During check-in for week five, some items were left near the health cabin that we do not know whom they belong to. The items in question include a “Crocs” bag, a water bottle, and a lantern. We also found a key in the upper parking lot at the top of the hill. If any of the items belong to you, or your camper, please call our office at 231.347.9742 ext 104!
John displays the lost objects
Well, we are already half way through our season this year! Our fourth week of campers went home yesterday, as did some of our amazing volunteer staff members. Campers were certainly treated to some amazing experiences during both the day and at night, but the campers also treat our staff to equally great moments. We like to say it is the people at camp that make us what we are. From seeing campers create talents for their counselors on Sunday night, to seeing their Wacky Wednesday outfits, and even just walking to cabins, it is truly the campers who make camp so special. Friday’s are always bittersweet for campers and staff, with all of our areas having some “parties” during the day. However, Friday nights are always special for all. Our initiation activities and ceremony are something many campers will never forget.
Week four is also the time we say goodbye to some of our volunteer staff. In addition to our second group of program and service aids, we also say goodbye to our first group of Counselors-in-Training (CITs). These 16 and 17 year olds make a huge impact on camp. It is certainly hard for a teenager to give up four weeks of their summer, but we truly appreciate all of their hard work and dedication. It can easily be said that the smiles and hugs on a Saturday morning are one of those moments that makes working at Daggett worth it.
It is hard to imagine that week 4 is almost half way done! Even though the weather has been a little bit rainy and chilly, campers’ spirits are certainly not dampened. Our staff have certainly put together an amazing week for campers. Starting out on Sunday, campers were treated to a little pageant with our counselors participating in a “Mr. and Mrs. Daggett” competition. With our area directors judging, cabins were tasked with helping to develop a character for their counselors and even helped them with their talent!
On Monday, campers got their first taste of some of the many activities Camp Daggett has to offer. On water and on land, cabins move around through our six areas as brother and sister cabins. The younger three cabins start at our waterfront, learning the basics of sailing, swimming, and canoeing. Older cabins participate in arts and crafts, recreation, and nature. After lunch and many songs, cabins switch, with older cabins on the water and younger ones on land. During lunch, cabins are always excited to see who wins some of our daily awards. Campers get very involved in cleaning their cabins as well as an area around camp. A popular favorite is making a “kiss up” for our program aides who help to judge the cleanest areas. Monday night finished with “Roman Night,” where campers practiced their gladiator skills, enjoyed gondola rides, made mosaics and much more.
Today, campers used many of the skills they learned on Monday in the areas. Sailing had a wonderful windy day, complete with just enough fog to add to the excitement. Since it was a little on the chilly side, there were many campfires around, including one in our dining hall. Having a fire in our beautiful stone fireplace always adds to atmosphere while eating a meal. Holiday Night wrapped up the night with campers rotating through a celebration of many holidays including the Fourth of July, Christmas, and even a haunted house for Halloween.
Sorry for the lack of pictures in this post, we have been having some technical issues but we hope to get some up soon 🙂
Well Week 3 certainly ended with a bang!To help celebrate our independence day, campers skipped free land and free water, and instead got to enjoy a festive atmosphere at our carnival. From hay rides to pie eating contests and much more, no detail was spared in making sure campers got to really celebrate the 4th away from home. After the carnival, our campers got a chance to have a little picnic complete with hamburgers, hot dogs, watermelon, and all of the “fixins.” After awards and our initiation ceremony, we of course had some amazing fireworks. And not to fear, our adventure trip made it back safe and sound. They had an amazing time in the Porcupine Mountains, and have plenty of stories to share. They even put on a little skit this morning at breakfast!
If you haven’t already, please be sure to complete the Parent/Camper evaluation survey described on the sheet you received at check-out, or click here. If you complete the survey, you will be entered into a drawing for a free “campership” for the summer of 2015!
