Elsworth says, "Summer's almost over!"

This weather. It brings a tear to my eye. I hate to brag, because I know many of you have been hot and sweaty all summer. But this day. It is perfect. It’s great for the boys who are out finishing up earning their ACs (achievement credits). Activities are open, which means your boys get to pick where they go.
History was made this morning. Elsworth the moose, who proudly hangs over the kitchen doors in the dining room, spoke to us after a 25+ year nap. He made an announcement about the 1st annual Elsworth Pine Wood Derby which will take place on Thursday. And then he led us in a cheer. It was awesome. Only at camp, folks!
This week is so fun. Tomorrow we’ll have the Top Shot competition at riflery, and a Wacky Canoe race. Thursday is the Art Show and the Derby Race. Add that to a final Division Day (Cubbies go into town to Jim Peck’s zoo, a picnic at Clear Lake and then lumberjack show), Seniors Dream Burger picnic, Stunt Night, Kerchiefs and the Banquet – and you’ve got the recipe for awesomeness.
It’s a fun week, but bittersweet. The wind has shifted, there is a crispness in the air. The nights get down into the 50s. It all means this summer of fun and self-discovery, challenge and friendship, is growing to a close. I just don’t know how I feel about that!
And on that note…
I ❤ CH // tracy b.

Not many camps can boast the kind of food we eat here at Highlands. At many camps, food is prepackaged, frozen and fast. At Highlands, meals are homemade. Meatloaf is mixed (70 lbs. at a time), cakes are made from scratch, and hundreds of pancakes are lovingly flipped – for groups of 150-180 people, three times a day! WOW. And the woman that makes it all happen is none other than CH Hall of Famer, Lois Craig. For 24 summers Lois, with her team of kitchen assistants, has been fueling the bodies and minds of our young men. We thought you might like to get to know her a little better.
TB: Lois, I’ve never known Highlands without you, and I’ve been here for 15 years. How long have you been coming to camp?
LC: This summer will be my 24th summer. My parents were good friends of Snow and Mim (Sharon B.’s parents). After graduating from Illinois State University, I started teaching home economics in the small town of Bath, Ill.. I started cooking for camp that summer of 1974 and continued until 1976 when I met my husband, Dale. We visited a number of times when my kids were growing up. On a camping trip with our two kids Lindsay and Andrew in 1990, I was really surprised that so many of the people I had worked with in the 70’s were still here! Kent Overby took Andrew, and sold him on being at camp. And I have been coming back since 1991.
TB: What’s your favorite thing about being on staff?
LC: I really enjoy working with a great group of people and spending my summers out of central Illinois.
TB: There are so many great things that you prepare, I’d be hard -pressed to pick a favorite. What’s your favorite meal at camp?
LC:  Meat loaf is my favorite, and penne pasta with meatballs is a close second.
TB: I always knew you loved to sew, knit and bake, but I was shocked to learn you played the flute!
LC: And the piccolo! I played in high school and college. I always thought it would be funny to play Brahms lullaby instead of Taps at night!
TB: You mentioned to me you like to read. What about TV?
LC: I just finished “Catching Fire” the second book in the “Hunger Games” series, and NCIS is the only TV show I try not to miss.
TB: I know it’s hard to beat being the head chef at Highlands, but if you could trade places with any person for a week, famous or not, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?
LC: I would like to be Guy Fiere for a week. I love to travel, and to do that and eat great food at the same time seems incredible!
TB: Ok, last question. Finish this sentence: Not everyone knows…
LC: I’d been to 48 states, and many parts of Canada and Mexico by the time I was 16. My husband of 35 years, Dale and I added Alaska to that list. I have yet to go to Hawaii. Another thing that not everyone knows is that I have two brothers and two sisters and I’m the only one who never went to camp.
TB: Well we fixed that didn’t we!? Thank you so much Lois for your commitment to Highlands. You are truly one person we couldn’t live without here at Camp!
Do any of you CH fans have special memories of Lois? Maybe you’d like to throw out a big THANK YOU? We’d love to hear about them on the blog. Leave us a comment!
[slideshow elements=”3″] [image link=”https://www.camphighlands.com/wp/wp-content/themes/camp-highland-for-boys/images/lois/lois01.jpg” caption=”Lois with her husband Dale”] [image link=”https://www.camphighlands.com/wp/wp-content/themes/camp-highland-for-boys/images/lois/lois02.jpg” caption=”Lois and baker, Marcella, stand with their beautifully decorated Camp Highlands birthday cakes”] [image link=”https://www.camphighlands.com/wp/wp-content/themes/camp-highland-for-boys/images/lois/lois03.jpg” caption=”Lois making french toast for 150 and the great spread for the end of term banquet”] [/slideshow] Remember, if you have questions on the end of term festivities, take a look at yesterday’s post.

