Mountain Day Camp Blog

Today was such a fabulous day in the meadow (dry and non-rainy is a plus!) The day started with a game of The Sun Shines On and some funky songs: “Princess Pat,” “Head and Shoulders,” and “Boom Chicka Boom.”  

It was nice and sunny in the morning and every group had something mighty fabulous to keep themselves occupied.  Derek, Mallory and Lauren led their groups on a highland adventure along the ridge overlooking the meadow.  The campers were able to climb up some rocks to an incredible view of Gross Reservoir and the gorgeous 14ers. Karin’s group decorated pet rocks and  constructed their kites for some high flying adventures! Aly and her gang made some fantastically crazy sunglasses and they looked very chic and stylish all day wearing their new creations!

All the groups had fun flying their beautiful kites and the wind was perfect for some zooming kites. 

The day ended with The Mining Cat’s delicious gorp and another round of The Sun Shines On.  We ended the day once more with “On Top of Spaghetti” and loaded the bus for the curvy drive back to basecamp!  A fabulous day in the meadow and a nice weekend break just in time to re-energize for a fun-filled week starting Monday!

Today was the last day of camp for juniors in Session E. We began our day singing a song that campers requested, “Peanut Butter Reeses Cup.” Junior leader Karen sang “Princess Pat” and Betsy did her famous “Penguin Song.” The campers then had their choice of what all-camp game they wanted to play, so we played “What time is it, Mr. President?” We then headed inside for last day debriefing. Both groups used “body parts,” foam body parts that each camper used to explain their experience at camp. Some examples were ‘the hand’ for a camper who helped others this week, ‘the eyeball’ for a camper who saw new things, and ‘the foot’ for a camper who enjoyed all the hiking. Both groups also made get-well cards for one of our staff members who hurt his foot last week. 

We hiked along Boulder Creek to the Stream Observatory at the Millennium Hotel. Along the way we saw a really cool, spiky caterpillar, several ants, and rollie pollies. We didn’t see any fish before we ate lunch, probably because they were eating lunch, too. During lunch junior leader Alice told the group stories. After lunch we went back to the bubbles, and guess what?! A finish was done eating his lunch and came to say hello to us. The hike back to Base Camp was a hot one, so when we got back the campers took turns running through our sprinklers to cool off. For story time counselor Betsy brought two really neat books about Native Americans, to follow the week’s theme of American Spirit. 

Our final activity of the day was making pages for “the book:” each camper got two pictures of her/himself and decorated a page that will stay in a memory book of camp. Each camper is now a part of MDC history! For a special treat Tommy sang “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” and “On Top of Spaghetti” with his guitar. We had an amazing week, and hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Heading back up into the canyon after pool partying all yesterday was a much enjoyed return! After unloading our plethora of gear for the day, it was time for an high-energy game of “Ship/Island” and energetic it was! Never have more monkeys and mermaids appeared in Eldo Canyon!  Putting this energy to good use, the vocal chords did their part as we belted the tunes of our good friends “Princess Pat,” “The Fishing Song” and “Little Red Wagon”.  

Transitioning from a motley crew aboard the raging sea into our cabin groups brought about the creation of high-flying kites, of ever-domesticated pet rocks and of course many other fun and wacky adventures. During the morning hours we saw the fishing lines cast and GORP recipes come to life!  With Meadow Day only a day away, our energy and style reflected the need to do it all with no reserves wasted on the future; it was a time to break free.

Throughout the day, each cabin group found themselves constructing what would become their high-flying machine in the meadow tomorrow.  Kites were being born as if we believed they could carry us away.  With the highly regarded duty of decorations the kites began to take on a life of their own.  If you happen to be in the neighborhood tomorrow, shift your gaze to the skies with the hopes of witnessing the spectrum of color bound to paint the clouds.  

As we all prepare now for a day in the meadow, I would like to make a friendly reminder for high shoes and long pants…too much dry grass!  All we have to do now is to drink all the water we can before we begin and then ship out!

Today was pool day for Session E! Our songs this morning were “Down by the Bay,” “Baby Shark,” “the Swimming Song,” and we had a special guest appearance by Tommy, who sung “Little Spaceship.” Our morning games were Ship Island and Sharks and Minnows. Today both groups did a lot of team-building and get-to-know-you activities. The YUBFMs mixed their GORP with different parts of their bodies. The YUBFMs also worked on comfort circles, where they gaged their comfort on different topics like swimming ability and crossing the street by yourself. While the YUBFMs did this, the Seagulls went on an adventure they have been creating: going to the “attic” of Base Camp. The Seagulls also worked on team-building activities like moving a parachute with a stuffed animal, using communication and teamwork. Before we knew it, it was time to go to the pool!

