Make sure you are ready for camp!

From Andy and Mike Bachmann….
Dear Highlands Parents:
We are happy that your son is going to be with us at Camp Highlands this summer. You will want to make sure you’ve read all the information about travel to camp, mail, the email system and more. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call with any questions.
Mail: Please write your son frequently. He will check the mail every day! The summer address is: “your son’s name” c/o Camp Highlands, 8450 Camp Highlands Road, Sayner, WI 54560. If you’d like your son to write you, we strongly suggest sending him with pre-addressed, pre-stamped envelopes.
E-mail: We utilize the services of Bunk1 for e-mails. They coordinate the notes so we receive them in an organized manner. You can download the Bunk1 information on the homepage. We even have the instructions in Spanish! There is a link on the homepage called “email your camper.” Once you’ve set up your Bunk1 account, this is the link you can click to access the Bunk1 portal.
Also, if you need to contact us you can always call, but we also answer email. Our e-mail addresses are: Mike: mike@camphighlands.com, Andy: andy@camphighlands.com, Tracy: tracy@camphighlands.com, Sharon: sharon@camphighlands.com.
Packages: We encourage packages, but we ask that you NOT send food – even the healthy stuff. Packages are opened in the office, and edibles will have to be confiscated (and will not be saved until the end of camp). The four-legged critters can clean out a cabin in no time. Books, magazines, games, and puzzles are always popular. PRIORITY MAIL, UPS, DHL, and FED EX deliver right to camp.
Telephone: The camp office telephone number is 715-542-3443. The best time to reach us is between 9:00 and 12:00 in the morning. The answering machine is always on, and we promise to get back to you if we are out when you call. We do not allow the campers to receive or make phone calls. It’s an interruption of life at camp and has a way of bringing on homesickness! Please don’t send cell phones, unless you want one for your son’s travel (remember to include the charger). We will keep the phone in the office until it is time for him to go home.
The Lodge: If you plan to come to gather your son at the close of his session, or visit camp during the summer, consider staying in the Highlands Lodge. It features seven guest cottages and a separate dining facility. The Lodge cabins all focus on the lake and maintain their rustic northwoods charm. This is a convenient and fun way to visit camp! To make your reservation, email Sharon or call her at 715-542-2950.
Friends + Family Camp: August 11 to 18, we offer a fun vacation where the parents get to play too! Each family has an individual cabin. The meals are great, and it is a lot of fun. Contact Sharon to enroll.
Concerns: Please know that when you have a concern about your son; we want you to call or email us. You may read something “between the lines” in a letter and worry about it for a week before calling. Nine times out of ten it is something we can check on and clear up immediately – giving you a better night’s sleep! We do not consider your calls to us a bother. They are one way you can assist us in helping your son have the best possible time at camp.
A time to grow: At Camp Highlands, character and values are important. Your son will learn new skills and make new friends. We will do our best to help him have a relaxed and fun time. We emphasize the value of each person. We provide different chores to foster responsibility. We encourage boys to try new challenges and finish what they start. Kindness and consideration are a big part of everyday life at camp. We will do what we can in our own unique setting to reinforce those qualities we know you believe to be important. We will have a wonderful time with your son! Thanks for sharing him with us!
Here are some things you’ll want to know about Sunday:
Bus riders:
• Please have your son at the O’Hare Oasis by 9:15 a.m. so that we can be on time for our 10 a.m. departure. This is a link to a Google map showing the location of the Oasis.
• Don’t forget to pack your son a lunch. (although if you do forget, we have a stash of PB&Js on hand)
• Our Rockford stop is between 11:00 and 11:30 am at the Clock Tower at Business 20/State Street.
• We stop in Madison, WI at the Pine Cone Shell, Exit 132, 51 Madison/Deforest between 12:30 and1:00 p.m.
Arriving by car:
• The best time to arrive is 1:00 – 3:00 p.m on Sunday.
• If you are staying in the area and need to drive back home, you may bring your son earlier that day (hint, if you get here around noon, you are welcome to join us for lunch!)
Directions from Minocqua: US 51 North to County M. Right on M until you reach N. Right on N 4.5 miles to The Corner Store. (Great ice cream cones!) Turn left at the store on Razorback Road, then right on Camp Highlands Road; the road dead-ends at Camp. It’s about 5 miles from The Corner Store to Camp.
Directions from Eagle River: Hwy 70 west to St. Germain. Go straight on 155 at the intersection with the giant statue of Chief St. Germain. Go through Sayner to County N. Left on N to The Corner Store. Turn right on Razorback Road, then right on Camp Highlands Road; the road dead-ends at Camp. It’s about 5 miles from The Corner Store to Camp.
Arrival by plane:
We will call you once your boy has landed and is in our care. We will then get him to the busses to be transported to camp. All boys will be in camp and ready to eat supper by 6 p.m.!
Forms: A special thank you to all the parents who got all those forms completed! Thank you!! And thanks for bearing with us as we experience our first summer using this new database system!
We can’t wait! We fully expect this to be….the best summer ever!