I know it’s been a couple of days, moms and dads, since we’ve posted photos or a blog entry, but we’re struggling with our spotty internet connection. We are working on it, and I just might need to take a trip in to town for Paul Bunyan donuts Internet to upload the picts from the last few days.
So can you believe it?! Just a week left of camp. It’s zoom time now. Here’s the scoop on what the boys can expect over the next week.
Tomorrow, Saturday, is Olympic Day. Boys will be placed in multi-generational groups and will be competing in a myriad of events and will even have a British-themed lunch of fish and chips (ok, they’re sweet potato fries, but it’s close!). I see that on the menu, Sharon wrote “Olympic ho-ho cake.” Trust me, that cake would medal in any competition. I once asked Lois what went into that cake and she told me, “You don’t even want to know.” It’s so good!
Sunday will be our final Assembly and Sing. Tuesday will be our last Division day, Wednesday is the “Stunt Show” (our talentless show), Thursday is Kerchiefs and Friday is the final Banquet. See what I mean? It’ll go by quickly. So parents, start socking your pantries now, these boys will be back in their own beds, eating you out of house and home again before you know it.
And on that note….
I ❤ CH // tracy b.

Ten actual camping days of the summer left. 11 if you are a stickler, but that last day of camp doesn’t really count since the busses pull out and the last camper is gone by 9 a.m. on Saturday August 11. I can’t believe it! Time flies when you’re having *this much* fun!

So what are the guys up to today? Well, after a breakfast of pancakes and a yogurt bar, they were out tearing up the fields and the waters enjoying the most amazing temperatures. Last night was cool, I found myself getting really snuggled under the covers around 4 a.m. (It was hard to drag myself out of bed at 5:30 for a run…ugh!) and this morning  has just been lovely. They keep saying highs in the high 80s, but I’m just not seeing it. A calm, glassy lake is calling the skiers and wake boarders among us! Cabins11, 25, 10, 1 and 2 are all getting pulled behind a ski boat today. And wouldn’t you love to be in a canoe on this lake (right)? Cabins 12, 13, 15, 21, and 3-7 (remember lots of guys are on trips) are all going to be working on their J-strokes and rudders today. Cabins 25, 13, 24, 9 and 11 will be embracing their inner Katniss at Archery. Sailing the balmy waters of Plum today are cabins 1-4, 8, 12, 16 and 18 (believe it or not, there is a decent breeze). Cabins 23 and 8 are fishing, and 24, 9, 10, 25 and 17 are all chasing a ball around at soccer. And that doesn’t even count the guys at adventure, lacrosse, basketball, baseball, kayaking, riflery, skin diving or track! Man, I wish I was a camper.
At lunch we’ll be dining on oven roasted pork, corn soufflé, mashed potatoes, tomato, onion and cucumber salad and cream puffs for dessert. Y.U.M. And if that isn’t delicious enough, the guys will have tater tot casserole (a camper favorite) for supper.
And on that note…

As we ease into the home stretch of Camp, the guys are out enjoying activities, making the most of their free time and really solidifying friendships. These last two weeks of camp are bittersweet. But we really try and savor each moment from here on out. There’s an incredible wind coming up from the south, warm and lovely.
Our oldest campers all go on a “big trip” at Highlands, and there are lots of guys coming in and out in the coming days. The first hiking trip to Pictured Rocks left yesterday, and the first of two sailing trips on Lake Superior and the canoe trip in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota leave today. Our tripping program has a long history at Highlands, in fact you can read more about it on the Camp Highlands Archives. Each division has a trip that’s geared toward the age group. The Cubs go on an overnight, the Colts have a three day canoe trip and the Juniors take a three or four day hiking trip. By the time a boy is a Senior, he gets to chose from several amazing trips we offer. This year we’ve introduced *another* awesome trip – kayaking on the Namekagon River in northwest Wisconsin. Jealous!
There’s an easiness about the days right now. A good portion of the older guys are out of camp, so the little guys have extra opportunities at skiing, shooting at riflery, and more. They rule camp right now!
Today’s menu doesn’t disappoint! Lasagna for lunch and soup and sandwiches for supper. Stay tuned in the coming days for a great interview with head chef Lois Craig who’s been keeping our bellies full for 24 summers. Now that is a legacy!
Remember, camp is over on Saturday August 11 at 9:00 am. If you haven’t notified us of your plans for your son’s travel home, please let us know. If you have any questions about the Final Banquet, check out Andy’s information about the end of the term.
And on that note…
I ❤ CH // tracy b.

