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Lets travel back in time together to late Spring. The days are getting warmer and bright green needles decorate the branch tips of the abundant evergreens on Bowen Island. We kick off the camp season with a very productive Work Party. Everyone who attends accomplishes so much and camp is in tip top shape within a couple of days! Shortly thereafter, we welcome participants for another successful Women’s Weekend. This year, in addition to group activities that include lesson study, a writing workshop, and inspirational talks by our CS Practitioner and Nurse, participants have the opportunity to do the ropes course, go sea kayaking, or try their hand at dried-flower bouquet making with a local florist.
Boys’ Camp starts off with a bit of rain but everyone is so excited to be at camp that they hardly notice. Once the weather clears the boys begin rocking the raft at the lake and playing 3-sticks. Tent night includes a costume and fort making party in the extension, sword fighting with pool noodles, and a strength and conditioning session with the oldest boys (great prep for the out trip!). The first week is full of camp games, hikes, team building, skills rotation, Wednesday testimony meeting, an epic fort in the woods, and a trip to the beach. For the out trip, the Senior Boys head up to Elfin Lakes, hiking the majority of the trail in the snow. Though the snow makes for a slippery trip from time to time, it provides beautiful scenery and countless games and fun once at the top. A white water rafting adventure in Squamish after the out trip turns out to be a highlight! Meanwhile, the Junior boys peak Mt. Gardner on Bowen and have the opportunity to try rappelling. When the Junior boys return to camp, they enjoy disc golf at the Bowen course and a slip and slide from the dock into the lake! The session closes with more games and the ever-popular trip to the cove.
Boys Skills Week follows with a challenging and fun start at the ropes course followed by a game on the field and stargazing. After practicing surf techniques at the lake, packing the car, and preparing metaphysically, the group is ready to start the journey to Tofino. The stoke is high upon arrival and three days of surfing take place with each day being better than the previous one! Campers also enjoy beachesta (beach siesta), beachritos (beach burritos), sharing testimonies, and a visit to the local aquarium. Once back on Bowen, a trip to Tunstall beach for sailing concludes the session.
Girls’ Camp starts with a wonderful introduction to the low ropes course where fun and creative characters challenge each tent to accomplish a task together. Lake time is a huge hit the entire session with warmer temperatures (both in and out of the water). After the first skills rotation, campers have the opportunity choose a skill to focus on for the remainder of the session. This summer’s offerings include Boating, Camp skills (archery, knots, etc), and Musical Theatre. On skit night, the musical theatre group performs the number “We don’t talk about Bruno” from Encanto – it is so fun! In addition to their area of interest, girls have the opportunity to use the ropes course, go sailing and kayaking at the beach, and do the slip-n-slide as part of cavewoman cookout. For the out trip, the Senior girls head to Elfin Lakes with lots of sunshine and a few patches of snow along the way. Just three weeks after the boys out trip, the alpine lakes are now accessible to do a quick dip in the glacier-melt waters. Post-hike, rafting the Squamish River is also a highlight! Meanwhile, the Junior girls all make it to the top of Mt. Gardner and the older tent also goes rappelling. On Wednesday evening when Seniors return to camp, many share wonderful testimonies of healing and inspiration. A little kayak polo, a trip to the cove, and some more time at the lake round out the final days of an epic girls’ camp session.
Girls Skills Week is an awesome adventure as well! Before heading to Tofino, a brief training session at the lake prepares campers to practice their pop ups! Once in Tofino, everyone enjoys two beautiful days of sunny surfing, meaningful discussions, a trip to the aquarium, and games at the beach! On the way back to Bowen the group takes a much needed stop at Cathedral Grove to enjoy the old growth forest. The journey concludes with some well deserved Timbits!
Our Family Camp sessions this year are very special. Family Camp I is our first ever multilingual family camp program. Spanish, Portuguese, and English speakers alike join in for the fun. On top of the usual favourite activities like lake time and Pirates and Cargo, some highlights include an evening ocean visit to see the bioluminescence, a piñata party, and line dancing! Family Camp II is also a blast and participants enjoy swimming at the lake, the beach, and running around to solve the mystery of who stole the dessert. The youngest campers have a wonderful time on the ropes course, and at the end of the session we all enjoy incredible musical performances from some of our guests. Right after Family Camp II we finally host our long awaited 60th Reunion! Read a full recap of the 60th here.
We close out our overnight CS programs with Men’s Weekend. Twelve participants, many of which have been campers, staff, and directors in previous years, brave this brand new program. Besides playing disc golf, canoeing on Killarney, and challenging each other on the Ropes Course, all participants join together for a pizza making extravaganza, complete with home made dough. On the first weekend of October, a small but mighty crew join us for our Fall Clean-up. We tuck away kayaks, sleeping mattresses, and other equipment in preparation for the winter, finish mowing the Orchard, sort bedding, and enjoy revisiting with camp friends. It is a wonderful way to wrap up a great Summer of healing, inspiration, and gratitude.
Thank you to all of the campers, families, counsellors, cooks, merlins, Christian Science Practitioners, and Christian Science Nurses. We can hardly wait to see you all next Summer!