So it’s the first summer your son is packing up his ball glove and sleeping bag and headed off to camp. It seems like it would be so easy – boys, cabins, nature. But then you start worrying about the weather, the trip up, the trip home. It’s a lot! I’ll tell you what one of my amazing midwives told me when I had my first child. “Trust in the process.” We’ve been at this for 110 years! If you forget to pack something, it’s NOT a big deal. (Honestly, there’s Amazon Prime now!) And anyway, we probably have it in the store.
As usual, we have lots of first-timers this summer and I’ve been collecting all the great questions moms and dads have been emailing me, so without too much fanfare I’ll get right to it…

Q. My daughter’s camp asks that we ship the bedding in the trunks and bring the clothes in the bags.  You say differently but I wanted to make sure I have that correct. Does your staff make the kids beds, or do the campers?
A. Don’t worry how you pack it. Just get it here! We do recommend putting clothes in the trunk and bedding in the duffel, but it’s really however you can fit it all in. The counselors make the beds for the little guys and they help the bigger guys make their beds when they arrive. I prefer to pack my kid’s clothes in the trunk so that they don’t need to repack when they get to camp. But honestly, it doesn’t really matter.
Q. Do boys ever bring e-readers? Books are kind of like friends to my son and he’s really nervous about camp.
A. He can bring it, but it falls into a grey area of “what if something happens to it?” Can you guys be OK with it getting wet, stepped on – or worse – if it walks off? The e-reader is up to you guys. But all other electronics should be left at home. Maybe just stock him up on books before camp. (P.S. We have hundreds if not thousands of books here at camp. We have a great tradition of bringing a book you’ve read during the year to camp to donate to the library.)
Q. Do we need to pack mosquito netting for his bunk?
A. We provide the mosquito netting or “dinglebats” (as we call them). Make sure you pack a bottle of DEET bug spray. We are hoping the dragonflies and bats will do their job before the campers get here, but we’ve had a very wet spring and the skeeters are pretty thick right now.
Q. Do boys his age (nine) bring blankets/stuffed animals, etc?  He has a special blanket that he sleeps with EVERY night but he thinks the other boys will laugh at him.
A. Absolutely. My 11 year old still sleeps with his (grungy) blanket at camp.
Q. For a nervous camper, what time do you recommend arriving?  Will we have time to tour around or should I drop him and go? You tell me what’s best so I can prepare him…he does better knowing these things in advance.
A. If I were you, I’d arrive after lunch – around 1 p.m. is perfect. Meet his counselor and the nurse, tour camp and then quickly and assuredly say good bye. I’d aim to head out of camp around 3:00 p.m. or so. That way there won’t be too much down-time before the buses with the rest of the campers arrive around 5:00 and camp really gets underway with spaghetti dinner at 6:00 p.m.
Q. I wanted to clarify how pick-up works. I understand there is a banquet. Is it on Friday or Saturday? Do some people go to the banquet and spend the night there and then leave the next day?
A. The banquet is on FRIDAY at the end of camp. Festivities start at 3 pm, a picnic supper is at 6 pm, followed by awards, etc. The evening ends around 8:45. Depending on your travel plans, your son can go home with you after the banquet OR they can spend the night and be picked up by 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Q. His birthday will be during camp. Do you celebrate birthdays?
A. Do we ever! They get recognized at breakfast with a birthday button (like Disney World!) and their cabin gets their own special birthday cake a lunch, and of course all of camp sings happy birthday to him! It’s pretty great.
So, I know there are LOTS more questions, and maybe you old professional camp parents have two cents you’d like to thrown in here? Just put them in the comments section and we can start answering! Or you can send me an email, or give me a jingle here at Camp. We are looking forward to an amazing summer!
Q. Do you have a visiting day?
A. Parents are invited to come at any time to camp. However, we suggest keeping the visits brief. You are welcome to make a reservation in the Lodge (call 715-542-2950 and talk to Sharon), or stay in one of the area’s accomodations. We also recommend that if your son may be wrestling with homesickness, a visit can actually make things worse, not better. If you do visit, we ask that you are a “fly on the wall.” Free time is a good time to spend time together. Having parents join in activities is disruptive to the boy’s experience.
Q. May we call our son during camp?
A. We have a very strict policy of no phone calls at camp. The exception is if it’s your son’s birthday. This applies to all of our campers, including international campers. Phone calls home are difficult for office staff to arrange, as we have only one line at camp. We also believe that a phone call home can induce homesickness, something that no parent wants to do. Thank you for respecting this policy!