As a mother of a not-so-sportsy kid, I enter each summer with a little trepidation. J is a great kid, of course, but he doesn’t long to toss the ball around the back yard at the end of the day. He rides his bike. Plays the piano. He’s a really good drawer. Here we are at Highlands, where the guys are out playing basketball and baseball and lacrosse. Soccer, football, tennis. Not his thing. We are now in *his* 7th week here at camp. Our summers are a little different than most campers. We get here two weeks before camp starts, and we stay after camp ends. It has the potential to get….long. I worry. Has the magic worn off?
Yesterday he tracked me down. All smiles. “Mom, I dropped a ski. I couldn’t get my foot in the binding, but I was so close!” Seconds later, Ross walked by and said, “This kid! His hitting has improved SO much! He really worked hard on his swing AC and he was making great contact with the ball.” J was beaming. I got that prideful, swelley, prickly teary-eyed feeling. It wasn’t that I was so happy he’d hit the ball. It was seeing the look of accomplishment on his face. It was seeing this kid who can get down on himself for not being good at shooting hoops experience a true sense of pride.
He has been working on that ski drop all summer. He’s been encouraged to keep plugging away at ACs in baseball. At summer camp at Highlands, the structures are in place for him to stick with things. He’s got a huge network of guys, both staff and campers, encouraging him to set goals, work hard and make progress. All that, and he has time. Real time to improve. Time that in our day-to-day in Gainesville – where we are rushing to this, rushing to that, making dinner, doing homework – just doesn’t exist.
Maybe this summer isn’t too long. I’m going to slowly back away from my back-to-school shopping and I’m going to go sit in the boat and watch our campers have their successes, one Achievement Credit at a time. I’m going to watch these guys enjoy every last second of “camp time,” where they don’t rush, they make progress, they improve their skills, they have fun. I’m going to go watch them make small steps toward a better self. I’m going to go watch them be boys.
And on that note…
I ❤ CH // tracy b.
[slideshow elements=”10″] [image link=”https://www.camphighlands.com/wp/wp-content/themes/camp-highland-for-boys/images/blog072712/achievement10.jpg” caption=”Boys have success in everything from riflery to kayaking.”] [image link=”https://www.camphighlands.com/wp/wp-content/themes/camp-highland-for-boys/images/blog072712/achievement09.jpg” caption=”Adventure is a great place for the younger boys to gain confidence.”] [image link=”https://www.camphighlands.com/wp/wp-content/themes/camp-highland-for-boys/images/blog072712/achievement08.jpg” caption=”Working on ACs in baseball!”] [image link=”https://www.camphighlands.com/wp/wp-content/themes/camp-highland-for-boys/images/blog072712/achievement07.jpg” caption=”Working on ACs in baseball!”] [image link=”https://www.camphighlands.com/wp/wp-content/themes/camp-highland-for-boys/images/blog072712/achievement06.jpg” caption=”Working on ACs in baseball!”] [image link=”https://www.camphighlands.com/wp/wp-content/themes/camp-highland-for-boys/images/blog072712/achievement05.jpg” caption=”Working on ACs in baseball!”] [image link=”https://www.camphighlands.com/wp/wp-content/themes/camp-highland-for-boys/images/blog072712/achievement04.jpg” caption=”Working on ACs in baseball!”] [image link=”https://www.camphighlands.com/wp/wp-content/themes/camp-highland-for-boys/images/blog072712/achievement03.jpg” caption=”Working on ACs in baseball!”] [image link=”https://www.camphighlands.com/wp/wp-content/themes/camp-highland-for-boys/images/blog072712/achievement02.jpg” caption=”…and football!”] [image link=”https://www.camphighlands.com/wp/wp-content/themes/camp-highland-for-boys/images/blog072712/achievement01.jpg”  caption=”…and football!”] [/slideshow]

