) from the camp store.
Each cabin was then assigned to an afternoon activity: Tubing, free swims, and water balloon dodgeball were a few of several lineups, which pleased campers for not only the sake of a good time but also soothing that afternoon heat. Before my own cabin's free swim, lucky cabin #7, I proudly watched them attempt, nearly successfully, the most challenging of ropes courses here at GCC, the Wall. If the bell hadn't interupted the task, I believe their ninja moves would have surely gotten each of them to the other side.
At dinner, E-bone treated us with homemade mini-pizzas, and campers were then presented with a list of options for after-dinner activities. Campers decided between sport competitions of Capture the flag, Boom Ball, and soccer, while some chose to take it easy in the Lower Cabin Area.
The final all-camp assembly of the day was at Chapel, where Tristen delivered his chapel talk on the Virgin Mary. He presented a line-by-line modern-day translation of the Hail Mary, and campers were then on their way to night-time activities. Cabins were spread out all around camp, from cabin 12, who were catching fireflies in the canyon, to cabins 3 and 4, canoeing in the lake, 1 and 2 in handicraft playing games, to 5 and 6 who had a slumber party in the Haunted House. I saw the little boys heading back to their cabin this morning and was told from their counselor that they weren't too shaken by strange noises in the woods; still, I can only assume that they're taking full advantage of their rest period today.
Speaking of rest period, it's now almost over and about time for me to meet my cabin at canteen. Erin should be back tomorrow for another update. In the meantime, please pray for good weather!
//Sarah

2009-07-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

Moday we began to get into our normal schedule here at GCC. We started our morning out with going to chapel and from there we went to breakfast. We then went to our morning departments. Campers learned how to shoot in archery and riflery, made sand art in handicraft, and took swim tests at the pool and will get their first experience in boating on Tuesday. After morning departments we go to lunch and from there we head down to our cabins for rest period. Rest period right after lunch helps us stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day and gives the campers a chance to relax and catch up on some summer reading for school, or finish writing letters to friends and family. After rest period we go to canteen where we had popcorn and bug juice and the campers got to go to the camp store for the first time. After canteen we have two afternoon activities, these activities include things like ropes courses used for team building, slip n' slide, basketball, dodgeball, soccer, dock social, etc. We then go to dinner where we had tacos which was definately a favorite among campers and counselors alike! After dinner the campers have a choice as an individual to choose from three activites to go to. These activities include, fishing off the dock, capture the flag in the canyon, kick ball, volleyball or things like that, it gives campers a chance to branch out and make friends with fellow campers outside their cabin. Chapel follows the after dinner activities and yesterday at that time we learned the songs that are sung at chapel in the morning each day. After chapel we have our night activites. Cabins 1 and 2 left for the DLB where they spend the night in the lean-tos in sleeping bags and wake up to breakfast cooked by the counselors or the fire. Cabins 3 and 4 played man hunt in the canyon, cabin 7 had a movie night in handicraft on the projection screen, cabins 9 and 10 went on a free swim, and cabin 8 enjoyed a sunset cruise on our pontoon boat around the lake. Cabins 5, 6, 11, and 12 had an ice cream social in the mess hall which they were all pretty excited about and had a great time!

Tuesday brings us to our second full day of camp and the campers are really getting into the swing of things! The day has just begun so more to come later tonight!
//Erin

2009-07-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hello once again to all you out there in the GCC universe! We have just begun our second session here at camp and are very excited about all the new and returing campers.

Campers started arriving this morning at 10:30am and came until 4pm. After everyone was settled in, every cabin had some time to get to know each other and establish some cabin rules. We then went to the chapel and got some more basic camp rules from Father Johnson and Garrett. From there we headed to dinner where we had barbeque chicken, rice, and corn. After dinner we had a camp wide scavanger hunt so get the campers aquainted with their new home for the week and Cabin 1 took the win on that one! After taking a break for a few minutes the younger kids and the older kids split up to go to two seperate camp fires. The older kids campfire with cabins 1-3, and 7-10 went to the fire bowl, roasted some marshmallows and just hung out by the fire. Cabins 11, 12, 4, 5, and 6 went to the pavillion and learned some camps songs like the Birdie Song, Hot Dogs for Sale, The Jelly Song, and A Roost a Sha! They also played games like Chubby Bunny and the apple sauce game where, without using their hands, they need to feed a partner apple sauce out of a bowl using a spoon. Everyone had fun and the campers cannot wait to start departments tomorrow! Tomorrow we will start a normal schedule here of departments in the morning and varied activities after canteen and dinner. We are looking forward to having a great session with everyone!

//Erin

2009-07-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night was our second dance night here at GCC. Cabins 6 and 7 decorated the pavillion in a Luau theme and the campers enjoyed music, dancing, volleyball, and bug juice.

Today, Thursday, we are celebrating the 4th of July here at GCC. We started with a free day during departments so campers had their choice of which activities they wanted to do in the morning. We continued with our normal schedule except for cabin 12 who cashed in on their winnings from Bingo on Sunday with skipping rest period to go tubing around the lake which they loved! After canteen in the afternoon the camp began a three way competition between the red team, the white team, and the blue team. Campers were given a team color and were given the opportunity to choose in which activities they wanted to compete. Some of the choices were kickball, dodgeball, volleyball, and soccer. Everyone had fun and ended the afternoon with a shaving cream fight in the softball field. After rinsing off we enjoyed a mini Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, and stuffing. We then went to go pack up in an effort to get a jump start on tomorrow morning. From there we are heading for the last chapel talk of the session and ending with awards given by each department, then out to see a display of fireworks put on by our own head counselor, Garrett, and staff in honor of the 4th of July!

The past two weeks have flown by and we cannot believe that session one is already over! We've had a ton of fun and hope the memories from the session will stay with the campers for a while to come! We have even more pictures coming so it remembering those good times won't be hard. And don't forget pick up for tomorrow is between 9am and noon.

--Erin

2009-07-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update...

There are more pictures I just uploaded minutes ago and I will be uploading more tonight along with Erin's update as well as videos as we celebrate the 4th of July here at camp...

//Joe

2009-07-01T06:38:00.000-07:00

Hello to all you out there in the GCC universe, I apologize for the lack of update the past couple days. When we last left off we were in the middle of a camp game of Bingo! Cabin 12 won an entire afternoon of tubing on the lake which they were very excited about and Cabin 4 won baked goods promised by Counselor Brian in Cabin 1. Later that day we had our very own County Fair! Each cabin drew an activity to host at random. We had booths like Cabin 12's shaving balloon contest, Cabin 1's Slip n' Slide, or Cabin 3's Sponge the counselor. Instead of splitting off into cabins and doing seperate afternoon activities we spent our afternoon going to each booth and seeing what each cabin had to offer. The campers all took turns managing their given booths as well which was exciting for especially the younger kids. Each booth gave away prize tickets and campers were able to collect their winnings at the end of the day. Sunday night we had our very first Creation Campfire of the summer. Cabins 1 and 6 put on a skit of the creation story and a fire was lit to set the stage in the Canyon. In order to prepare for the story each cabin was walked by their counselors in complete silence to the canyon and seated youngest to oldest, with stadium seating on one of the hills in the canyon. After the creation story ended Father Johnson told The Pirate Story of Red Knife and Black Beard, which was enjoyed by all the campers as it was something not many of them had seen before!

