The Daily Log 2025

We awoke to a bright, hot morning, both excited and a little melancholy for the end of Camp. Breakfast was quick, and announcements, including Council goodbyes, took longer than the actual meal. We had a super quick duty period following breakfast, and then took Upper Camp showers for Tub. We then packed our trunks and suitcases to be brought to our parents and got ready for Chapel. In the Chapel line, Lorenzo announced that Adams won the Inspection Cup after a dominant performance during the season. Standing on Tree Talk Ridge before Chapel, the lake looked beautiful. Chapel was a nice and meaningful service, with Mr. Michael giving the last Chapel Talk of the 2025 season about taking Pasquaney into the world and continuing to make progress through exhilarating highs and gruelling lows. The season ended with happy tears and big hugs before Campers departed with their parents to carry Pasquaney away from the Hillside.

We woke up to the sound of the bugle and got ready for an exciting day. The morning's highlight was super duties, which took a very long time, but were very productive. Then, we had Tub and Inspection prep, followed by lunch and a very short rest. After that, we had Inspection, which Birch won in a points-per-man showdown. We then all headed down to the Waterfront for the Watersports program, which the parents seemed to enjoy. After, we showed our parents around the Hillside, and they got to see shortened versions of the season's Tree Talks as well as the Glade Play, "A Song for Jennie." After dinner, they got to view the Theater Play, "12 Angry Men." To end the night, we had singing at Baird Hall, accompanied by a huge bonfire that didn't die down for hours. After the parents left, we had our slideshow, the character cups were awarded, and 16-year-old lanterns were given. A beautiful Taps ended the night.

Today, we woke up to the sweet sound of Reveille blowing, contradicting the loud COIs bellowing at us to wake up. We arose to a "supercalifragilisticexpealidocious" 63° with the sun beaming at us and a baby blue sky, not a cloud in sight. Following a brisk breakfast, we had a multitude of competitions, including the Senior Swims final, Canoe Races, and Canoe Tilts. Additionally, we had our Junior Singles Tennis final, which Coop Jones won. Following that, we had our final Soak, which the 16-year-olds made highly entertaining. After that, we had play rehearsals, lunch, and Rest. In the afternoon, the PGRC fought against the Waterfront in an epic battle. The Waterfront ambushed Hobbs Field with water balloons, then retreated down the Hillside and ambushed the PGRC again in the tunnel, leading to a decisive victory. Then we had dinner and the Sigma Alpha Awards Ceremony, where Michael Head was announced as having been voted Best Camper and Most Helpful, Michael Rorer was voted Most Thoughtful, and Damon Hu was voted Most Cheerful. We then went to sleep, excited to welcome parents to the Hillside tomorrow.

We started the day with a late Reveille, and the Dana campers went to get the last of their Rabies vaccine shots. We also had an optional hike up Mt. Adams via the Kings Ravine trail, and the group left before 7 a.m.! There were also the final goldmine and watermelon football Specie trips. At Soak, Townley found an interesting thin lake worm and showed it to the campers, some of whom were interested, while others were freaked out. Dividers were added to the urinals in the Mines, a big topic of discussion, with most people approving of the addition. The Senior Singles Tennis championship and Canoe Tilt finals also took place, and all competitors looked strong going into them. Rafe Dewey came through with the upset in Tennis, while Rhys Jones and Jack Maddox managed to knock out and sink their opponent’s boat after 18 minutes of battling. Some campers in Dana got to go on a special Sailing trip to Bell Island as well. We concluded the day with a dramatic debate between jurors in the 12 Angry Men Theater Play, an excellent production directed by Chase Carmody.

We woke up after a restless night in Stanwood, with all the sixteen-year-olds banging on the wall and running through the dorms in costumes (because it was the 16-year-old breakfast). When we got to Memorial Hall, we had a meal worse than moon rocks: chocolate chip pancakes, a bowl of butter, chocolate milkshakes with Oreos, strawberry lemonade, and whipped cream with funny pictures of the sixteen-year-olds on the tables. In the activity period, I went to the shop with almost the entire Glade Play cast to run our lines, and then we rehearsed… Holy flop, we barely knew our cues, and some of us barely knew our lines. In the afternoon, all of Camp arrived (for the play); I could not imagine how our director (J.E.T. Easterly) felt. We performed A Song for Jennie, and the former counsellor who wrote the original script (Dave Hughes) came to watch us perform. The crowd was silent, and we began. Emmett Brown starred as Jennie, Milo Lomas played the hero, and Jack Maddox played the villain. It went so well, and some people said it was the best Glade Play they had ever seen. After the play, we had dinner, Singing, and Circles. 

