It is much too quiet around camp since second term campers left on August 15. The fields, hills, and lodges are filled with great memories from the summer of 2010, and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to spend this time with so many outstanding campers and staff.
One of our tasks during the weeks following camp is to collect and distribute all the lost and found items. We have mailed every major article from High Trails which has a name to the owner. Lost and found items with names from Big Spring went out late last week and early this week, so they may still be in the mail. We still have some jackets, boots, and other items of clothing which do not have names. Please let us know if your camper is missing something and we will do everything we can to track it down and send it to you.
A fun event took place here August 20-22: the Newhoma Mountain and Music Festival. Terry Hayden, Assistant Director at The Nature Place, lined up some great bands that played from mid-day until the wee hours on a stage set up in the Big Spring field. A number of 2010 camp staff stayed around to help with the event and other alums returned to listen to the music, as well as other music lovers who experienced COEC for the first time. The weather was spectacular and everyone had a great time.
Sam and Scott Shepard have been out in the hayfields since camp ended, cutting and baling the nutritious mountain grass which keeps our horses in good health throughout the year. Big Spring counselors Ian Stafford and High Trails wrangler Lacey Ellingson have also been helping out. Meanwhile, the horses are enjoying a well-deserved vacation in Olin Gulch where there is plentiful grass for munching now.
Our outdoor education program staff will arrive on September 2 and we will begin welcoming sixth graders to High Trails Outdoor Education Center on September 14. Among the staff who will be returning to teach during this program are wranglers Jenny Hartman and Lacey Ellingson, High Trails ridge leadersReggie Cahalan and Maya Ovrutsky and counselor Dee Shiverdecker. Big Spring staff from the summer of 2010 include David Cumming, Andrew Jones, Jeff Krueger, Kevin Robinson, Andrew Tromey and Ian Wilson. HT nurse Suzie Bartley will serve as nurse. Former Big Spring ridge leader Chris “BC” Miller-McLemore will also return in a leadership position. Chris Tholl and Carlotta Avery direct the program; they are assisted by camp leaders Elizabeth Rundle, Johnny Domenico, and Ryan and Ashley McGowan.
We have two exciting events this Fall in addition to our traditional schedule. On September 25, we will join with the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument to celebrate “Leave No Child Inside Day” by hosting a family fun day and open house. We will be offering a program of nature-based activities and hikes for families who would like to get their children outdoors for the day. There is no cost for the event.
On October 15-17, we will again offer our outdoor education workshop, “Stalking Education in the Wild”. This weekend includes a wide variety of educational sessions led by experts in the field and is open to teachers, camping staff, parents, and anyone interested in learning more about living and teaching in the out-of-doors. Please let us know if you would like additional information on this event.
We are already thinking about next summer and have established our dates. The first term at Big Spring and High Trails will be Sunday, June 12 – Tuesday, July 12, 2011. The second term will be Friday, July 15 – Sunday, August 14. The four terms of Sanborn Junior will be June 12 – June 26, June 28– July 12, July 15 – July 29, and July 31 – August 14. We have sent this information to current camp families and will send additional information in October to camp families, former camp families, and prospective camp families. If you would like to receive our catalog and DVD or know someone who would, we will be happy to mail them at any time.