Monday brought us back to our normal schedule. After dinner activities included the camper's choice of soccer, boom ball, or hanging out down at the boating department where they could fish or canoe. For dinner we had tacos which is a favorite for many of the campers and counselors alike! Cabin 6 for dinner got to enjoy the privelage of being "Honor Cabin" and they had dinner at a park off campus. Cabins 1 and 2 went to Tomohawk, Cabins 3 and 4 went to the DLB and after dinner the different cabins enjoyed activities like Gator hunts (a canoe ride at night), movie night in handicraft, night swim, and Cabins 12 and 5 had an ice cream social which was very popular as we just to to hang out and eat some ice cream and play a few games.

Tuesday we continued with our regular schedule. The pool had diving contests during departments which included who had the most creative dive, biggest splash, and best belly flop! A few cabins still need to participate but so far the scores have been super close! After rest period and canteen Cabins 8 and 9 left for Tomahawk, while cabins 1 and 2 came back and got re-settled into the cabin. Cabins 3 and 4 had a big soccer game, I will get back to you on who won, cabins 6 and 7 had an afternoon of tubing, 10 and 11 had a scavenger hunt, and cabins 12 and 5 had a free swim that was greatly appreciated after a good game of dodgeball earlier in the afternoon. Later that night Cabins 1 and 6 had a night time Slip n' Slide which was a new adventure for those involved, cabins 2, 3, and 7 had a night swim, and 5 went on a gator hunt. Cabins 4, 10, and 11 had an ice cream social which looked like a lot of fun and cabin 12 spent the night at the haunted house which the girls at first were a little apprehensive about but after spending the night there the general consensus was that they wanted to do it again!

//Erin

2009-06-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday the campers got to pick their favorite departments as it was a free day here at Good Counsel Camp. After lunch and rest period we woke up for canteen where we had freeze pops and painted our faces for our first game of Risk this summer. Risk is essentially a three way version of capture the flag but with each camper and counselor carrying a personal flag too. Each person is worth a certain amount of points and so is the big flag. At the end of the game the scores are counted and after dinner the winner was announced. In third place was The Canyon with a score of 1,075, in second place was The Hill with a score of 1,125, which means once again The Archery team won and defended their winning streak from last year with a score of 1, 300. The game was enjoyed by all no matter what team they were on.

Later that night we had Skit Night. Each cabin randomly drew a topic out of an envelope and had to create an original interpretation of that topic. All of the cabins had a lot of fun trying to come up with funny and original ideas and the night went really well. Cabin 2 won for the "Funniest Skit" category with their interpretation of a day in the life of our cook, Eric. Cabin 9 won for "Most Original Skit" with a Star Trek inspired rendition of the pool department. Finally Cabin 6 won for overall best skit with their topic of what goes on at Tomahawk lodge. Everyone laughed and had a great time, it was a great way to bring the cabins together to show off their creativity! The weekend still isn't over as we still have some great activities planned for later on today such as the County Fair and Creation Campfire!
--Erin

2009-06-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

Thursday we started the day like always with going to chapel. We then continued our routine of breakfast and cabin clean up with departments following that. In the afternoon cabins 3 and 4 left for Tomahawk and cabins 6 and 7 came back. After dinner cabins 10 and 11 left to go camp out for the night at the DLB. After chapel later that night cabins 1, 2, 6, and 7 enjoyed an ice cream social in the mess hall. Cabins 8 and 9 had a night swim while cabins 5 and 12 got a taste of the older kids campfire that night as they roasted marshmallows, hung out, and made s'mores! The cabins also received their skit night topics so many cabins got right to planning.

Friday in the afternoon cabins 1 and 2 played dodgeball, cabins 12 and 5 had a dock social and went on the Slip n' Slide which was a much anticipated event that they enjoyed very much! Cabins 8, 9, 10, and 11 had free swim later in the afternoon then split up to play volley ball and have a dock social. The big event of the afternoon was the tie breaker between cabins 6 and 7 to see who won honor cabin. Because of the tie between the two cabins, 6 and 7 faced off and both volley ball and a game of "Giants, Wizards, and Elves." Cabin 6 won both events with a volley ball score of 30-26 and a win in Giants, Wizards, and Elves. They will be taking a field trip off camp property to a park for pizza! After dinner, instead of our usual camper's choice of after dinner activities we went straight to get ready for the dance! After getting ready we went to chapel where counselor Iain talked to everyone about the significance of standing, sitting, and kneeling during mass. From there we went right to the dance and danced to songs like the "Cupid Shuffle", "Don't Stop Believin'", and "Beat it." The campers had a lot of fun as the dance is something they look forward too all week long and are already talking about the next one!

This weekend we have many fun activities to look forward too! Saturday is a free day during department time with a choice of tubing at the boating department, tye-dye at handicraft, long distance shooting at archery, smiley face shooting at riflery, and free swim at the pool. Campers are given their choice as to what departments they would like to visit that day. In the afternoon we have our first game of Risk for the session, which is another favorite camp activity for campers and counselors alike! Later Saturday night we have Skit Night which the cabins have been practicing for for a few days now and are looking forward to showing the rest of the camp what they came up with! Sunday, each cabin was given an booth assinment and we will creat a county fair during the day with tickets to earn and prizes to win! We will also be having our Creation Campfire later that night which will put an end to our action packed weekend!

--Erin

2009-06-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hello out there to everyone across GCC Nation...

This is just a quick little update as I have finally begun the much awaited posting of session 1 pictures online. Erin will be back tomorrow to update you all on what we have been doing but for now heres the link to Session 1 2009 pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/GoodCounselCamp/GCC09Session1#

Enjoy and Ill be posting more soon!

//Joe

2009-06-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone sorry it's been awhile since the last update but heres what you missed:

It's been a very interesting 24 hours here at camp, starting around dinnertime yesterday when we received some heavy rain which ended up knocking out power for a couple of hours and setting us back a bit as far as activities go. After a few hours of downtime we were able to get back into our normal camp routine with the power coming back on soon after. In the morning after we had some cereal and prepared to head to our departments, where down at Boating campers practiced rowing around the lake while over at Riflery everyone started adding up their scores to try to win their respective awards.

After that we headed to rest period to cool off as we were blessed with another day of great sunshine. Later on we headed to Canteen for some freezie pops. Afternoon activities came next with cabins 1 & 2 battled to a 2-2 tie on the soccer field while elsewhere cabins 3&4 played water balloon dodgeball. Cabin 5 played some capture-the-flag, while cabins 6&7 packed their bags to head to tomahawk. Cabins 8&9 headed to the dock for a dock social while cabins 10& 11 played some volleyball, and finally cabin 12 got to try out some ropes games for the first time.