 
Summer is right around the corner! And if your kids are like mine, they are totally into the gear. Trunks, dop kits, Swiss Army knife (totally up to parental discretion), the right towels, a new bathing suit, flip flops. Preparing that summer camp trunk is important, so let’s get packing…
What goes in the trunk?
1. Well, clothes. But not too many, and not too few. Look at the packing list and try and stick to it. Highlands can get pretty chilly at night. A warm pair of fleece jammie pants go a long way. To the same point, a pair of flip flops or crocs is crucial. Follow the list and your child will be good to go.
2. A flashlight and batteries. Since the cabins don’t have electricity, they WILL use that flashlight. And, if they need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, there’s nothing worse than not having a spare set of batteries for that torch. Of course we sell both items in the store, but it’s a good idea to make sure you send some extra batteries.
3. Labels. Label everything. Socks, underwear, the whole kit and caboodle. Toothpaste. Everything. Heck, you can even send them with labels in case you miss something or they buy a nice hoodie in the camp store. There’s nothing worse than losing a $50 rain jacket (!? How do they get away with charging that!?) because it wasn’t properly labeled.
4. Hobby materials. Is your son obsessed with paracord bracelets like my kid? He loves to draw? Send him with the proper materials to putz around with during downtime. Remember, to a nine year old, 1 1/2 hours of “rest hour” can seem like a 1000 years!
5. ADDRESSED and STAMPED postcards and stationery. In this digital era, kids (we are finding), have no clue how to post a letter. We have found that even better than an example envelope, a stack of pre-posted and addressed envelopes are gold. Would you really like it he wrote to his Granny and Pop and Aunt Carrie this summer? Send those too. You’ll be glad you did!
Remember, stick to the packing list. Don’t send food (of any kind!) or electronics. Label everything, and if you’d like to hear from your child, take a step of work out of the process for him and pre-address the envelopes.
And, to our professional CH moms and dads out there, what else are essentials for your child? What have you found that he can’t live without?
We are counting the days until we see your boys at Camp Highlands!
And on that note,
I ❤ CH // tracy b.

