As the last full day of Session 3 here at Mercersburg Adventure Camp comes to a close, a sense of fulfillment and happiness seems to be everywhere you look. From the very beginning of the day, when our campers donned their water gear and took to Spider Field to defend their H/T title during Water Wars, all the way to dusk, where everyone gathered at campfire and shared their favorite thing about camp, it’s obvious that within the past 2 weeks, our kids have made friends for life.

Like any fine institution, Mercersburg has their favorite traditions. For Hurricanes vs. Tornadoes Water Wars, the traditions can get a little…sticky. Our campers battled it out over games of Drip Drip Drop, Water Balloon Toss, an an obstacle course that had them spin 5 times, run through a maze, throw a sponge in a bucket, hop through 3 hoops, and then slip’n’slide their way through bright blue vanilla pudding. Not the most graceful of activities, but perhaps the most delicious!

Following their rather slippery & sticky obstacle course, our MAC campers took the cherry-on-top activity of camp: THE WATER SLIDE. To be rocketing down the side of a hill at high speeds, slipping & sliding your way down 30 feet of tarp, is the only way to end the last day of camp. Feeling that wind (and soap!) in your hair can’t compare to any other feeling!

As the sun was setting on Mercersburg’s campus, the kids gathered around the campfire one last time to sing their favorite camp songs, build some healthy Hurricanes vs. Tornadoes rivalry, and share with each other their favorite parts about camp.

I’d have to say that it’s the perfect ending to a perfect session. ‘Till next summer!

At 94 degrees, there really was no cooler place to be today than kayaking on the river. Each camper headed out for their full day great outdoor activity this morning. Whether it be climbing, hiking or horseback riding, there was plenty to keep us busy! It is definitely one of my favorite days at camp. No matter what session, there are always new and exciting adventures in store.

As Week 2 of Session 3 gets fired up, our campers dive headfirst into their second round of Enrichments and Outdoor Activities! It’s never a dull moment at camp, and it goes without saying that campers and counselors alike are having the times of their lives!

The morning was spent jumping from one exciting Enrichment to the next. Some campers headed over to the wild world of chemistry, where they found out what happens when vinegar and baking soda mix (if you don’t know yourself, perhaps you need to find the closest MAC camper and ask!). Blue volcanoes, exploding bottle caps, and tons of smiles were common sights during the morning! Campers also found themselves learning the wonderful art of the slight of hand–the Mystical World of Magic was full of exciting tricks and the sound of several people asking, “Wait, how did you do that?!”

The afternoon was spent in the great outdoors, where our campers picked up their paddles, carabiners, hiking packs, and helmets and made their way out into the wilderness. From kayaking, to canoeing, to rock climbing and wilderness survival skills, our MAC campers will undoubtedly be extremely well-versed in the great outdoors by the time they leave Mercersburg. Let’s be honest–who wouldn’t want to spend the day on the water since the heat wave finally broke? Our campers navigated the waters at Cowan’s Gap today with ease and eager smiles. Luckily for them, their counselors make learning easy–any passerby could hear laughter echoing from across the lake, and it was undoubtedly coming from our MAC campers!

Tonight was the ever-popular competition of Capture the Counselor. Unfortunately for our campers, MAC counselors are very well-trained in the art of hiding. Dumpsters, trash cans, high oak trees, the underbellies of cars, and anywhere in between, you just might find a counselor! You can hear the yells echoing across the valley as we type–only time will tell who the winner is!

Today we welcomed our Discovery Campers! We’re so excited to have them with us for this whole week. There are so many fun activities in store for them.

MAC campers are keeping busy as usual! We hit a bit of rainy weather today but that certainly didn’t stand in our way.  Campers had a chance to climb, learn to pitch tents and hit the pool in their Great Outdoors. Never a dull moment!

Today MACsters we given a treat….two extra hours to sleep in! Around here that’s a big deal considering each day is jammed packed with activities. And although they woke up two hours later than usual, today was filled with plenty of activities.

After a late breakfast the campers took care of some duties in the cabin’s like cleaning and laundry. When the finished up with that there were plenty of board games and nailpolish (for the girls). And after lunch the campers went to their enrichment classes to do all sort of activities like tie-dying, music making, and rocket launching! That’s right, the Physics Fun class made model rockets over the last two classes. With a great success (some greater than others(a few were captured by trees on the way down)) they flew to hundreds of feet! Many oohs and ahhs!

Tonight is Camp Out night! Our brave campers will be roughing it tonight by sleeping out in the tents! But before they headed to bed the got to go to the astronomy shed to check out the stars through one of the powerful telescopes! Star gazing is particularly good here at Mercersburg since there aren’t any large cities around.

Also, a newly introduced feature (unfortunately we didn’t have the time before this session) is our Featured Campers of the Week! Around the end of each week, we pick one or two campers to highlight on the website with photos. This weeks it’s twins, Gavin and Garrick who just celebrated their birthdays earlier this week!

That’s it for today, and be sure to check out the Flickr site for the rest of todays photos!

Today marked the final Camp Wars of the summer. Our MAC campers, whether they were a mighty Hurricane or a fierce Tornado, took to the battlefield and gave their all!

The morning consisted of CAMP WARS battles, including Ultimate Frisbee, kickball, tug-of-war, and a ferocious game of End Zone, where both teams brought their A-games and played their hearts out. The scorching heat couldn’t keep our kids down, either. Their game faces were on, and they kept hydrated while they defended their title!

After the morning’s intense activities, the score is pretty close. I won’t reveal who’s in the lead just yet–at this point in the games, it could be either team! Let’s just hope that they can keep their morale up & show the other team who’s boss in the week to come!

As a treat for the evening, the MAC campers headed down to watch the Frederick Keys play against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. There’s no doubt that the chorus of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” will be resounding in their heads tonight as they drift off to sleep. Luckily for them, tomorrow’s a sleep-in morning, which means they can have the time of their lives tonight!

A quick update on camp! Todays sunshine provided the perfect weather for our MACsters to head for the Great Outdoors. This time they got to spend a whole day with their activities- rock climbing, canoeing, horseback riding, wilderness skills and others. One of our camera crew was able to tag along with the geocaching group as they searched for buried treasures with handheld GPS units. The JACsters also had an event filled day with many activities including a slip n’ slide and obstacle course!

And of course an ice-cream stop was in order on the way home at the camp’s favorite Maugansville Creamery!

Both the MACsters and JACsters ended the day with a campfire, camp songs and treats! Check out the rest of the photos from today here! (Don’t forget you have to sign into the summer account!)