Dinner was the first cook out of the summer and it was quite possibly the favorite meal of the summer so far. Campers hung out at the picnic tables and chowed down on hamburgers and hot dogs. Later on we headed to chapel for chapel talk followed by our nightime activities. Cabins 8&9 headed out to the DLB for the first time this summer while cabin 5 headed out to the "haunted" house. Cabin 12 enjoyed a nighttime stargazing on the dock while cabins 1&2 had game night in handicraft. Cabins 3&4 headed for some nighttime capture the flag/flashlight tag.

All in all its been a busy 24 hours but worry not here at GCC we're safe, sound, and having a great time!

//Erin

**Hey everyone its Joe here again I apologize about the pictures not being up the storm knocked out our internet as well but I promise the first free chance i get they will be up!**

2009-06-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Monday was our first full day of camp and we began with chapel. We then went to breakfast and after that we did our first cabin clean up. Cabin clean up makes all of the campers responsible for cleaning up their individual area as well as the the common areas in and around the cabin. We start with a score of 100 and Garrett will take off points for trash or fans on etc. The incentive behind cabin clean up is to earn the title of "Honor Cabin." The reward for being named honor cabin is a special dinner off camp property, maybe even somewhere with air conditioning!

Because it was the first day the campers went to departments every camper completed a swim test at the pool with free time afterwards. In handicraft everyone made picture frames that looked pretty awesome from what I saw! The campers also learned how to shoot a bow and arrow archery and depending on age, shot BBs or (what do the older kids shoot?)

After the morning departments were over we went to lunch where a camp favorite, chicken patties, were served with french fries. After lunch we had rest period to get the campers inside during the hottest part of the day. Some campers choose to take a nap during respt period, some choose to write home or read a book, the decision is theirs as long as they stay in the cabin to avoid the heat. From rest period we go to canteen where the campers received a snack and some bug juice. The campers also had the option of going to the camp store for the first time.

After canteen we headed to our afternoon activities, which ranged from cabins 2,8, and 9 doing volleyball/basketball to cabins 1,6, and 7 doing ropes activities. Soon after we had finished our afternoon activities we were heading to the mess hall for dinner, which was a delicious taco spread with all the toppings one could ask for. After we had eaten it was time for After-Dinner activities, which is the one time a day a camper gets to choose their activity on an individual basis. There was soccer at the soccer field, volleyball/basketball near the mess hall, and Boomball in the LCA. When that was finished we headed to chapel where we rehearsed all the camp songs we will be singing during the masses this summer. After that it was time for our nighttime activities, which ranged from cabins 1,2,6,7 going on a night swim to cabins 11 & 12 having their own private movie night in Handicraft. Soon after those were coming to a close it was time for bed, which was well needed after a busy first full day of camp.

Thats all for now check back later tonight as Joe hopes to finally post the pictures he has taken so far of everything we have been doing...

//Erin

2009-06-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

Hello out there to everyone in the GCC nation. My name is Erin and as Joe previously mentioned in his other post, I will be the one updating everyone on what is going on this summer. I'm really excited to be updating everyone this summer so lets jump right in!

Today started out with our first mass of the summer, and soon after that campers were spread across camp eagerly checking out their cabins and other favorite camp spots. After the campers got acclimated to their new environment each cabin spent some time together going over rules and getting to know each other. We then moved on to the chapel where the campers were introduced to the entire staff department by department. From there we went to dinner where the new cook, Eric, made some delicious barbeque chicken, accompanied by some mashed potatoes with gravy that was many kids favorite part of the meal.

A scavenger hunt followed dinner to get the campers familiar with all the departments and other popular places around camp. The scavenger hunt is set up as a race that places each cabin against each other with Cabin 2 taking the win! We ended the night with camp fires. The older cabins went down to the fire bowl to get to know the other cabins and roast some marshmallows and have a good time! The younger cabins went to the pavilion where they sang some popular camp songs like "The Birdie Song" and "A-roost-a-sha", and played some games like chubby bunny.

All in all it was a great first day and hopefully that trend will continue as the summer and sessions move along. Check back tommorrow as Joe will be posting some pictures from the opening campfire games......

//Erin

2009-06-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

Back again with a mini update of sorts...

Today was another full day of work as we head towards the end of our work week here at camp. Lots of jobs got completed as a few new ones popped up. Last night Departments were announced and today we got to finally work together with our department crew to touch up our famous departments. Out at Riflery, the guns got a good cleaning while nearby the Archery net was getting put up. Handicraft moved all of it's supplies in and Boating finished painted their war canoes. The big surprise of the day was a windstorm in the late afternoon that caused a really big tree to fall down almost into the pool. It took the rest of the afternoon to chainsaw and move all the limbs away.

Tommorrow is a big day as we make our final preparations as we get ready for the campers arrival on sunday. Cabins will be cleaned, as well as other important areas like the Mess Hall and bathrooms...

**Blog Update** Two things to announce here, sometime either today or tommorrow i will begin uploading pictures/videos from our staff week, as well as our new correspondent, Erin Fiedler, will begin writing the day-to-day aspects of camp. Lots to look forward too!

//Joe

Camp is Back!

2009-06-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hello out there to everyone in the GCC world present and past. The days are counting down until the first set of campers set foot here this sunday, and we are busy preparing for their arrival.

Staff week has gone extremely well so far this year as this year's rookie crew and our returning veterans are getting along great and having a blast getting work done. So far this week some of the jobs we've completed are gathering up all our sports equipment, cleaning out the chapel, cleaning out the office, clearing trails, and the always infamous limb patrol. We have managed to get quite a bit done these first few days and we look to carry on that effort throughout the week.

Today was a big day for a special reason: we were told early in the day there would be a new department head announced, for the Archery Department. Tristen decided to step down from his throne as Archery head this year leaving the position in limbo for a few tense hours. At lunchtime Father pulled us all inside and announced that the new head of Archery would be none other then Amy Stack! A former camper herself and Archery staple for the past few years, Amy is looking forward to continuing Archery's recent success and will no doubt fill Tristen's shoes well.

Another great thing I've personally noticed so far is our new counselors are fitting in better then anyone could have imagined. New counselors Felipe and Jackson, for example, had never experienced camp before and came here with open minds and have been blown away at what they've seen. Just another great sign of a future great summer ahead!

Ill be back tommorrow for more updates as we announce Departments for the first time and take more steps toward Opening Day...

//Joe

Summer Preview, Part Two

2009-06-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

Back again with the Summer Preview part Two....

The countdown is now down to 5 days until the Staff begins reporting to camp for our training week. This is the time of year when the days seem to last forever as everyone begins to get into "camp mode", only the clock never moves fast enough for campers or counselors alike. Now as promised here are more of the changes you'll find this summer:

To start off with, last week I revealed that Andrea would be taking over the Boating department. What does that mean for Brian? Well it means that he will be moving over to the Riflery Department this summer, switching it up after spending 3 years as the Boating Department Head. He's anxiously awaiting to get on the range and show off his aim, and will be more then happy to share his sharpshooting skills this summer. What does that mean for the historic Archery-Riflery rivalry? Well unfortunately no one knows at this moment as at this time Tristen has not reaffirmed his allegiance as Archery Head. Shocking news indeed but I should point out he very well could return there as well, so we'll see how it plays out next week.

