There are tons of big events at Camp Laurel. From Arrival Day to the Olympics to College Days, Opening Ceremony to the Closing Campfire. It can be easy to chart one’s way through the summer based on what big event just happened and what’s on the horizon. That’s intentional, of course. There’ll always be memories being made and something to look forward to. However, asking counselors and campers to recap their summers will only include a handful of those events. The best times at camp often come away from the action.

Our counselors hear it during Orientation and at every staff meeting: Little
moments have a big impact. Bedtime stories, creating a mini-hockey tournament at Rest Hour, taking the time to teach camp songs and how to make friendship bracelets. The most vivid memories can’t be re-created outside of camp. They happen organically.

This also happens in reverse. Our campers teach us all the time. They remind us to capture a moment. We get to re-live the excitement when a camper scores their first goal in a soccer intercamp. We’re proud when someone takes the stage for their first time at an all-camp campfire. We love hearing the enthusiasm in campers’ voices when they return from a hike. Camp is about the friendships, the activities, the inside jokes, the cabin games. More than anything, it’s about the moments that only happen at camp.