2nd Session Rishonim Overnight!
Greetings Camp Stein! After a full week of fun and excitement, we in Rishonim have finally completed our overnight!
Some of us were nervous; all of us had questions. Some of us had a LOT of questions. But by the time we boarded our bus, everyone was ready to take on a new experience and venture outside of their comfort zone.
We arrived at the amazing Lynx Lake campsite in the late afternoon, and the campers were eager for adventure. As our outdoor specialists set up camp and prepared dinner, the rest of us took a short hike down to the shore. The flat sandstone rocks that lined the beach made the perfect stones for skipping across the surface of the water, and after a little practice, some of the campers really got the hang of it. Ask your Rishonimer what their personal record was, I’m sure you will be surprise!
(side note: our sincerest apologies to the Lynx Lake fishing community for scaring away all of the fish, that was our bad)
After returning to our campsite and settling in, we feasted on pita pizzas cooked in a real campfire. Campers explored the woods after dinner with their counselors to find the perfect marshmallow-roasting sticks while we cleaned up, and some of them got to experience and enjoy real campfire s’mores for the very first time.
After finishing dessert, it was time to say laila tov. Campers got their sleeping bags out, surrounded by their friends and cabinmates under the magnificent night sky. After their teeth were brushed and they settled in for bed, I told my favorite camp story (which, if they ask, is 100% true), about a magical elk I once met while hiking with my best friend. While there were certainly a few furry nighttime visitors, everyone slept soundly through the night.
As quickly as we had arrived, we were all awake and ready to return to camp before breakfast. While we may have come back tired, dirty, and smelling of campfire, the campers all had the biggest smiles of the summer as they told their friends and LTP buddies about their experiences.
They may be small, but these Rishonimers are mighty. They are capable of so much, if they are given the opportunity to shine. For those among them who are leaving us this Sunday, they will be dearly missed by their counselors and cabinmates. For the campers who are here for the rest of the session, remember this: they haven’t seen ANYTHING yet.
We’re just getting started.
Erik Rendelman, Rishonim Unit Head
July 14, 2016