A couple more quick changes you can expect...the link to the 2008 Summer pictures will be posted on the top right, as well as a fix of the 2009 Slideshow and current Staff list. This weekend will be the beginning of camp for most counselors so you can expect regular daily updates then as well. I mentioned previously that I have a co-producer this year who will be taking over the regular writing duties. Her name is Erin and shes thrilled to be giving you your daily dose of camp home and away. I'm also currently working on a few side projects so expect quite a bit in the coming weeks!

//Joe

Summer Preview, Part One

2009-05-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

The countdown has begun and in less then 14 days the Staff will begin reporting to camp. Recently we held our interview weekend for the coming summer and got to meet most of the staff we will be working with during the summer. It was great seeing everyone again and meeting new people is always fun, especially when they exceed your expectations, which this years rookie staff is sure to do.

Now for what many of you have been waiting for, the actual details of this summers changes. Besides the previously mentioned changes, you will see new Department Heads spread out all across camp. This week we will reveal the new head of the Boating Department, none other then former Pool employee Andrea Bertucci!

Andrea is excited to run her own department and couldnt fit in more down by the lake where she will use her lifeguarding skills to teach everyone how to properly paddle in a canoe and where you can find many new canoeing relay games this summer.

What does this mean for the other departments? Where is Brian now that Andrea is taking over down at Boating? What other changes are in store for the coming summer? All valid questions which will be answered in due time, but for now heres a picture of what you can expect this summer and be sure to check back early next week as we reveal more pieces to the GCC 09 puzzle....

//Joe

Offseason report part two

2009-05-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

Hello again out there everyone,
As promised this is part two of the pre-summer camp updates. It won't be much longer before everyone will be pulling into camp for the first time this summer, jumping out of their cars eager to go look around and try to spot any changes. The number of times this happens on an opening day of a session is far too many to count. Until the cabin meetings later that day, you can always count on a steady stream of campers sprawled across camp, some going to check out the cabins, or the mess hall, or even the group of campers who decide the first thing they must do is organize a search party to go out to the canyon within 20 minutes of them being at camp. This has always been funny to me as the canyon has to be in the top 3 list of things that are never different year - by -year(right next to the food and Father Johnson's jokes) but it never fails to draw a crowd.

Anyhow, getting back onto the topic of changes you will see this summer, the one we can officially announce on here is the purchase of a new soda machine. No longer will you have to punch the side of it hoping to get misplaced coins back, or have to on an epic adventure across camp to track down Father Johnson for a refund, instead you will simply place your money in, and collect your cool beverage at the bottom. The soda machine is similar to the office water cooler at most job's, a place where many go to grab a quick soda which quickly turns into social hour. Not sure whether this new machine will add to that or subtract that effect, but I'll hold off on my judgement until I see it later this weekend. Which brings me to my next update...

Interview weekend is coming up in just a matter of days! For those not familiar with it, interview is always held close to a month before camp when all the new staff + the returning staff get together for 24 hours during camps offseason. Returning staff always look forward to it because that's when you know camp is coming up soon, real soon, so you can start getting into camp mode. Over those 24 hours we meet most of the people we will work with over the summer, and get the first idea in our heads of how the summer will play out. We talk about changes, things we're excited for, all the campers we can't wait to see, and things of that nature. I have a terrible tendency to forget things but assuming I don't I will be bringing a camera along to take some pictures and maybe even some video of the weekend....so be sure to check back next week as I update you on everything that happened this coming weekend...........

//Joe

Offseason report...

2009-04-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hello again everyone,
It's been quite a while since you've seen an update on here, but better late then never right? I've got lots of exciting news about the upcoming summer as well as some previews of what to expect this year at camp and the blog in general. Over the next couple of weeks I'll be updating the blog and playing with different things to give it a fresh new look. On top of that I'm pleased to announce that I will no longer be the only one updating the blog, as another one of our counselors pitched me an idea on how to expand and improve the blog, and together with her help I expect great things...

So now let's take a quick peek into this upcoming summer. The biggest physical change to camp this year can only be seen from above, as lot's of camp areas will be recieving new roofs to their buildings. Aside from that, most of the changes and tweaks to this summer will be in activities. As to the specifics of the changes you'll just have to stay tuned and check back weekly for more updates.

As with every summer, one of the big differences from previous summer is the staff. With that said, as of press time here 21 of the 23 officially hired counselors have all worked at camp before, which says alot about the counseling team we have assembled. In the coming weeks one big change to the blog will be an interview section in which certain counselors/staff will be interviewed and the transcript will be posted here for all the curious readers.

Thats all for today, but as I stated before you can start checking back here on a weekly basis to get all your latest camp news!

//Joe

Goodbye Summer

2008-08-03T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hello again out there...Before I dive into my list of many topics let me start by apologizing for not being able to post the second half of session 4. It was my fault as I got caught up into the end of the summer and all the tasks surrounding it. With that said, heres how it went down...

Wednesday was a day for many lasts...last group returned from tomahawk for the summer....last cookout for the summer...last dance for the summer.....It was a fun but somewhat bittersweet day for all of those reasons...The theme for the dance was "rock-n-roll all night" and it lived up to it's name as we rocked the mess hall out in celebration of the awesome session and for some of us the awesome summer we had. Songs like "Don't stop believing" and "Motorcycle Drive By" created a unique atmosphere in the messhall of campers and counselors dancing and singing at the top of their lungs that was fun for all to enjoy. Wednesday was one of the best days in the session which led into thursday...

Thursday was continuing our bittersweet vibe for the second half of session 4 as we had more lasts for the summer...in the morning for departments it was free day but more importantly the last time the departments will be used for another 10 months. The afternoon brought on lots more activities which even pouring rain could not stop as everyone got to play some capture-the-counselor(Counselors extended their session streak to 2 with a big victory this time, followed closely by the Archery camp team in 2nd place), and then even more camper-counselor games. Out at the soccer field, it was a close match throughout the first half, but in the end the camper team pulled ahead and coasted through the second half to a 10-6 victory. Elsewhere, campers took home the victory at kickball and split a series tie out at dodgeball. After all the afternoon fun it was time for dinner, and then another special tradition was brought out of it's hiding place as the camp took part in one more big activity for the summer, the campwide Olympic relay. This year, there was a twist, as we had each department draft a team of campers to compete on their behalf in a course of 15 stages set up throughout camp. Handicraft jumped out to an early lead, but in the end the Boating department team pulled ahead for the come-from-behind victory. The final results were:

1. Boating
2. Handicraft
3. Pool
4. Archery
5. Riflery

It was a great time for all and even better to add it to the list of old traditions reawakened this past summer. After the relay it was time for the last chapel talk of the summer, and then it was award night. Campers listened closely to hear their names called out to recieve an award in one of their favorite departments. When that was all said and done, it was time for bed as the final day everyone must get up an hour earlier to pack up everything for the morning.