Ok moms and dads, it’s GO TIME – time to start making those travel plans to camp. Here’s an overview of what you need to know about travel to camp.
By Car
To Camp
• The best time to arrive is 1:00 – 3:00 p.m on Sunday, June 23 or Sunday, July 14.
• If you are staying in the area and need to drive back home, you may bring your son earlier that day.
Directions from Minocqua: US 51 North to County M. Right on M until you reach N. Right on N 4.5 miles to The Corner Store. (Great ice cream cones!) Turn left at the store on Razorback Road, then right on Camp Highlands Road; the road dead-ends at Camp. It’s about 5 miles from The Corner Store to Camp.
Directions from Eagle River: Hwy 70 west to St. Germain. Go straight on 155 at the intersection with the giant statue of Chief St. Germain. Go through Sayner to County N. Left on N to The Corner Store. Turn right on Razorback Road, then right on Camp Highlands Road; the road dead-ends at Camp. It’s about 5 miles from The Corner Store to Camp.
Returning home by car
We hope you will join us on the final Friday of the term for our Family picnic and banquet celebration, starting at 3 p.m. and ending around 8:30 p.m. Many parents will take their son home after the banquet is over around 8:30 p.m. on Friday night, and others will wait and take them home on Saturday morning. Camp is over at 9 a.m. on Saturday July 13 and August 10.
By Bus
To Camp – First term: Sunday, June 23     |    Second term: Sunday, July 14
• Campers may travel from Chicago one-way or round-trip on our chartered motor coaches.
• We will depart from the EAST SIDE (the northbound side) of the O’Hare Oasis on Highway I-294 on both Sunday, June 23 and Sunday, July 14.
• Please have your son there by 9:15 a.m. to load all of his baggage and leave by 10:00 a.m.
• We stop in Rockford, IL to pick up boys at the Rockford Clock Tower at Business 20/State Street between 11:00 and 11:30 a.m.
• We stop in Madison, WI at the Pine Cone Shell, Exit 132, 51 Madison/Deforest between 12:30 and1:00 p.m.
• Each boy should bring a sack lunch to eat along the way.
• The bus cost of $75 each way will be added to your statement at the end of camp.
Returning home by bus –  First term: Saturday, July 13     |    Second term: Saturday, August 10
• The motor coaches will return boys on July 13 and August 10 to O’Hare Airport, and the O’Hare Oasis on I-294 heading south. We expect to reach the O’Hare Airport by 3:45 p.m. where the boys on planes are escorted to their flights. Then the bus will continue to the Oasis. It should arrive by 4:00 p.m.
• If your son is being dropped off in Madison, we plan to arrive by 1:00 p.m. If he is being dropped off in Rockford, we plan to arrive by 2:15 p.m.
By Plane
To Camp – First term: Sunday, June 23     |    Second term: Sunday, July 14
Returning Home –  First term: Saturday, July 13     |    Second term: Saturday, August 10 
To Camp
Fly into Chicago O’Hare and join the boys on the bus
• Campers flying into O’Hare should arrive before 9:00 a.m. June 23 or July 14.
• Please UPS or Fed Ex your son’s baggage to camp a week ahead. Include tracy@camphighlands.com with a confirmation email with the tracking number.
• To complete an unaccompanied minor (UM) form, call or email camp the day before your son is traveling so that we can give you the name and phone number of the staffer to use on the UM form.
• A counselor in a Highlands shirt will meet your son at the arrival gate and escort him through the airport and to where the busses pick them up.
• We will call to let you know your son has been met.
• If you are not using the unaccompanied minor form, we will meet your son at his baggage claim.
• Once your son has been met by the CH staff member, he will board the bus and they will take the trip up to Camp. They usually arrive at camp around 4–5 p.m. And don’t worry moms, we make sure they are fed, but it doesn’t hurt to send them with snacks!
• If you purchase a round trip ticket, please have a return departure time after 6 p.m. on either July 14 or August 10 so we can be sure he will make the flight on time.
• We must have a copy of your son’s itinerary and confirmation code.
From Camp:
• If you purchase a round trip ticket, please have a return departure time after 6 p.m. on either July 14 or August 10 so we can be sure he will make the flight on time.

Fly into Rhinelander or Central Wisconsin Airports
To Camp – First term: Sunday, June 23     |    Second term: Sunday, July 14
Returning Home –  First term: Saturday, July 13     |    Second term: Saturday, August 10
• A counselor in a Highlands shirt will meet each boy who flies into Rhinelander (RHI) or Central Wisconsin Airport in Wausau/Mosinee (CWA) on June 23 or July 14.
• We will call to let you know your son has been met.
• If you are completing an unaccompanied minor form, call or email camp to get the name of the counselor who will meet your son.
• If you purchase a round trip ticket, please arrange a return departure after 9:00 a.m. from Rhinelander and after 10:00 a.m. from Central Wisconsin.
• We must have a copy of your son’s itinerary and confirmation code.
International Travel
To Camp – First term: Sunday, June 23     |    Second term: Sunday, July 14
Returning Home –  First term: Saturday, July 13     |    Second term: Saturday, August 10
• Your son may fly in and out of Wausau/Mosinee (CWA) on June 23 or July 14. This is often the best option.
• If your child needs to change planes at any point on the trip, he must stay on the same airline carrier. This is to ensure he does not have any issues as an unaccompanied minor. If you have questions, please call us or discuss this with your travel agent or airline representative.
• Campers flying into O’Hare should arrive before 9:00 a.m. June 23 or July 14. -OR- We are able to coordinate pick-up of your son from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) the night before Camp. They will spend the night in Chicago and then ride the bus to Highlands the next morning. However, their flight needs to arrive after 6 p.m. the Saturday night before Camp starts. If you purchase a round trip ticket, please have a return departure time after 6 p.m. on either July 13 or August 10 so we can be sure he will make the flight on time.
• We will call you to let you know your son has been met. Please make sure we have the best numbers to reach you.
• You must pay the unaccompanied minor fee for both directions. It is very difficult for us to manage this at the terminal.
 