Our walk to the pool was fun; this is a great group of hikers. Upon arriving we all had a sunscreen party and did a swim screen, where the counselors judged the swimming ability of each camper to decide what area of the pool they should stay in. We played with noodles and splashed around, and some campers played with the toys others brought. We took a break from swimming to eat lunch in the shade. Alice the junior leader told the campers a great story while we waited to get back in the pool. We were able to swim for a bit more after lunch, then we began walking back to Base Camp just in time to miss the rain! We finished our day reading stories, eating the YUBFM GORP, and singing songs. Almost everyone’s favorite part of the day was the pool. What a fun day. We look forward to the last day of camp tomorrow.

As to be expected, pool day was a smash hit!  We started the day in the usual fashion with some enthusiastic games and songs at the Mesa Trailhead before the pool opened.  To begin, a fresh and much enjoyed game of “Sit-Down Tag” got the blood flowing and provided everyone with a plethora of high-fives to last throughout the day!  The campers and counselors each got the opportunity to learn more about each other and what they have in common with a fun round of “Commonalities”. After this, it was time to board up again and head on up to the pool!

Arriving at the pool is always enjoyed to the fullest.  Rounding everyone up and establishing our territory next to the river, it was time to get dressed and prepare for the swim screen.  After learning whether or not we could venture into the deep end, it was time to break loose.  The diving board featured acts reminiscent of Olympic ice skaters…however with much more supportive judges and the slide seemed to spit kids out further than ever before.  As if that wasn’t enough, the pool deck was bumping some much needed MJ and Jackson 5 classics to which we had no problem getting down!  With a personal dance party providing the perfect dry-off zone and the slide and board amongst others to get us all wet, we had no choice but to have a great day!

Lunch was spent as one fairly large group that morphed into our cabin groups before it was time to return to the water.  The afternoon was filled with some friendship bracelets and lanyards amongst other crafts the took us all over the pool from sun deck to shade layer.  To day was simply saturated with smiles and they were contagious to boot!

All we can do now is look forward to another day in the canyon!

Everyone was a little groggy this morning, so we started our day singing “Tarzan,” and “Peanut Butter Reeses Cup” to get everyone moving. We played an all camp game of Giants, Wizards, and Elves, where teams had to decide what character to become before they chased the other team across the finish line. This morning we also took cabin group photos; new campers got MDC t-shirts and we posed for both nice and goofy pictures. 

We boarded the famous MDC bus and drove to Mesa Trail Head, just a few minutes down the road from where the canyon campers were having their pool day. We took a small walk to catch bugs. We captured Elder Boxwood Beetles, Lady Bugs, tons of Daddy Long Legs, and a HUGE spider. Bug catching made us hungry, and we ate lunch under a huge tree. After lunch we took a hike to the “DDD” homestead, one of the first houses in the area that was built in 1859! We discussed a bit about the history of Eldorado Canyon and what America was like 150 years ago. There certainly weren’t any video games!

Upon returning to Base Camp we cooled off with a story read by one of our junior leaders, Karen. Some of us chose to play with costumes and board games inside, while the rest of us played with frisbeez and balls outside. Our snack today was a treat; Karen brought in a huge fruit tray for her birthday, and that paired with carrots made a nutritious and delicious snack. After snack we pretended to be explorers, coming to America for the first time. What would you see if you were the first person to come to this land? Each camper drew their ideas with markers and paper. Our day was ended with “Baby Baluga,” “Peace like a River,” and “On top of Spaghetti” as our afternoon songs. Can’t wait for pool day tomorrow!

We started our day singing “The Bear Song,” and “Little Red Wagon.” We played an all group game of “What time is it, Mr. President?” (a spin on “What time is it, Mr. Fox”). Our cabin group activity today was to order GORP: a cooperative activity where campers choose what ingredients to order when their group makes their special GORP. The Seagulls used their thumbs to show their decisions, while the YUBMFs practiced showing different colors on a stop light. We then boarded the bus and headed to Chataqua!

