As soon as the buses drove through the gates and down the hill to our eagerly awaiting staff, we knew this summer was going to be amazing! From the time the first camper stepped off the bus, we hit the ground running, starting the day with our traditional pizza lunch before heading out to activities and icebreakers. We ended the 1st day with our traditional opening campfire where our returning Lower Buddies and Rangers helped Marc dig up the story buried in the ground late last August.
The energy and excitement continued into the first full day of activities. It was so wonderful seeing all of the hard courts and fields filled with campers learning new skills and drills and playing their favorite team sports. Our new Outdoor Adventure zip-line and high ropes elements took center stage for the entire first week. To say the additions are a hit is an understatement.
The evening program has been thriving, from the 70s staff Talent Show where the counselors and Group Leaders were able to showcase themselves to all of their campers to Pollapoolooza where Marc, Ryan and the Head Counselors were able to compete in funny challenges such as a human sundae and giant Jenga.
Tournament teams are in full swing with campers competing in soccer, baseball, tennis, softball, and flag football. Trail’s End has hosted two invitational flag football tournaments, one in which the Lower Cavaliers took home 1st and 2nd place, competing against 7 other Wayne County Camps and the other with the 9th grade boys taking home 2nd place. We are excited to see how well the rest of our sports teams will do this summer and how much fun they will have competing against other camps.
Play practices have begun. This summer we will be spotlighting every age group in a Broadway Musical. On the bill for this summer is Legally Blonde, Matilda, Little Shop of Horrors and Beauty and the Beast. We cannot wait to see what Lizzie and the drama team will be able to create with our talented campers.
We ended the week with our traditional Friday night services and Buddies and Rangers 4th of July Show. It was amazing to see the entire camp family on the cookout slope. We gave out our Community Service awards to 13 campers and staff in the Trail’s End community. We love seeing everyone going above and beyond to help someone else in 
camp. Congrats to everyone! The Buddies and Rangers show was a huge success this year, as they were able to perform one of the best 4th of July shows we have seen in years. The night ended with our fireworks, Alma Mater and Taps – what a great finish to an amazing week. The first week at camp has been filled with many little moments that each camper and counselor will truly cherish forever and we can’t wait to see what weeks 2-7 bring. Welcome Home to our Trail’s End family. We are already loving summer 2014. Check out the week 1 highlight video!
Week 1 Highlights from Trail’s End Camp on Vimeo.
Spring is one of the most exciting times of the year for our 1st time campers. By this time, they have started to buy their camp clothes, have had playdates with potential bunkmates and have spent hours talking about the summer of 2014. We have even heard that some campers start off each day by putting another X on a countdown calendar.
a chance to spend the day with our 1st time campers at our Annual Spring Fling. The day was perfect and helped to build the comfort and confidence needed to succeed during their first summer. While the campers were exploring Trail’s End, Marc, Stan and Ryan ran a new parent workshop that answered many of the last minute questions. We then had a Trail’s End barbeque complete with our famous TEC chocolate chip cookies.
Once we finished lunch, it was time to play camp. Campers got a glimpse as to what’s in store for them this summer as they participated in some of our favorite camp activities including flag football, gymnastics, wiffle ball, and basketball. The Gaga pits and Kan Jam courts were open for the first time and needless to say, they are going to be a HUGE hit this summer.
Regardless of the time of year, summer is always just around the corner for all of us in the TEC Office. As soon as the buses roll out of the gates in August, we begin preparing for our next camp adventure. A large part of the preparation is staff recruiting. We review 
hundreds of applications and attend domestic and international staff fairs. We do all of this with one goal in mind: finding the perfect counselors to join our camp family.
f Pennsylvania. We’re excited to continue our search for the best counselors these schools have to offer.
e as a counselor was seeing each and every one of my campers grow up before my eyes and become the people they are today. A lot of my campers are going to be in Varsity this summer, which is crazy! I can remember when Brandon Warren was a Pioneer and now he will be a First Year… time goes so fast. Being the go to person for my campers, giving them advice and working together to solve whatever problems they were having was the part of the job I loved.
I never thought that after 5 years I would be going back to camp, but I’m so happy I am! I know I needed a few more summers at camp before I can say I’ve had my Trail’s End fix, but I’m sure I’ll still be saying that when I’m 50! I have made lifelong friends at camp, with co-counselors and campers. I feel very lucky to be going back this summer and starting my Trail’s End journey all over again!
Cabin Specialist. I can’t wait to see camp in person and experience everything being part of the TEC family has to offer. Although it will be a challenge living in another country, it is very much a challenge I am looking forward to! I am very excited for this fantastic opportunity. Trail’s End looks an exceptional camp. I cannot wait to meet everybody and have the best summer ever! It truly will be a summer of a lifetime for me!
