We had a grand time horseback riding and playing predator/prey today! We began our day with a good breakfast of cereal, blueberry muffins, oatmeal, and yogurt, and then headed back to cabins for cabin clean-up. After getting ready for the day, we met on the green, where we sang some groovy camp songs, including “Around the World Baby” and “Get Loose.” The campers really enjoyed getting the chance to do the really really loud verses! Then, we split into two groups–the younger campers went horseback riding, while the older group played predator/prey.
Predator/prey is a game that mimics nature, in that there are four different groups of animals, each of which needs different things to survive. The frogs, for instance, need to find lots of water (or, in our game, water tokens) while the owls need to find lots of prey (in our game, other campers!). The group that finds all of their pieces (including food, shelter, water, and prey) first, while avoiding the “raptors” that can freeze a group for up to one minute, wins! The frogs (the campers with Counselor Phil), despite losing a chunk of their team to the owls, won this morning! Congratulations to the frogs! The older campers really enjoyed the strategy aspect of the game, and several asked if we could play it again another day.
Meanwhile, the younger campers really enjoyed horseback riding–they took an hour and a half long trail ride through the beautiful alpine desert. Also, there were kittens at the riding stables, which many of the campers really enjoyed. 🙂 At lunch–yummy cold cuts sandwiches–the younger campers couldn’t stop talking about their horses! The older campers got several recommendations about which horses to ask for and which to avoid. At the same time, the older campers gave the younger campers some tips on how to play predator/prey. Lunch went by quickly, and before we knew it, it was time for rest hour!
After rest hour, the groups switched–the older campers went horseback riding, while the younger campers played predator/prey. The younger campers had a great time–this time, the moths (the campers with Counselor Jasmine) won! Congratulations to the moths! Meanwhile, the older campers loved seeing the kittens and going riding–for some, it was their first time on a horse! The older campers also all agreed that the cloudy weather was perfect for horseback riding, so the light on and off drizzle that they experienced on the ride didn’t dampen their spirits one bit!
We finished up the afternoon with some well-deserved free time in the gym and game room–campers created lanyards, painted their clay creations, made their very own delicious gorp for snack, and took turns playing air hockey, ping pong, pool, and basketball. It was great fun! Then, we all washed our hands and headed to dinner, where campers had a chance to sit with whomever they wanted. After dinner, we headed to the hot springs pool for a relaxing night swim–it was lovely to float in the water and look up at the stars! At the end of the evening, we sang “Day is Done” to finish out our great day, and headed back to cabins to brush our teeth and get ready for bed.
Tomorrow is another exciting day–we’re going rock climbing! It should be amazing!