Once we got off the bus we walked over to the Ranger Station. It was unfortunately closed, but we were able to familiarize where we were on the many maps outside the station. We played “Firework Freeze Tag,” where the “president” ran around tagging fireworks, who then had to be unfrozen by their fellow fireworks. This game was followed by lunch, where we all sat altogether. For our hike we chose the McClintoc Trail for all the shade it provided us. At one point we pretended we were explorers who were coming to the area for the first time. Everyone did a great job hiking; we went far! We played a game of sleeping bunnies to cool off before we boarded the bus to head back to Base Camp.  

After the hike we cooled down with story time. Betsy’s group made their GORP, called “Yummy Yum” GORP, which was delicious. Some of us played with frisbeez outside while others played board games inside. Finally, we all talked about the favorite part of our hike and sang our afternoon songs. Tomorrow we head to Mesa Trail Head: it’ll be a hot one!

Believe it or not we are already finished with our first day of session 3… How is the summer flying by so fast?! We had a great day full of sunscreen parties, water drinking contests, creating our group names and cabin codes. We arrived in Eldorado Canyon and started our day off right with a fun game of “Ship Island”, many returning campers remembered this game. We then sang some songs and split into our cabin groups. Each group does about the same thing on the first day, but after planning our day tomorrow, we are all off to do different things! 

The weather couldn’t have been better, and I noticed different groups playing tag, camouflage, debriefing, and I saw everyone making the infamous Mountain Day Camp water-bottles! There are some crazy names this session including the “Cheesy Mountain Lions” and “Transformers” to name a couple. Ask your camper what their group name is! We ended the day with the tradition of singing “On Top of Spaghetti”, a song that signifies the end of our day.

We are looking forward seeing everyone tomorrow for a day full of fun and adventures! Many of the groups are going panning for gold in the river, hopefully someone will be lucky enough to strike it rich!

Today was the first day of camp for our junior campers. This week’s theme is “American Spirit,” for the Fourth of July weekend that is just around the corner. We began our day singing “Fred the Moose,” “Yankie Doodle,” and “The Donut Song.” We then had an orientation to camp, where the counselors and junior leaders familiarized campers with our basic rules, such as Leave No Trace, positive attitudes, and drinking lots of water and wearing sunscreen. Next we played a game of “Ship Island.” After songs, games, and orientation we headed inside to create our group names and cabin group codes. Our cabin groups are Betsy and the Seagulls (younger campers) and Kaela and the Yellow Unicorn Baseball Frog Monkeys, or YUBFM for short (the older campers). Some rules in our group codes included keeping our hands to ourselves, giving only compliments and no put downs, and have fun! Each camper also decorated a cover for their very own water bottle.

Our hike today was to Boulder Creek, East of Boulder High School. We ate our lunches in the shade and discussed our weekends. After lunch we played “Water bottle obstacle course,” where each camper traveled through an obstacle course as they got sprayed with our water bottle to keep cool. We also played “the Sun Shines On…” a game that helped us get to know one another. Our hike back was a hot one, so when we returned to Base Camp we relaxed with story time and played water drinking games. Quiet time was followed with indoor/outdoor play and then snack. We ended our day by creating our own cabin group mascots, talking about our favorite parts of the day, and singing afternoon songs. Everyone had a fun first day and we can’t wait for tomorrow!

It has been an amazing and memorable four weeks for this new program! It was a lovely morning for the last day of session two. We started with some favorite songs and learning some orienteering skills by the big shelter. After that, we drove to a nature platform and enjoyed a few moments of calm, wetland landscape and took some group pictures.

When we returned to our usual, sunny spot, we all made some Popsicle stick picture frames, so that everyone could remember their amazing summer at the park. We made some more Popsicle stick creations and enjoyed the cool breeze off the reservoir. We set up the canopy to eat under and enjoyed talking about our talents and weird dreams.

We started our afternoon making The Mosquito Slapper Time Capsule to be opened next summer. Everyone wrote a note and added cool artifacts for the future campers on MDC to look upon! We wrapped the whole box in yellow tape and signed all our names on it. Next we had play time which rolled into skit practice. The campers’ skit was very funny! Who knew a Drill Sargent could make you laugh so much! The wind started to pick up around then, so we took our last stroll on the shore and the dock.

Parents stopped by for the skits and afternoon songs, and we all enjoyed singing in the wind! Everyone said goodbye right as the sun came out again, and we can’t wait for next summer!