{"id":2459,"date":"2025-06-11T11:32:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T15:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chestnutlakecamp.com\/blog\/?p=2459"},"modified":"2025-06-11T11:32:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T15:32:10","slug":"campfire-tales-pupdate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chestnutlakecamp.com\/blog\/campfire-tales-pupdate","title":{"rendered":"Campfire Tales | Pearl(s) of Wisdom (6\/11\/25)"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

By Aaron Selkow, Owner\/Director<\/pre>\n
As I write this, I\u2019m thinking about the kids at home who are starting to feel a little nervous about camp. I\u2019m also thinking about their parents\u2014some of whom may be even more nervous. It\u2019s totally understandable. Whether it\u2019s your child\u2019s first time away or your fifth summer as a camp parent, there are always questions and emotions that come with the countdown to Opening Day.<\/p>\n
Some of it comes from the unknown. If you haven\u2019t experienced camp yet\u2014either as a camper or through your child\u2014it\u2019s hard to imagine what it will feel like. And even if you\u2019re a \u201cveteran,\u201d returning to camp each year brings its newness: new bunkmates, new staff, new transitions. Honestly? I feel some of that nervousness myself.<\/p>\n
Not because I doubt what\u2019s ahead\u2014I couldn\u2019t be more confident in our team or more excited for the summer we\u2019ve planned. But the other night, as I tossed and turned, my mind wasn\u2019t on campers or counselors. It was on Pearl.<\/p>\n
You may be wondering, who\u2019s Pearl?<\/p>\n
In November 2023, our family said goodbye to our beloved dog, Apollo. He was adopted in 2016, and over time, he became an unforgettable presence\u2014not just at home, but at camp. Apollo had this remarkable ability to connect with campers and staff, especially those missing their pets or in need of a little comfort. He was part of our family, and part of the Chestnut Lake family, too. Losing him was hard. For a long time, we didn\u2019t think we\u2019d ever get another dog.<\/p>\n
\"\"<\/a>But this February, we met Pearl.<\/p>\n
Pearl is a Great Dane, around nine years old, rescued from a difficult situation in South Carolina. She\u2019s gentle, soulful, and was looking for a second chance. After just a short time with us, we knew she belonged. We slowly introduced her to camp\u2014short visits here and there, then longer stretches. She started to find her rhythm. And last weekend, she faced her biggest challenge yet: meeting over 300 people at our annual Spring Fling for first-time campers and their families.<\/p>\n
Ann and I didn\u2019t sleep well the night before. Would she get overwhelmed? Would the noise, the excitement, the crowd be too much?<\/p>\n
Turns out, we didn\u2019t need to worry. Pearl was a star.<\/p>\n
She was cautious at first\u2014she took it all in, stayed close, and watched carefully. But as the day went on, she opened up. She approached people. She let herself be loved. She made friends. She figured it out. And in doing so, she reminded us of the very heart of what camp is all about.<\/p>\n
Camp is a place where we all arrive a little uncertain. A little nervous. A little unsure of what to expect. But it’s also a place where\u2014when we’re surrounded by patience, encouragement, kindness, and love\u2014we adapt. We connect. We grow.<\/p>\n
Pearl\u2019s day at Spring Fling wasn\u2019t just her debut as our new camp dog\u2014it was a reminder that our campers (and their parents) are going to be okay. More than okay. They\u2019re going to rise to the moment. They\u2019re going to surprise themselves. They\u2019re going to thrive.<\/p>\n
Because that\u2019s what happens at camp.<\/p>\n
We find our footing. We make friends. We let ourselves be known and loved. And we discover, sometimes in the most unexpected ways, just how strong and capable we really are.<\/p>\n
This summer, your child will become braver. They\u2019ll grow more independent. They\u2019ll find joy, even in moments of challenge. And they\u2019ll have a team of people (and yes, one very big dog) here to walk beside them every step of the way.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s to Pearl, and the beautiful journey ahead for all of us this summer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
  By Aaron Selkow, Owner\/Director As I write this, I\u2019m thinking about the kids at home who are starting to feel a little nervous about camp. I\u2019m also thinking about their parents\u2014some of whom may be even more nervous. It\u2019s totally understandable. Whether it\u2019s your child\u2019s first time away or your fifth summer as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":2538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15,19,41,20],"tags":[35,23,37,22,16,25,24,49],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chestnutlakecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2459"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chestnutlakecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chestnutlakecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chestnutlakecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chestnutlakecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2459"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.chestnutlakecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2541,"href":"https:\/\/www.chestnutlakecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2459\/revisions\/2541"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chestnutlakecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chestnutlakecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chestnutlakecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chestnutlakecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}