It is hard to believe July is well underway; Â camp seems to only be just getting started! The last two days have seen so much excitement it is hard to keep track of all that has been done. One of the most popular extra events here at Camp is the Triathlon. Wednesday morning, campers were given an opportunity to wake up early and participate in this very special event. After running a course around camp, participants than went for a quick kayak and finished their race with a quick swim. Whether they were speedsters or just liked the feel of a brisk morning walk, everyone who participated was glad that they did.
Even though last night was a little on the cooler side, that didn’t stop us from thinking warm thoughts during our Luau Night! Rotating around many stations, campers brought the spirit of Hawaii to the shores of Walloon for sure. Campers got to sink canoes, play some Nuke ‘Em, go on a boat ride, surf and much more! Campers even got to sample some delicious grilled pineapple.
A new addition this year is a bran new GaGa pit. If you are unfamiliar with the sport, it is similar dodge ball. In this sport, players stand in a cage and try to roll or smack the ball towards other players’ legs. If one gets hit below the knee, they are out (I am sure that your camper will tell you much, much more). A huge thanks goes to the Youth Advisory Committees of both the Petoskey- Harbor Springs and Charlevoix County Community Foundations. Both of these groups of individuals helped to secure a grant to fund the new GaGa pit. Camp Daggett and its campers are very appreciative of all the love and support that both these groups give, as well as the countless others who give time, money, energy and most importantly love to Camp Daggett.
Week three is certainly off to a great start! While this is the week of the Fourth, we are not saving all of the excitement for Friday. Starting off on Sunday, campers got to get to know their cabins right away. Sunday night had them putting together a story using items from each of our six areas at Camp Daggett. Working as brother/sister cabin combinations, cabins treated camp to some truly amazing, funny and creative skits.
Monday is always an exciting day at here at Daggett. Many campers try new things, or practice some old skills. Whether on water or on land, there is never a dull moment here. With such a warm summer’s day, campers were eager to get a chance to jump in the lake during swimming, sailing and canoeing. In fact, campers even get a chance to return to these areas later in the afternoon during a time we like to call free water. Many campers chose to go swimming yesterday, but there was still quite a crowd at sailing and canoeing. After free water there is of course free land, with campers choosing between arts and crafts, recreation, and nature.
The “free” concept is extended after dinner during “Free Time.” During this time, right after dinner, campers can go around and play basketball, Nuke ‘Em, tether ball, and much more;  or they  just hang out and form some lasting friendships. Something new this year is our “Daggett Delights,” a time when a staff member organizes an activity which campers can try out. Yesterday, our Assistant Director Charity made some really neat buttons with participants.
And if there wasn’t enough going on already in camp, we also have some adventures happening away from camp. This week is our first Wilderness Adventure Trip, who are currently in the Porcupine Mountains. This group of 7 brave individuals left Monday morning for the western part of the Upper Peninsula to spend the week hiking, camping, and exploring a beautiful wilderness. Our adventure trips are available for 13-15 year olds three times a summer. Each trip varies in it intensity and activities. Later in the summer, a trip will be be kayaking around South Manitou Island, while our last trip will be exploring the Pictured Rocks National Lake shore. For more information on these trips, visit our website here.
Thank you for such a great week! On behalf of the whole Camp Daggett staff, we just want to say what an amazing well it was. From the campouts, to the night activities, the areas, and plenty of songs, campers had such a great enthusiasm for camp. We hope that they carry the ” Spirit of Daggett” with them as they finish of the summer.
Parents, please take a moment to fill out our parent/camper evaluation by clicking here or by visiting the link that was handed out at check out.
Friday’s are always best when the sun in shining! Friday’s are always a blast here at Camp Daggett, with many great activities to wrap up the week. It is always so amazing to see campers still bouncing around, even after a long week of new adventures. This week saw many new night activities including Reality TV Show Night, Board Game Night, and How to Train your Dragon night. Our area directors always try to get nice and creative when designing night activities. For example, Board Game night didn’t have campers playing board games, instead, they played real life versions of Clue, Guess Who, and even Battleship!
