We had a great summer at camp.

Somehow, ten weeks can go by in a blur.

From the thrill of Opening Day to the nostalgia of the final fireworks show, it’s easy to lose track of all the little things that made this summer special.

So here are a few memorable moments and takeaways from a summer that reminded us exactly why we do what we do.

Seeing What Makes Camp, Camp

Sometimes it’s tough putting camp into words.

A video can show so much more, and that’s why this is one of my favorite things we created this summer:

I freaking love this video.

It perfectly captures how we gather to share experiences at camp.

Nearly every clip is just a group of people loving what they are doing. It’s childhood.

We didn’t go around “looking” for these. This is just how it happens throughout the summer.

It’s more important than ever to find spaces where we can spend quality time with others and create shared memories.

That’s exactly what camp does.

Hearing Campers Believe in Themselves

“I feel brave.” Maren, age 8

I wrote about this quote a few weeks ago, but it’s worth bringing up again because it captures what is happening at camp for so many campers.

If you watched the video from above, you saw two minutes of pure fun. But it’s also packed with moments where kids had to try new things and challenge themselves.

Sometimes it’s moments like Maren had on the climbing wall.

Other times it’s getting up in front of a group and singing or performing, sitting down at the pottery wheel, or simply making new friends.

We often associate courage with the extremes. But there are countless small moments at camp that reinforce a sense of bravery and help campers believe in themselves.

Believing in the Skills That Stick

Back at the beginning of the summer we wrote about what it’s like raising Durable Kids with Durable Skills.

Those included collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, responsibility, resilience, and flexibility.

There are more, of course. But these skills will transfer wherever kids go.

Spending the summer looking at camp through the lens of durability has only strengthened my belief that this set of skills will matter going forward (high school, college, job, career, etc).

Remembering Why We’re Here

Last one, for now.

Around mid-summer I was walking around doing night checks, and I ran into Zach who’s sitting outside the cabin, looking up at the stars.

When I asked how he was doing, he said something I hope will stick with me forever.

“I was out on the lake today. And I thought to myself, ‘This is just a totally normal thing to do at camp. But if I wasn’t here, like if this was during the school year, the last five minutes would have been the best five minutes of my month. We get to be in a really special place.’”

Five minutes on a kayak. On a Tuesday.

I agree 100% with Zach. And I have a feeling, if asked, every camper and counselor would say something similar. The answers would all be different, but they would follow the same theme.

Even though camp is over, remembering moments like this has me so excited for next summer to get going (just 38 weeks away).

Looking forward

These were just a few of the moments that made Summer 2025 special. But honestly, the real hits weren’t the big, dramatic stuff we got on video or wrote about in newsletters.

So much of it was in the in-betweens, the lunch table conversations, the inside jokes, the walks to and from activities.

All of it came together into one big, awesome experience.

We will be in touch this year with what we’re thinking about, planning for, and getting excited about for what’s to come.

Just know for now - Summer 2026 will be epic.

Thank you for letting us be part of your family’s story this year!

Erec Sir

PS - The best time to register for next summer is now. We had waitlists this year, and that’s sure to happen again for 2026.

Families who sign up now will get Early Bird pricing and everything is refundable until December 1.

Just want to make sure everyone here gets to take advantage: Sign Up for 2026.