Friday...well friday was the most bittersweet day of all, as it was the last day of camp for campers and counselors alike. Every camper had left by lunch time, and the counselors had finished cleaning and putting things away by the late afternoon. After everyone had showered, the counselors had one final mass at chapel followed by a special banquet in the mess hall. We had dinner and talked over the summer and then had our own awards presentation led by our head counselor. Soon after that we recieved a special blessing from Monsignor Cummings, followed by a slideshow presentation of images of the summer as we got ready to say our goodbyes....

Theres a famous saying that goes "Every goodbye makes the next hello closer" which holds true in this sense because every summer that you are part of the camp experience you realize how lucky you are to have spent the summer with these people and only makes you want to come back year after year...so with that said...from everyone here on the GCC Staff we wish you all a wonderful year away from camp, and are already looking forward to next summer and the times we'll spend then...

As Father put it late friday evening "GCC 08'...Over and Out...."

//Joe

2008-07-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hello again out there....let's get right into all the action you've been missing out on...

After a busy weekend, we began to get back into our normal camp routine yesterday...

After the usual round of departments and lunch/rest period, we began the afternoon activities..Earlier in the day(very early actually, say 5:45 am early) Cabins 1&2 prepared and then left on a very important mission...to be the first group to canoe to Tomahawk in close to 3 years...The boys seemed pumped up for their mission and at press time here everything seems according to plan. Back at camp in the afternoon cabins 3&4 completed some of our famous ropes courses followed by a game of dodgeball...while cabin 10 went caving. Cabins 9&11 enjoyed a free swim while cabins 5&12 played some kickball in the LCA...Dinner followed after which was a delicous couse of Baked Ziti, garlic bread, and salad. After dinner activities were either Fishing off the dock, Capture the Flag in the canyon, or kickball in the LCA. After chapel talk it was time for nighttime activities...Cabins 5&12 went on an ambitious "boar" hunt while cabin 4 got to spend the night out at our haunted house. Cabins 3&10 had a night swim with cabin 11 going on a sunset cruise on our pontoon boat. Cabin 9 also had a busy night as they got to spend the night out at the DLB.....Great day yesterday and much more planned for today....I'll be spending the night at Tomahawk tonight but I hope to bring back pictures and videos tommorrow!

**Update** Added close to 25 pictures to the session 4 slideshow...and Im still working on fixing the video problem.....

//Joe

2008-07-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone....another busy day in the books as the weekend has come to close and we officiaally begin the last week of camp....

Today we got to sleep in an extra half hour and then go right to breakfast! After breakfast we headed over chapel for the last public mass of the summer(or as I refer to it, the last time I'll get to taste Mrs. Stack's baked goods for a year :( ) After mass it was time for another free day, where campers get to choose individually which department they would like to go to. Boating was packed with campers eager for pontoon boat rides or the chance to go tubing. Elsewhere Handicraft had open lanyards and Riflery and Archery had open shooting for campers looking to improve their scores. Then it was time for lunch/rest period and when that was over for the first time this summer it was time for the County Fair! Each cabin was responsible for running and maintaining a booth for the rest of camp to visit. There was hay rides, free popcorn, and Father Johnson even opened his own booth in the camp store. It was a great afternoon which led into a cookout, where we fired up the grill to cook hot dogs and hamburgers for all who were hungry. After dinner we headed back to the cabins for a bit and then it was time for chapel talk which was conclusion of the 3-part series entitled Our Father. Following that the whole camp headed out to the canyon for a very special presentation. Another first for the summer, cabins 1&9 presented our famous Creation Campfire for all to see. The fire was amazing and the cabins put on a great show. Afterwards, there was a small ceremony for our previous head counselour, James Brennan, as he was presented his skull that will soon be hung inside the mess hall for all to see. All in all it was a great day and we can't wait to see what else we can do here at camp in this final week....the days are counting down.....

**Update** Soon I hope to have a very special video presentation of our County Fair that I will put up for all to see so be sure to check back for that as well as cabin by cabin photos soon...

//Joe

2008-07-26T05:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone....here at camp it's the weekend which means lots of fun camp-classic activities so we've got alot to look forward to...

Yesterday was another busy day all around camp....At the departments campers were competing in a canoeing relay at Boating while over at Handicraft it was lanyard day which is usually the most anticipated day of the session for them. Lunch was chicken patties and french fries which were delicous, and once we were all full we headed to rest period to relax while we wait for canteen. Afternoon activities started and cabins 5&12 headed for some slip-n-slide action while cabins 2&4 battled it out in some dodgeball on the basketball court. Elsewhere cabins 3&10 headed for an afternoon free swim while cabins 9&10 returned from Tomahawk and played some afternoon ropes games. Dinner then came and to everyone's delight Garrett announced that the nighttime activity for the camp would be Dance night in the pavilion. And in keeping with this summers tradition and it being July 25th, the theme for this dance was Christmas in July! Counselors and campers alike dressed up in their most christmasy(i think i just made up that word but oh well) attire and the pavilion was brightly decorated with christmas lights. Some christmas songs were played during the dance as well as this summer's hit songs like "Cupid Shuffle" and "I can't wait to see you again". Everyone had a great time and it was a great way to kick off the last weekend of camp in 2008....

**Update** Tonight I hope to have pictures and possibly video of lasts night dance...A quick side note I had to remove video's from the blog for a short time but I will hopefully be getting them back up soon...Also congratulations to the winner of our first contest....Mr Callen Walsh...his video will be up shortly as well and be sure to check out our next contest at the bottom as it ends in 9 hours!

//Joe

2008-07-24T05:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone...Doing my best to keep you updated so let's get right into it...Wednesday was a busy day all around camp. At departments like Boating, for example, campers got to use our famous Indian War canoes for the first time around the lake. Over at the pool, it was crazy-day-at-the-pool, which meant games like sharks-n-minnows, ship-shore, categories, and diving contests were being played throughout the morning. At handicraft it was friendship bracelet day while riflery and archery teaching everyone how to properly fire their weapon. After our usual lunch/rest period, it was time for canteen and then afternoon activities! Cabin 1 got prepared to head to "Sumter" for the night while Cabins 2&3 battled it out on the soccer field(cabin 3 won 3-2). Cabins 4&5 played ropes games and dodgeball while cabins 11&12 had their very own water balloon fight. Cabins 9&10 enjoyed some slip-n-slide and ropes games. Dinner was a cookout where everyone got to have delicous hot dogs and hamburgers and go the chance to go to the camp store. After our chapel talk it was time for nighttime activities...Cabins 4,5,11 had a night swim(pictures added) while cabins 2&3 enjoyed poker/video game night in handicraft. Elsewhere cabin 12 got to spend the night at our famous "haunted" house while cabins 9&10 spent the night baking goodies like cupcakes in the mess hall. All around it was a great day and everyone was definitely ready for bed as having that much fun takes its toll on everyone...