We have big news here at Highlands. As the days inch closer to the beginning of camp, we have many things we’d like to share with you.
1. The newest and biggest change is the way we are handling our medication at camp.
In keeping with the American Camping Association’s recommendations, we are requiring that ALL prescription, over-the-counter medications and vitamins be provided to our campers by CampRx. CampRx is a division of DirectRx pharmacy, a family-owned Pharmacy that has been in business for more than 20 years.
CampRx will package each child’s medications in a customized, portable, watertight CampRx EasyPak, which will be delivered to your child’s camp before he or she arrives. This guarantees accurate, timely dosing and dispensing of your camper’s medications while they are away from home this summer.

To register with CampRx, visit www.camprx.com. Then click the Login button on the top of the page and follow the Parent Registration link. Once you have entered all of your camper(s)’ basic information, print the order confirmation page and mail it with the hard copy of your prescription to:CampRx, 1179 Maplelawn Drive, Troy, MI 48084

Please keep in mind that all medication information needs to be submitted 30 days before your camper(s)’ session (by May 30 for first term, by June 20 for second term).  This includes vitamins and over the counter allergy medicine.
We’re looking forward to a safe an enjoyable session this year with the help of CampRx. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact CampRx, toll free, at 877-302-3881 or by email at info@camprx.com.
2. Please verify your forms are complete.
We are so excited to have all of our forms online this year. Most forms are web-based (meaning you don’t need to mail them to us!), but there are still a few forms that require a signature. Those we encourage you to FAX back to us at our fax number 1-708-310-6033. Each paper form has a special bar code for your camper, and the form is automatically attached to your son’s record (how cool is that!?). You can also simply upload a scan of the form by clicking the small arrow on the far right next to the form name. And if that’s all too difficult, you can easily mail them to us. We need ALL FORMS by June 1. Please do NOT send your camper to camp with his forms.
3. Travel, travel, travel
Most of you are getting organized for your travel to camp. Remember, if you are flying to camp, you must arrive to Chicago O’Hare by 9 am on Sunday morning. When you book your return flight, you must make the reservation AFTER 6 pm on Saturday evening. If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Bachmann by calling 1-800-868-3398 and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. You can also email us at tracy@camphighlands.com.
4. BunkNotes
We are still using Bunk Notes our two-way email system. This log-in information is different from your parent username and password where you get to your camper’s records. We will be switching systems next year and it will all be one unified password, but for now, you’ll need two passwords. Read more about the system and how you get set up on the home page. There are even instructions in Spanish!
5. The photo gallery
The photo gallery requires it’s own password that you’ll receive in an email.
6. The blog and Facebook
Check the blog often. During the summer we make updates several times a week. We share important information with you there, plus it’s a great way to feel connected to what’s happening at camp.
7. Contacting us at camp
Don’t hesitate to contact us at camp. You will most likely get Tracy B. on the phone when you call! The best time to find us in the office is 9:00 – 12:30. The afternoons we are in and out of the office, but we check the messages often and will get back to you quickly!
8. Thank you!
We so appreciate your son’s attendance at Camp Highlands. We try our best to keep you informed about what’s going on at Camp. If you have ideas about things you’d like us to report on, just let me know! I love hearing from parents, and am always available for a chat. If you have any concerns at all just give me a ring. And there are still spaces for 2013. If you know of someone who could benefit from a summer at camp, shoot us their caregiver’s email here. We’ll put some goodies in the mail to them!