We woke up to a lukewarm morning. There was a very exciting breakfast with French toast, bacon, and cheesy eggs. It was followed by a very exciting morning activity period with the Senior Doubles final taking place, which Ian Caperton and Michael Rorer won in a thrilling 3-setter. The final scores were 7-5, 4-6, and 7-5. There was also the Diving Competition, for which it was a perfect day, as the water was flat and the wind was low. At Soak, there was a Junior canoe tilt, which Coop Jones and Cody Wittwer won. Then there was lunch, which was chicken sandwiches and a calming rest. In the afternoon, there was the Junior baseball final, which Jay Petty won by hitting his first Hobbs Field grand slam. Then there was the Four-Man Canoe competition, which ended in a victory by Jack Maddox, Hunter Parler, Kenny Holder, and John Ackerly. Finally, there were Subbie swim finals, which Everett Deal won. For dinner, we had walking tacos, which were delicious. For Campfire, there was a music night which had a high level of musical talent displayed by campers and Council.

Reveille blew on a beautiful morning, and the typical routine followed. At yesterday’s Council Meeting, Alvaro Fraile-Hinojosa and Xavier Lovering were elected as COIs, demonstrating the hard work they’ve put in all summer as leaders around the hillside. The afternoon featured an intense basketball game between the Boys vs. the Council. Both teams fought hard, with prominent players like Cash Golden and Hunter Parlor playing hard for the boys, and Henry Anderson and Mr. Michael leading the council. Cash hit a deep three within the final seconds to put the Boys over the Council, and the rest of the Camper body rushed the court in celebration. After dinner, we had singing at Tree Talk Ridge instead of Baird Hall, which provided for a great new view. It was the second-to-last singing before Water Sports. 

We woke up well rested after a much-needed late Reveille. We then headed to Dana, where Pip enlightened us with a poetry reading before we made our way to the showers. As we were getting ready, there was one thing gnawing at the back of our heads, crew race night, what we had been training for throughout the whole summer. We quickly made our way to Memorial Hall for breakfast, and after a quick and efficient duty period, we headed down for the last tub of the 2025 season. After Tub, we headed up the hill we all dread climbing daily, but with haste this time, as it was Sunday Inspection Preparation. Our Trustee visitors came to inspect the dorms, and overall, it was a great inspection for all dorms except Dana's. Adams won the inspection with an impressive 0.2 points per man. Mr. Michael delivered his Chapel Talk on the distinction between pleasure and happiness, and the misconception that the pursuit of happiness should be equated with the pursuit of material things. After the thoughtful Chapel Talk, we made our way to Sunday lunch, where they announced the different crew boats that would be racing. After the final Camper Meeting, racers began making their way down to the Boathouse, reflecting on everything they had worked on over the summer. After both Birch and Dana got their photos taken, the 3rd boats headed out, and the adrenaline started to kick in. Birch was favored, but Dana was rowing well together, and they won. Next was the Junior boat, Birch had been winning in all the practice races, but Dana was working well together, and in the first half, it was neck and neck. Eventually, Dana grew tired and became sloppy, while Birch remained in control throughout the race and emerged victorious. The 4th boat race was fantastic. Dana started with a huge lead, but all of a sudden Birch started working together and caught up to take a slight lead! At the finish, Birch caught a crab, and Dana passed them to win the race. Finally, Senior boats, Birch was a boat with more power and ended up comfortably winning the race to cap off an incredible night of racing. We did not have singing like usual to accommodate the late start to the races, but we still had an incredible sunset.

We awoke from our deep slumber, all frozen from the frigid night. There was a big day ahead of us all, and we were ready to get to it. To start, we had outstanding morning activities including Stage Crew prep for the Trustee's Weekend Play's big night in the Watson Theatre, a sweet fishing Specie art Hebron Beach, Crew practice for Junior and 3rd boats in preparation of Sunday Crew Night, and excitingly capture the flag "wasketball!" Shortly after Inspection Prep, we had a delicious lunch! Korean BBQ! Everybody’s stomachs were full, so it was a rather quiet rest while everyone was resting in their bunks. Inspection went in alphabetical order, and let's just say every dorm did well except for the dorm that starts with a D. Next, on a more exciting note, it was the afternoon activity period, and boy, was it a good one! The Boys vs. Council baseball game had finally rolled around, and it was hype! Taking place at Sailing was the terra regatta, and a little out from the auxiliary dock was snorkeling. I do have to say that the boys got cooked in the baseball game, but we all had fun, and that’s what matters most! Following the afternoon activity period was a terrific dinner that put us all in good spirits for the Trustees' Play, the classic Treasure Island. It was a remarkable play with brilliant choreography that left us all in awe. It was a splendid play, and Mr. Burke Gunter set it up perfectly. After all that, we had a quick Mines and Prayers that finally brought our day to a close with Taps. 

We woke up to a nice morning. After Prayers, Mines, and breakfast, we had an efficient duty period and activity period. We had a delicious lunch of ribs that were juicy and accompanied by a nice BBQ sauce, along with corn and potatoes on the side. Today, the trustees arrived in droves like eager campers going down to Tub. They were very kind, and it was clear that they had a deep compassion and love for the camp. After that, we had a quick rest and activity period.  Then we had Peyton Williams' Tree Talk, which discussed how, at some point in life, you will feel lost and want to break down and cry, but you must trust your inner compass to guide you. For example, Peyton said that he felt lost when he was in L.A. and away from his family, and his compass guided him to camp. After that, we had dinner, duty period, mines, prayers, and taps.