**Added some pictures, will be shooting more pictures/videos tonight so check back late tonight**

//Joe

2008-07-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone...I missed last night's post due to me trying to catch up on some sleep as we all tend to wear down a bit as the summer goes on...so let me catch you up on what's been going on...

Yesterday was the first full day of the session, which meant getting used to our camp routine. The bell rang at 6:55 am and we had mass at 7:15. After breakfast it was time for cabin cleanup, which was followed by our morning departments. Every cabin has 3 rounds of departments in the morning and after that its lunch time. Following lunch is rest period, where we head back to our cabin to relax during the hottest part of the day. After rest period we head to canteen for a light snack, and then its afternoon activities! Yesterdays activities consisted of 1 more department followed by various activities. Cabins 3&10 enjoyed an afternoon slip-n-slide session, while cabins 5&12 played a game of dodgeball. Cabins 1,2,&9 got their first look at our ropes course while cabins 4&11 got to have their own free swim at the pool. After that it was time for dinner(spaghetti&meatballs...mmmmm) and then our after dinner activities. The activities each camper got to choose from were Basketball, fishing of the dock, Altar Serving, and Kickball in the LCA. Following that it was time for chapel, and as with every session the first chapel talk is always going over the music that we sing here at camp. We practiced songs like "Peace is flowing like a river" and "pharoah, pharoah" until we couldn't sing anymore. Once we had finished it was time for our nighttime activities...cabins 3&10 enjoyed an ice cream social, while cabins 1&2 had a nighttime slip-n-slide. Elsewhere cabins 5&12 had a night swim while cabin 9 got to go on a moonlight pontoon boat ride. It was a great first full day of camp which had everyone anticipating what the next day would bring....

**Should be some new pictures up late tonight(most nights i updated between 10pm-midnight, as thats my main source of free time) so check back later for those!**

//Joe

2008-07-20T19:08:00.001-07:00

Hello out there everyone...it's getting late here tonight on opening day of session #4 and it's been a busy day full of new campers and activities....

To start off with, today is our last opening day of the year which is sad because every opening day means new campers and soon-to-be had fun memories...As typical with opening day it did end up raining a bit...but not all the rain in the world could spoil the fun that is camp....

The campers came pouring in throughout the afternoon and when the dust from everyones cars had all settled...we got to all have our first cabin meetings with our new groups of campers....After going of rules and wishlists...it was time for chapel to hear Father Johnson and Garrett speak to us about general camp rules and guidelines...After that it was time for dinner which was a delicous assortment of baked chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes. After dinner we digested a bit waiting in our cabins, and then all gathered in the LCA to start a campwide scavenger hunt..in the end the boys from Cabin 1 took first place. Afterwards, the whole camp competed in an "Ultimate" Boomball competition that was alot of fun. After all the home runes were hit we all headed to our famous Firebowl for some campfire action. Everyone got the chance to roast some marshmallows and socialize around the fire until it was time for bed. It was a great first day of the session and we can only hope the rest of the session goes this well.

**Update**So...this is my first post since thursday night, which is a long time for me...So to make up for it, tonight is probably the biggest single update Ill have this year As I've posted session 4's slideshow, a Guestmap to see where all our visitors are from, a page counter to see how many visitors we are getting, 2 new videos(and shot 3 more today) and a big one is our first website contest...with the grand prize being the winning camper will get a personalized video message from the gcc staff and it will be displayed on the website for a full week! Lots of new things going on so be sure to check back daily!

2008-07-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone...I've been quite busy as of late so lets get straight to what's been going on as things wind down here for session 3...

I haven't been able to add any more pictures or video's but we do have them spread out on camera's so as soon as I find some downtime ill be sure to add them..

Tuesday was another busy day as things have indeed turned a little hectic here at camp...Tuesday night a power line fell down the road and knocked power out for several hours but did not affect any activities. The usual thunderstorms, however, have as all 4 times this summer we have tried to schedule our county fair it has rained. Luckily for everyone we always have a plan B waiting, and last night after it rained during our cookout we decided to go ahead and have another dance night! Our first dance night was the luau which was a tough act to follow but in the end a dance is a dance so its a win-win either way. Campers enjoyed dancing along to songs like "Mr Brightside" , "Don't stop believing", and "Cupid Shuffle" all through the night until just about everyone was worn out. The theme for the dance was "Pajama Night" which was fitting because by the time the dance was over, just about everyone(counselors included) was ready for bed...This morning Garrett let us sleep in an extra hour and after some biscuits-and-gravy for breakfast it was off to departments...which was free day! More on that later tonight as I plan for another post late tonight about our late afternoon activities as well as (crosses fingers) a video of a special presentation we're in the midst of planning at the moment....So be sure to check back then!

//Joe

2008-07-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

Hello again out there...as seemingly the pattern this session I missed another day of posting so Ill do my best to keep track of what I've missed...

We'll Start off Sunday. After mass in the morning we headed to departments for yet another free day. Most of the campers headed to Boating to sign up for the list to go tubing although Archery had a good number of people as well for their newly created game called "tic-tac-toe"(pictured above). After lunch and rest period it was time for the afternoon activities to begin...which were two camp classics. The first one, called Capture-the-Counselor, involves every counselor hiding somewhere in camp trying not to get caught by the campers. After 5 minutes the campers begin searching and each counselor is equipped with 2 flags and a random point value(which they aren't aware till they are caught or home safe). Any camper who gets the second flag of a counselor is awarded the points the counselor is holding. The campers are split into 3 teams(their risk ones) and the 4th team is the counselors. The object for the counselors is to not get caught and make it back to the base in the lower cabin area so they can score their points. For the first time in as long as I can remember, the counselors were able to pull away with a victory. The official scorecard read:

Counselors: 560

Hill: 430

Archery: 390

Canyon: 310

Following that was our camp shaving cream fight(pictured below) and every camper had a blast running around in our softball field shooting and throwing shaving cream over anyone who got in their way. When it was all said and done everyone headed to the cabins to clean up for dinner. After dinner cabins got to shower and then go to the mess hall for a movie night(first one this summer). The movie "Heavyweights" was shown and everyone really enjoyed it.

Monday it was back to normalcy and the usual camp schedule resumed...After the typical round of departments and lunch/rest period the afternoon picked up with cabins spread out enjoying activities. Cabins 6&7 headed to Tomahawk while Cabins 2&3 completed some ropes courses followed by battling it out in a game of Ultimate Frisbee. Cabins 5,11,&12 had free swim at the pool which meant all-you-can-use diving board! Due to Cabin 1 shrugging off cabin cleanup, they got to enjoy trash pickup followed by sidewalk chalk. Needless to say the next day they made sure they're cabin was spotless...After dinner brought on more fun as campers enjoyed Boomball at the basketball courts or capture the flag in canyon. After chapel the camp was full of more fun as cabins 1&2 enjoyed poker/game night inside handicraft while cabins 3&4 headed to camp out at the DLB. Cabin 5 got to spend the night at the haunted house while cabin 10 was selected for a very special pontoon boat ride as the sun was setting on the lake(pictures up tommorrow). All in all its been a great couple of days as we're now heading towards the end of the session. By tommorrow night I should have lots more pictures and hopefully a couple videos up so be sure to check back tommorrow night for those!