We are getting so excited for our 110th camping season! ARE YOU? Have you enrolled with our new online system? We hope that everyone has been able to easily navigate the new process.
Highlands Meet and Greet
We’d like to also remind you of our CH Meet and Greets on March 9. There are TWO for you Chicagolanders to choose from!• The first is at 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. in Western Springs at the home of K.C. Stanner (4040 Linden Ave., Western Springs, IL)
• The second is at 2:00 p.m. at the home of the Gallagher boys (505 Ridge Rd., Kenilworth, IL 60043)
We invite all Camp Highlands folks to attend one of these events if you can – it’s a great way to support camp, reconnect with your camp friends and get geared up for this summer. Whether this is your 50th summer at camp (you know who you are) or you haven’t even decided if you want to go to Highlands and you’d just like to find out a little bit more, this event is for you.
We’ll watch the videos from last year, and answer any questions that folks may have. Andy Bachmann is flying in for the occasion and it should be a good time! Please RSVP here or on the Facebook event so we know how many to plan for! We can’t wait to see you!

At Highlands, every Sunday is Thanksgiving dinner. And that means that every most weeks, we have turkey leftovers. Much to my delight, that means one thing. Turkey Tetrazini.
We here in the Bachmann household devoured our turkey, but I’m seriously considering roasting another bird so that we can enjoy Lois Craig’s delicious recipe.
Turkey Tetrazini (Camp Highlands style)
6 oz. spaghetti, broken in half
chicken broth for cooking spaghetti
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 cup cooked turkey (or chicken), diced or chopped
1 (2-oz.) can mushrooms, drained
2 tablespoons diced pimento
3 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or Parmesan)
Cook spaghetti in broth; drain. Mix the soup, mayonnaise, and milk until well blended. Add spaghetti, celery, mushrooms, pimento, chicken, and half of the cheese. Pour into casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake in a 350° oven for 45 minutes.
 
 

While we are going to be celebrating our 110th camping season this summer, Highlands doesn’t shy away from modernization where it counts. We’ve been working hard over here at CH HQ to get our fabulous new online database system up and running. And it’s finally here!
Here is what you need to know:
• Camp Highlands has moved to an online database management system that will help you easily enroll online, submit your paperwork, upload a recent photo of your son, see your payment history, set up scheduled payments, and MORE! It’s a more secure and faster way for you to get ready for summer! Yay!
• We are using the best system in the camping industry. The system is completely secure. If you’d like to read more about our privacy policy you can do so here.
• If your son has attended CH before, we have you in the system! Do NOT create a new account. Use the email that we have on file for you. If you don’t know, email tracy@camphighlands.com and she’ll send it to you.
• Much of your information is already in our system. But you will need to set up your own password. Here’s how you do that:
1. Go to the “enroll now” link.
2. Enter your name, email and relationship to your camper and press continue. Please use the email you’d like us to use when communicating with you during the summer. You can change it at any time.
3. You’ll get a pop-up box saying you need to reset your password. Click the link (you can see it to the left in the blue underlined words). We will send you an email with a link you follow where you set the password up. Easy peasy!
4. All discounts are applied after you enroll. Including: paying in full in order to get the $100 off tuition and the Christmas t-shirt, brother discounts, scholarships, etc.
If you have any questions about the system, please do not hesitate to call (352-379-7366) or email us!