Of course, night activities are only one small part of what makes Camp Daggett so special. During their six class periods, campers are always learning something new. Whether its sailing for the first time, or maybe making a new craft, trying new things is what Camp Daggett is all about. This philosophy is especially evident with our adventure program. Campers in the two oldest cabins get a chance to first do some team building activities, and then later in the evening they are offered a chance to climb our amazing high ropes course. It is great to see campers climb all the way to the tops of elements,  just get their feet off the ground, or even  just help to cheer on their cabin mates.  We hope that they learned some valuable life skills, and will always remember the lessons that they learned at Camp Daggett.
Campers get some Viking practice in during How to Train Your Dragon Night
Campers gather on their way home from the Pines
Our second session has gotten off to a great start! The fun started as soon as the campers arrived on Sunday. After settling in, many counselors take their campers to their fire pit or the rec field to play some name games and get to know each other. After a brief fire drill and some more introductions, campers were treated to a delicious dinner of baked chicken. Luckily, the weather stayed clear for our night activities. Campers first went on a tour around camp, learning about all of the different areas and activities that we have here. But the real fun was out Daggett Auction. In this night activity, each cabin has to go back to their cabin and grab as many wacky, zany objects as they can. Everyone then sat in a big horseshoe on the rec field as Laura, our Arts and Crafts Director, called out an object. If someone in that cabin had that object, they then went up to score a point for their team. It was amazing to see how creative some of our cabins could get.
Monday saw just as much fun! Even though it was a little cooler, campers still had a blast both in water and on land. Campers certainly had a blast Yak boarding during free water. In fact, free water and free land are always really popular times. Camper get to choose any water, and any land area that they want to go to! Our area directors are always working hard to come up with new, fun, and safe programming for these times. Today in free land is of course or famous “Tie-Dye Tuesday.” Other activities in these times include sailing, swimming to the raft, tennis ball frenzy, and feeding the snake, and many, many more.
Last night saw a brand new night activity- Hockey Night in Daggett (a play on CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada”). We had a tournament of all of the cabins that were in, as well as all the other things you need to have a great hockey game. Campers could have some popcorn, make some pom poms, practice some drills, and of course play in their hockey games. A special shout-out goes to the Huron Cabin who, all on their own, decided to spend some time in the middle of the rec field doing some stretches and warm-ups before their big games. In the end, it was the Ojibwe cabin who prevailed, taking home our very own Daggett Cup.
The Blackfeet Cabin shows off their wacky attire for the Daggett Auction!
A trip to the hockey game isn’t complete without some concessions
The Ojibwe Cabin hoists the Daggett Cup
Well,  a week of Camp Daggett must be in full swing! We have had such an amazing, and eventful first week here. Although there has been some weather issues, it is amazing to see how our campers and staff are able to be so flexible and creative. In a rare occurrence, it actually rained on our very first night! This made it hard to have our normal Sunday routine, so a last minute switch was made and our counselors put on a little talent show. Many of the cabins helped to dress up their counselors and even help them with their talents!
Of course, camp wouldn’t be complete without some time in the sun, and luckily we have finally gotten some of that. Today was perhaps our most beautiful day yet! In the upper 70’s and sunny all day, campers couldn’t help but to smile from the sunshine alone. Of course, our fantastic staff had plenty of new and exciting programming to offer up as well- which certainly added to those smiles. Boys and girls alike couldn’t get enough of “Disney Night;” playing games like “Where’s my Slipper?” and even getting a chance to build there own Olaf from Frozen.
Today, Rec was the place to be. Campers cannot seem to get enough of “GaGa Ball.” For those who are unfamiliar with the sport, here’s a brief rundown. Inside of a circle or octagon, campers are given a soft ball to roll at each other. When someone gets hit with the ball, below the legs, they are out. It is a simple, but fast paced game. What makes it so neat is that everyone is able to be involved, and even if one gets out, there will be a new game very soon!
Camp Daggett Summer Camp Blog 