Greetings, Highlands Families!
We are thrilled to have you as part of our Highlands family this summer! I trust you are keeping up with the goings on about camp through our pictures and blog, and I hope that your camper has written you to keep you updated. We try our best to get as many photos up on the site, and write as many posts as we can!
The end of the term is quickly approaching and there are a few things we want to make you aware of.
Our end-of-the-term festivities take place on Friday, August 10. At 3 p.m. we have an Army-Navy Water Carnival competition. This is always a goofy and fun way to catch a glimpse into camp life.
At 6 pm we have a family picnic dinner followed by a fun evening program highlighting our summer together. We hope you can join us. Please email us the names of who will attend the picnic if you have not already RSVP’d to on your forms. We like to make name tags and we want to be sure to have enough cheesy potatoes to go around! At this point our Lodge cabins are all booked for the end of the season, but if you would like to come up for a visit while your boy is at camp, give Sharon a call at 715-542-2950 and she can help you out. We’d love to see you!
Your boys are in great hands, with an outstanding staff whose first priority is to make sure you son is safe – physically and emotionally. Our next priority is to ensure your son has a great time at Highlands – all the while imparting the values of the Worthwhile Highlands man.
Thank you so much for sharing your son with us. We are grateful that you believe that a summer spent at Highlands is a worthwhile investment. And if you’d really like to get into the Highlands spirit, consider joining us with your entire family for our Friends and Family Camp during the third week in August (the 11-18th). It’s a lot of fun for everyone! There is more information about it on the Friends+Family Camp page on the website. Check it out!
And of course, as always, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to give us a call here in the office at 715-542-3443.
Sincerely,
Andy Bachmann

Every summer when I go over the Camper Expression forms (the forms all campers fill out before they get to camp, expressing what they hope to accomplish at camp this summer) I am not surprised that the number one hope for the vast majority of our campers is a very simple one – to make new friends.
All of us want to make new friends. We want to find new and interesting people to hang out with. We want to find someone to play catch with, or to go sailing with, or to be our buddy at free swim. But making new friends, and being a good friend is not always that easy! So this past Sunday at Assembly we explored what it means to be a good friend, and how to improve our friend-making skills. Because Camp is a perfect place to do that.
It’s a perfect place to make new friends, because there are friends-to-be all over the place! And they all want to make new friends too! Another reason it’s a good place to make new friends is because here at camp we try to live a little differently than how people might live at home. We try to live the “I’m Third” motto.
Ross Freeland always does an excellent job sharing the “I’m Third” story, and how our simple philosophy of putting God (however God is known to you) and your values first, putting other people second and yourself third is a great way to live. Ross spoke of how “I’m Third” is the heart of the Highlands experience; it is the muscle that provides the life blood to all that we do at camp.
And if “I’m Third” is the heart of camp, then the Honor Camper Qualities are the backbone! Also at Assembly this week, we took a closer look at some of those qualities with real life examples from home and from camp. Charlie Stearns spoke of the importance of consideration, especially when we live in such close cabin environments. John Milner talked about initiative, and how great it is when the older guys invite the younger campers to go sailing or to do something fun. Kirien Katzmarek spoke of how willingness and helpfulness make life at camp a little easier for everyone. Johnny Zokovitch shared how at camp it is important that we try to be generous, not just with the cool things we bring to camp, but with our time as well. Nick Morgan shared how people with Camp Spirit live the Highlands motto in their daily lives, and Antonio Carrera shared how a dependable person is someone that you can count on, in good times and in bad.
We then had “The Highlands Players” act out a few scenes for us of negative and positive ways we might react to some common camp situations. We saw what happens when a waiter drops his tray in the dining hall (here at Highlands nobody makes any mean comments or applauds mistakes, instead a flock of people swoop in to help clean up). We saw how guys might react if a cabin mate can’t catch a baseball, or what to do if someone feeling homesick. Finally, they showed us how easy it is to find a friend; with Davis Altorfer meeting Trey Taylor, then introducing him all around to Reed Altorfer, Kent Taylor and David Swarts.
At the end of assembly I challenged the guys to do three things this week. One. Smile. It’s amazing how friendly a place gets when people simply smile at each other. Two. Offer three compliments to other guys every day. And finally, invite someone that you don’t know very well to go and do something.
I was really encouraged to see that not long after Assembly, Pablo Vilarreal invited Judah Bachmann to go play teather ball, and just yesterday afternoon, Hayden Bingham took Clayton Stewart out for a sail.
Our hope here at Highlands is that the guys will see that with just a little initiative and a little kindness, the world can be a better place. I get to see that every day here at camp.
How lucky we are.
Andy Bachmann