I just cracked the seal on my kid’s trunk. Oy.
It contained (among other things): 6 carabiners, a harmonica, two CH hats, over a dozen letters from his Pop in Florida, a certificate honoring his bugling at camp this summer, filthy socks, and about a pound of sand. And the smell. I won’t complain. I’m just glad to have him home.
It’s a fierce thing – a summer at camp. These young Highlands men have been challenged in ways they may have never expected. Sure, they knew backpacking over 100 miles on Isle Royale would be difficult. They knew shooting a bullseye in archery would require lots of work. But they might not have known they were going to have someone in their cabin they didn’t really jive with. It’s not easy to co-habitat with a cabin full of kids all summer! Your boys have tried and succeeded at many activities, and failed at others. They’ve had highs and lows. It’s a lot like life in general.
I’ve been reflecting on MY summer at camp, and one unexpected discovery I made was the blessing of truly backing off of my kid. I want to be a “free-range” parent, but my inner control-freak sometimes gets the better of me. There’s a lot to be said about the many, many men (young and old) that teach and mentor my kid here at Highlands.
I didn’t have to hound the boy about setting goals and sticking to them. His ski instructors did that for me. I got to take the summer off from nagging him about picking up his towel. His counselor did that for me (or didn’t, who knows and ultimately, who cares!?). His dad didn’t have to say, “J, you don’t need to control every situation.” Kent Overbey was able to gently remind him that there might be a better way to make friends than bossing people around.
Let me tell you, time stopped when I heard my boy recite the “Worthwhile Man” prayer from memory last week. This Highlands thing. It’s sinking in! And last night at the final banquet, when the entire dining hall joined Andy in the prayer without prompting, I was overcome with emotion. Talk about magic!
Moms and dads, you should be very proud of yourselves. It’s also fierce to ship your kid off for a month (or more!). In this day and age of fear and shock, it’s often difficult to drum up trust in others. We know it. We appreciate it. We are honored you believe in the Highlands experience. Thank you parents, grand parents and everyone who supported these guys in their adventures at camp.
If we haven’t said it before, we LOVE these kids. We hope that they come home a little tanner, a little more unplugged, a little more polite, a little more capable, a little more dependable. We hope they’ll share their experiences of camp with you, and that they’ll talk a little bit more about what “I’m Third” means.
As one mother said to me in an email, “I was musing last night about talking to [my son] about choices he’ll be faced with in the coming years. It occurred to me that I could simply say, ‘If you wouldn’t feel good standing up at Sunday Assembly and telling the folks at Highlands about your choice, you might need to give it some more thought.’ I think that pretty well sums it up.”
We are so proud of these kids. You should be too. We’ll see you back next summer. Goodbye little cabin!
And on that note…
I ❤ CH // tracy b.
Highlands Prayer
God, make of me a Worthwhile man.
Give me the strength to stand for right
When other folks have left the fight.
Give me the courage of the man who
knows
That if he will, he can.
Teach me to see
in every face
the good, the kind, and not the base.
Make me sincere in word and deed,
Blot out from me all shame and greed.
Help me to guard my troubled soul
By constant, active self control.
Clean up my thoughts,
My speech,
My play,
And keep me pure from day to day.
Oh make of me a worthwhile man.
(adapted by Mike Bachmann)

If the weather a couple days ago was awesome, it’s pretty ragged today. Cold and rainy. However, we are looking forward to a slightly warmer day tomorrow with lots of sunshine. That’s great. You might grab a jacket on your way up to camp, though. It’s only going to get up to 71° the weatherman is saying! That’s nearly freezing by my Florida-girl standards!
Tonight the guys will participate in an age-old tradition, the Kerchief Ceremony. It’s another opportunity for boys to reflect on the less obvious benefits of a summer at Camp. Sure, they’re celebrating their achievements in activities, but even more, they are celebrating their bond to 109 summers of young men just like them. Boys that have run on these fields, slept in these cabins. Like many things at Highlands, it’s special. You can read about the ceremony in an essay written by our program director and alumni Craig Ericksen. He’s got a unique perspective as a former camper, father of campers, and staff member.
The dreary weather is not stopping the packing or the lost and found collection! The laundry is clean(ish), so hopefully, your boys trunks won’t be too terribly stinky upon their return. I’ve heard lots of great ideas on how best to unpack your camper when they come home. Two tips that were passed on to me: unpack the trunk in the driveway (sand!), and just throw the socks away (they’ll never be the same). Moms and dads, do you have any other tips? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below.
We should probably warn you about your camper’s reentry to the “real world.” I know in *this* Highlands family, we are all a little crabby after camp ends. We’re tired. We have culture shock. Yes, we’re happy to have 247 TV channels at our fingertips high-speed internet, but we are really ships without a rudder since we don’t have the bugle to tell us where to go! We miss our friends, our routines, the lake, Taps. Lois’ meatloaf. It’s hard. Again, moms and dads? Do you have any words of wisdom, or stories you can share to help the new camp parents know what to expect when their kid comes home after a month of living under a bug net?
Remember the final fun starts tomorrow at 3 pm at the Cub/Colt swim pier for the Water Carnival. You’ll have time to get your camper loaded up, a chance to shop at the camp store, and an opportunity to review the lost and found before supper starts at 6 pm. The banquet wraps up around 8:30. It’s a great way to wrap up the summer, and can help you understand what the last four weeks have been about for your boy. We’ll see you there!
And on that note…
I ❤ CH // tracy b.