Fall Camp Week 10: The Grand Finale

The Ravens gather around the fire.

Hello Adventurers,
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Not only was it an awesome week with all of you, it was an awesome ten weeks too! This week, we concluded the program with the campers favourite game and had a campfire. Mouths stuffed with gooey marshmallows and mugs filled with hot chocolate, it was the best way to end it off.

Mary Jane preparing the hot chocolate for the Foxes.

For our Foxes, we began with asking them what their favourite game was and surprisingly, Hide and Seek won. So, we played a few rounds of Hide and Seek in the woods until the sun began to set. The, we ventured into the woods where Mr. Paton had chosen a spot for us to have our bonfire. Before our fire, each Fox chose a partner to explode and then use flint and steel to light a cattail.
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Then, as some of us went to look for birch bark, the others stayed and helped build the fire. It was a fantastic fire that roasted plenty of marshmallows and warmed lots of hot chocolate. Bellies full, Mr. Paton told everyone the story of the Bandafrigs. Mr. Paton surprised everyone with an ancient Bandafrig egg, which we buried in a very secret spot in the woods. Ask the Foxes what will happen on the next full moon!

Logan showed us how it's done whenever he lit his cattail.

With the Ravens, we asked them what their favourite Red Rock game was, and just as we had guessed, they wanted to play Steal The Apples! Teams split in two, we battled for the apples in the open straw field. After a couple rounds of Steal The Apples, we took our cups and flashlights into the woods and lit cattails on fire just like the Foxes, except everyone got to explode and light their own. 
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After the cattail fires died down, we split into two groups, one going to look for some more cattails for our bonfire and the other group staying back with Mr. Paton and Georgia to build the fire. It was another fire that roasted, or burned, lots of marshmallows and made lots of hot chocolate. With the few minutes remaining, we told each other stories to end off our night together. 

Isa, Cecelia, and Alexa making their fire. It was one of the best ones!

On Thursday, with the Falcons, we asked them what their favourite game was just like we did with the groups prior. You’ll never guess what they picked. We took our buckets into the field and split into teams for the beloved, Steal The Sticks. After many rounds, we took off into the woods. Instead of lighting cattails, we built our own small fires. 
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After everyone had built a successful fire, we stomped them out and used our best fire builders to build the big bonfire. The rest of us went to the marsh and looked for more cattails but it looked like the Ravens picked them all before we got there! We went back to roast marshmallows and fill our mugs with hot chocolate. We all enjoyed the fire, and with our time remaining we played a couple rounds of Ghost In The Graveyard. It was a new and fun game that was scary and exciting!

These silly Foxes were ready to go start our fire.

When all three groups walked back to the Ski lodge, I think it’s safe to say that everyone had a smile spread across their face. This week was so much fun and I’m positive that everyone had as much fun as I did. Thank you to everyone’s kindness, patience, and teamwork for making this a great week.

The Falcons after many rounds of Steal The Apples.

What a phenomenal ten weeks it has been. These ten weeks flew by! As a group, we’ve been through snow, rain, mud, sun, and even a hurricane. It’s safe to say that I’ve worn everything from shorts and a t-shirt to a hat and mitts to oil gear. No matter what the conditions were, Georgia, Sophie, and I made memories and relationships with every single one of you. One could argue that we always left with a smile on our faces and I’m sure many of you did too. We loved having all of you and we'll miss you all!
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Yours in adventure,
Sarah, Georgia, Sophie, and Mr. Paton