Jake and Lucy Sher just completed their first summer at Chestnut Lake and wanted to share some of their favorite things about the Summer of 2015.

Jake Sher:

My first summer at Chestnut Lake Camp was one of the best summers that I’ve ever had. Even though I missed my parents the first day, all the fun stuff at CLC made it easy to be away from home.

One of my favorite things about CLC is the food, because there are so many different varieties of things that you can eat. I really like the chicken nuggets and the french toast! The food was the best!

I really like the bunks because you have a lot of space for your stuff. The counselors were awesome. They didn’t act like a parent, but almost like a big brother or sister. I     really liked my counselors, David, Martin and Joe, who slept in my bunk. I also really liked my division leader, Curtis, and my bunk’s partners, Garin and Joe (aka J-Fresh).

Two of the best activities were Outdoor Adventure (which includes ziplines, rock       climbing and ropes course) and the lake. At the lake, I loved the inflatables like the    water trampoline, the Blob and the Rock-it.

Another thing I really enjoyed about CLC was Tribal. I really liked the activities and the friendly competition. I’ll never forget when I ran from the soccer field to Outdoor          Adventure as part of the Apache relay race. Unami Turtles forever! These are some of the things that made my first summer at CLC the best. I can’t wait until next year!

Lucy Sher:

My first summer at Chestnut Lake was one of the best times I’ve ever had. At first, when I got there, I didn’t know anyone and I was a little nervous. But after a while, I got to know a lot of kids and a lot of counselors who were so nice and friendly. It felt like home, and I didn’t want to leave.

The counselors were like big sisters. Without them, I don’t know what I would do! One of my counselors, Kenzie, even taught me how to play the ukulele. The counselors are       always there for you whenever you need them, and they always know what’s best.

One of my favorite activities is the lake. Once I even got to eat breakfast at the lake. At the lake, there’s always lots to do, and you can have so much fun. Another activity I like is basketball. I started playing basketball before I went to camp, and I really liked it. But at Chestnut Lake, it was so different. The counselor who taught me how to play was really nice and he knew how to help make me a better player. I love playing basketball at Chestnut Lake!

Outdoor Adventure is a really special thing that I think everyone needs in their life! At OA, these are some of the things you get to do: rock climbing, ziplining, climbing ropes, and working on skills that you’ve never worked on before. And last but not least, Tribal is my favorite activity because there’s so much to do and so much competition. That’s one of the things I like best. It was one of the best experiences to be an Unami Turtle.

I love Chestnut Lake because the first time I went, it felt like family. I can’t wait to go back next summer!

At the end of every summer as campers return home, they always have many stories and special moments to share from their summer at Chestnut Lake. We thought it would be fun to connect with some of our first year campers and find out first hand about their summer at camp and what they loved the most about CLC.

First up is Drew Bick who attends camp with his brother, David.

“My first summer at CLC was awesome. I had great counselors and a great Division Leader named Mike. My favorite part of camp was going to the Lake. There were so many fun inflatables like the blob, the swing and slide. All of our evening activities were awesome: some are shows, some are talent shows and some are sports. My favorite activity was fruit ninja. Your counselor throws you a water balloon and you try to hit it with a baseball bat-whoever hits the most wins. Paul and Debbi are great. There are a lot more activities at CLC than what I told you like all kinds of sports and free play time. And the food is great!  That’s why this was my best summer!”

Next up is Claire Lenkin who attends camp with her brothers, Ethan and Noah.

“For my first summer at CLC, I was in lower Yazhi. My favorite activities were Lake and OA (Outdoor Aventure). The Lake is SO much fun. You can go tubing and waterskiing!! They also have paddleboarding, fishing, a blob and a rope swing on the water trampoline. During Visting Day, your Dad can blob you very high!! My Dad blobbed me 10 feet in the air!  At OA, you go on the humongous zip line and the flying squirrel. They also have archery and rock climbing.

Another exciting part of the summer was when I found out which Tribal team I was on. I am a Minsi Wolf. One of my favorite parts of camp was Tribal. There are lots of fun activities like Apache Relay  and Rope Burn!  For one of my night activities, we went on a cookie hunt. Also, if your parents don’t let you stay up late at home you can stay up at camp! You also have a special snack in bed called Midnight snack. During Midnight snack you can read during “Flashlight Time”. Flashlight time is just time when you can read, whisper with your friends or doodle with your flashlight.

If you have siblings at camp sometimes at lunch there is a sibling cookout so you can eat lunch with your sibling. I had 2 older brothers at camp – Noah and Ethan.  One time in Arts and Crafts I made a wooden letter holder. In art and crafts there is sewing, woodworking, cooking and video. Also in sewing you can make pillows.  I can’t wait to go back next summer to see the new friends I made at camp. I loved my  counselors and Chestnut Lake!  That’s why this was my best summer!”