Me: “So how was your day?”
Cubbie: “Good.”
Me: “Oh yeah? What activities did you have?”
Cubbie: “Crafts, Adventure, Canoeing, Riflery [pause] Actually, come to think of it, it was pretty awesome.”
I’d say that sums it up. A day at Highlands is *pretty awesome* almost all the time. And on a gorgeous morning like this morning, it’s impossible to have a bad schedule. Throw an evening dip and skiing at free-time in there and I’d say you have perfection.

Check out this photo of the lake from this morning. Pure glass! Lucky cabins 23, 24, 17, 2, 8 and 10 will all kayak at some point today. Cabins 16, 3, 4 and 22 will hit some balls on the tennis courts. A group of six Seniors even went across the lake to play a round of golf at the beautiful Plum Lake Golf Course. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
We’ve been extra busy in the camp office tying up all the loose ends from first term, so if we haven’t posted a photo of your favorite camper, stand by! We’ll be out taking more photos in the next couple days. Mike does a great job of getting all those faces eventually.
This upcoming weekend is the Camp Highlands birthday. It’s my favorite day all summer. The main event  is the Army versus Navy Steeplechase, a two-hour, rip-roaring relay race all around camp. Each boy participates in a pre-assigned activity, cued by the baton being passed from runner to runner. Activities range from jumping into a hula-hoop from Tower Three, to canoeing all the way from Senior Row to the Star Lake portage, to a water boil (the peak of the excitement!).
In the afternoon boys will look forward to the Senior Carnival, picnic supper and our world-famous Games on the Hill. To me, that spells hundreds of photo ops! If you are in the area, we’d love to see you. The Steeplechase starts at 9:15 a.m. and goes until 11:30 a.m. or so. The Carnival is at 2:30 p.m. and supper is at 6 p.m. You’ll believe it then, when I tell you that we are already deep in preparations for this weekend!
And on that note…
I ❤ CH // tracy b.
P.S. Our Program Director just walked into the office and said, “Today is perfect. The temperature is perfect. Have you seen the lake? It’s glass.” And, if you know Craig, you’ll know he is not a man prone to hyperbole. It really is pretty sweet today.

For the staff here at Highlands, the last 5-7 days have been BUSY. The end-of-term festivities and the full business of starting a second term is no small task. But here we are, Thursday of week one of second term, and I think I just heard a collective sigh of relief. Campers are getting settled into their cabins, forging new friendships. This is about the time when campers really start to feel comfortable, since they finally know what’s coming next. The bugle calls start to sound familiar (waiters, waiters come and get your pork and beans) and they look forward to what games they’ll play in the evening.
Yesterday was Division Day, otherwise known as cook’s night off! The guys band together as divisions and have activities and enjoy their counselor’s cooking of hot dogs and other picnic style food. We had an extra special treat yesterday when the older girls from Red Pine Camp came over for a social. It’s about what you’d imagine – games, punch, hot dogs, a “dance.” Awesome camp stuff. I can’t wait to count the letters that go out to RPC in the next few days. Our boys were perfect gentleman while hosting a great Highlands evening.
The weekend is coming up, and for me, it feels like the first weekend all year where we aren’t in the thick of something. Saturday will be an event day of some sort, to be determined. Check out the photos of Avatar day from last term to get an idea of what I’m talking about. Of course Sunday will bring Assembly and Sing! Come on up and visit if you can, the weather is AMAZING.
Oh, and have I mentioned our Pinewood Derby in effect? Maybe your camper wrote home about it? Jim Di Domenico and his wife Becky (who’s partnered up with Chris Dahlman in the craft shop) have headed up this AMAZING activity. We have an 80 foot track calling those pine wood cars names!
Keep checking the gallery for photos. We usually post on Facebook when there’s a fresh batch up.
And on that note…
I ❤ CH // tracy b.