On a normal morning at Takajo at 6:00 AM, the campus is completely quiet. The only people who would be awake would be our kitchen staff making their way to the dining room to prepare breakfast. But today was different…
We have a group of Senior Campers that have been training all summer to swim the lake. During their free time, these campers must swim laps to prove they have the strength and endurance to accomplish this feat. This morning, our boys swam across our beautiful Long Lake— it’s 11 miles long and a mile and a half wide where we are located.
Under the leadership and supervision of our Waterfront Director, Bob Lewis, our waterfront staff, along with many other counselors who volunteered, assembled by the dock at 6 o’clock to greet our Senior Campers who were excited to tackle this challenge.
Our campers were brought across the lake by our pontoon boat and ski boats and took the plunge into Long Lake while the rest of us were sleeping. The lake was calm, the water was still, and every camper was surrounded by counselors in canoes and playaks, encouraging their every stroke for the width of about a mile. Within the hour, all but one of our swimmers who had trained for this event emerged from the water, with exuberance from this accomplishment.
After breakfast, we turned our attention to preparation for our camp Carnival, an opportunity to take a day off from the fields and, for those who have siblings at neighboring girls’ camps, to reconnect with their loved ones. There’s something incredibly heartwarming to witness your children as they reunite away from you and away from home. There is a genuine love and affection that radiates as your kids show a level of intimacy that is likely not often displayed at home. Our children are often so scheduled at home that there is sometimes little opportunity for spontaneous fun and play. They are distracted by today’s technology in a way that often prevents them from these deep and meaningful interactions.
Today’s reunion was the embodiment of everything we want as parents— unconditional love, spontaneous laughter, and holding hands as they walk throughout the camp. The goodbyes were genuine but a little less emotional than last time because your children knew that they would be seeing you within the next few days.