//Joe

2008-07-13T05:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone...I wasn't able to post yesterday due to personal scheduling difficulties however hopefully by now youve noticed that what I did get done yesterday was add 30+/- pictures to the session 3 slideshow...If you haven't already be sure to check them out..Now onto yesterday....

Saturday is a special day at camp for a lot of reasons. To start with, departments are always free day, which means each camper picks which department they want to go to and who they want to go with. Handicraft holds tie-dying 3rd department, and Boating goes tubing 2nd and 3rd. Elsewhere at Riflery and Archery campers can have many oppurtinities to raise their score in hopes of recieving an award at the end of the session. If those weren't good enough, the pool is the place to go if you want to relax or compete in a jumping contest off the diving board...After that it was off to lunch and then rest period...however a majority of the campers were unable to get much rest once they found out we would be playing Risk in the afternoon. Campers came down to canteen dressed in their team's colors and before long the game was underway. Archery held off a furious battle at the start and in the end made all the right moves to claim yet another victory. The official scorecard read:

Archery: 1,790 points
Hill:1, 440 points
Canyon:1,210 points

The game was alot of fun and only led up to our nighttime activity...which is another GCC classic....Airband! After dinner cabins got ready to perform on our GCC stage in front of the whole camp. Overall the show was a big hit as cabins cracked jokes and acted out scenes to try to claim the title as Airband Champs. In the end, the girls from cabin 7 took the top prize as their skit, entitled "A day in the life of Father Johnson", blew away the judges and crowd and was enough to hold off strong efforts by cabins 9 and 2 for the title.(Tonight/tommorrow I hope to put up a couple videos and lots of pictures from Airband) Overall it was a great day as is everyday here...We've got lots more camp classics planned for tommorrow so be sure to check back then....

//Joe

2008-07-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hello again out there....unfortunately due to scheduling conflicts(aka DLB) I wasn't able to post last night so heres what's been going on these past couple of days...Yesterday was a typical camp day scheduling wise, with cabins 8&9 returning from their trip to Tomahawk Lodge and cabins 3&4 leaving to head there. During the afternoon cabins1&2 battled it out yet again in dodgeball, this time cabin 2 walking away with a 4-1 victory to unofficially tie up the series...Cabins 5&12 enjoyed some ropes games followed by a freeswim and cabin 6 headed to the famous caves. After dinner(which was taco night, mmmm) it was time for after dinner activities...campers got to choose between kickball in the LCA, Capture the Flag in the canyon, or volleyball/basketball...Nighttime activities were Night swim, DLB for cabins 1&2, and cabins 11&12 enjoyed movie night at handicraft...another great day overall yesterday which led into today...after the usual round of departments/lunch/rest period the afternoon brought on lots more activities...cabin 1 returned from their dlb trip only to head out to the caves, while cabin 2&7 were thrilled to spend the afternoon tubing on the lake. Cabins 3&4 played some dodgeball while cabins 9,10,11,&12 all enjoyed different variations of ropes games...At dinner there was a big announcement by Garrett that the dance that had been scheduled for tonight in the mess hall had been canceled..... ..... and moved to the pavilion for our very first ever luau! It was quite an adventure from a planning/organized perspective but turned out to be the best dance of the summer so far as campers enjoyed a mixture of songs and hawaiin themed surroundings. Watermelon and Jello were served as refreshments and counselor John concocted the best mixture of bug juice I have ever tasted in my 9 years here at camp...All in all it was an awesome night and a great way to kick off the weekend! Tommorrow brings lots more big events so be sure to check back then to hear all about it!

//Joe

2008-07-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone...another awesome day in the books...heres what you missed..woke up and after a nice breakfast headed to another round of departments....Down at boating campers competed in a relay race that spawned across camp and across the lake. Over at handicraft it was lanyard day which it always a hit with the campers while at the pool a jumping contest was held in which campers competed to see how high and how far they could jump off of the diving board. After that we headed to lunch to enjoy some old-fashioned peanut butter & jelly sandwhiches(some things you never grow out of). After rest period it was time for afternoon activities...cabins 1&2 battled it out yet again and this time cabin one was victorious in baseball 12-6. Cabins 3&4 enjoyed a game of football while cabin 6 got to head to one of the famous caves located near camp. It was a great afternoon which only became better when everyone found out tonight was our cookout night. Grilled burgers and hot dogs were cooked much to everyone's delight. After the extended dinner activity it was off to chapel and then nighttime activities...cabins 3,4,5,10,&11 enjoyed a giant night swim while cabins 1&2 had a nighttime slip-n-slide session. Everyone seemed to really enjoy today which means they can't wait to see what tommorrow will bring....

***update***Added a few more pictures so be sure to check them out, also I hope to add another video by tommorrow night so lots to look forward to...***

2008-07-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone...another great day in the books...starting off with a pancake breakfast and then followed by a great round of departments...at the pool campers enjoyed games of sharks-and-minnows while at riflery and archery some campers were able to shoot for the first time. After a busy morning we headed to lunch to enjoy some chicken patties and french fries. Once everyone was full we headed to rest period to relax and catch up on some sleep. The afternoon brought on more activities...Cabins 1&2 battled it out in a game of Football and in the end cabin 2 pulled off an "upset" by winning 7-3 and evening up the cabin vs cabin battle at 1-1. Elsewhere, cabins 3&4 played a game of basketball while cabins 8&9 enjoyed a free swim at the pool. Cabins 10& 11 left in the afternoon to head to Tomahawk Lodge to spend a night out on the rainbow river..After that it was off to dinner...which was a delicous mixture of chicken and rice...After waiting on the rain for the second straight dinner...we headed to after dinner activities...which were volleyball/basketball, kickball, and fishing off the dock. After that came chapel, where counselor Mark inspired camper to look beyond money and material things and to focus on what makes themselves truly happy. Nighttime activities came soon after that...cabins 3&5 enjoyed a nighttime movie while cabins 2,8,&9 got to have an ice cream social....Once they activies finished it was off to bed to get ready for another great day tommorrow! Thats all for now I wasn't able to get ahold of camera's today so check back tommorrow for the new pictures...

//Joe

2008-07-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

Hello again out there...There's been alot of traffic lately on the site which means there are alot of people out there anxious to hear whats going on so ill get right to it...for some campers today was the first real camp day, which is fun but can also be challenging to get into the camp routine right away...one huge difference would be the 6:55 am wake up bell...some campers I feel didn't even know 6:55 am existed before this morning the way they got out of bed...but everyone gets used to it over time...After we woke up we headed to the chapel for mass and then we went to breakfast. After breakfast we headed down to cabin cleanup, where each cabin gets graded on their cleaning and behavioral abilities...only this session our head counselor, Garrett, decided to spice things up. The winner of this weeks honor cabin will get a field trip with Garrett to an all inclusive dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Needless to say the stakes for honor cabin have definintely been raised, and the cabins have never looked so clean! After that campers had their first round of departments, followed by lunch. After lunch we have rest period where the cabins have to stay inside their own cabin during the hottest part of the day and relax. The afternoon brought on more activities...cabins 5,11&12 got to have a dock social while cabins 1&2 battled on the soccer field...In the end cabin 1 showed enough fortitude to hold onto a 1-0 lead on a rainy afternoon. Dinner followed which was interrupted by a bit of rain which ended up canceling our after dinner activities. After dinner we went to chapel, and when we were finished there it was off to our nighttime activities. Some cabins got to go on a night swim at the pool while cabins 1,6,&7 got to enjoy an ice cream social. When those were done it was off to bed as we have another great day planned for tommorrow...

**Update** Sorry theres not many pictures for the session up right now, but i am on top of it and counselors will be taking pictures throughout tommorrows activities so check back tommorrow night for more pictures....

//Joe

Session 3 Kickoff!

2008-07-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to all those of you out there joining us for the first time....As usual I have alot to talk about so I will just jump right in...Without a doubt the most anticipated session every year is always session 3..and this year it seems like it will live up to the hype...Today all of our campers arrived safely and were eager to roam camp the second they stepped out of their vehicle..As tradition goes we enjoyed hot dog's for lunch while we waited for most of the campers to arrive. In the afternoon once everyone was set, it was time for a cabin meeting, where each cabin gets to know one another more then a first name basis...Basic rules and cabin rules were talked over and afterwards we all headed chapel to learn more about the camp from Father Johnson and Garrett. Once we had learned about things like camp boundaries and other camp rules, we got to introduce our departments to everyone. Soon after dinner followed, which was chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. After our stomachs had time to settle a bit the whole camp competed in a campwide scavenger hunt, which in a big upset was won by the ladies of cabin 8. Once all the cabins were finished we headed back to put on bug spray and head to our campfires. The younger cabins had games and songs in a pavilion campfire while the older campers headed to our famous "firebowl" to enjoy music and socialize together for the first time. After that it was off to go shower and get ready for bed...All in all it was a great opening day and only leads everyone to believe that tommorrow will be even better!

***Update*** Added more photos to the slideshows, created a session 3 slideshow, and im in the processing of uploading some videos if i can get them to work...so plenty to check up on and look forward too...

//Joe

2008-07-05T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hello out there....we're at halftime of the GCC summer...and the score is 264 happy campers - 0 unhappy ones. Needless to say it's been a great first half of the summer and we plan on continuing our streak well past the 4th quarter...

Before I get to today, i can't forget about what an amazing day yesterday was. The day started off with free day at departments, which meant face painting at handicraft, tic-tac-toe at archery, and tubing at boating. After lunch it was rest period, although no one slept much once they found out in the afternoon a very special game of risk called the Revolutionary War would be played. The game was our camp version of the re-enactment of the Revolutionary War which we do every year on the 4th of July. This year it was given a twist, counselors vs campers. The counselors played the role of the Americans while the campers played the role of the English. The sides battled throughout the afternoon until dinner time, and in the end it was the english camper team who rewrote the history books...The official scorecard read:

USA(Counselors)- 1,065 points

England(Campers)- 2,030 points

After dinner it was time to clean up the camp a bit and then head to chapel. After chapel we had a very special presentation...The guys from cabin one acted out an old Indian tale known as St Isaac Jourge. The story is about the first North American Martyr and the story is acted out in front of a big fire(tim came through this time ;) ). Following the story was our awards, where we hand out awards to campers who completed objectives or earned merits through our eyes. On a normal camp night, that would be a great evening. But this was no normal night, and afterwards the whole camp headed to the softball field for a fireworks presentation like none other. Everyone enjoyed the fireworks and it was a great way to end the session. All in all it was the best session 2 I have ever been a part of(which is the past 6 years) so it was definintely alot of fun and im already looking forward to session 2 next year!

**Update** Added more pictures, another video, and much more coming soon!

//Joe

2008-07-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hello out there again...first my apologies for not being able to post last night...but today will be the big post day that i promised beforehand...I've already started uploading some and will continue throughout the day to upload pictures and videos from this session(including some special ones from today/tonights activities). Now onto normal camp stuff....

Yesterday was the last "normal" day of the session...when i say normal i mean that its the last day that is fully a "stereotypical" camp day as far as scheduling goes. Today is a special day both because it's the 4th of July and because it's the last day of the session...Yesterday during departments campers got to compete in a diving competition at the pool while at Boating we finally got our boats up and running which meant tubing for those who were old enough. After rest period cabins got to do a wide range of activities including slip-n-slide, ropes games, dock social, and open departments(handicraft and riflery). One lucky cabin, cabin 3, even got to take a trip to go caving! Right before dinner we were hit with quite the storm, well, more really a funny "sunshower" but luckily it stopped right before dinner ended so we were able to fit in after dinner activities....most of the camp headed out to the canyon for capture-the-flag, while others went to dodgeball/basketball. Cabins 3 and 1 battled it out in a soccer match which was won by the boys from cabin 1 3-0. After that it was time for chapel and then nighttime activities...cabins 1,2,6,7 got to have an ice cream social that was a blast while cabins 11&12 headed to our infamous "haunted house" for an overnight experience. All in all yesterday was a great day but most of us around here are anxious for today....

Again, check back later tonight for another post and much more updated pictures and videos....Also would like to wish everyone a happy 4th of July, hope you all are enjoying as much as we are here...

//Joe

2008-07-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

Hello again out there back again with a late late update....first off again sorry its been a busy couple of days here with lots of activities going on etc so i havent been able to add nearly as many photos as id like to...but they will find their way to the slideshow soon i promise...(added 12 new ones tonight)..anyhow...back to camp business...another great day today....Around departments Boating was quite a hit as cabins enjoyed a new relay race created by the boating staff involving both war canoes and kayaks...while elsewhere at the pool campers were playing a new version of a camp class "ship-n-shore" which was very entertaining. The afternoon brought on more activities...Cabin 1 finally conquered "The Wall" while cabins 3&4 got to play both capture-the-flag and slip-slide. Cabins 2,8,&9 enjoyed an afternoon dock social as well. Dinner was a cookout, which means delicous hamburgers and hot dogs fresh off the grill! The nighttime activity for all of camp was another camp Dance, with a dress-to-impress theme....Campers danced through the night to songs like "Cupid Shuffle" and "Wonderwall" and the dance went quite well. After that it was off to wind down and get some shut eye as we have another great day coming up tommorrow.

Again the pictures are coming i was only able to add about a dozen tonight due to scheduling conflicts but the pics should be up by late tommorrow night as well as some new videos as well...thats all for now...

//Joe