Camp Kon-O-Kwee

Send Kids to Camp

2011-08-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the support of Howard Hanna and Eat’n Park, the Send Kids to Camp program gives kids from urban neighborhoods a chance to explore & express themselves. These children are faced with the daily stress of living in high-crime neighborhoods with limited access to structured outside play, healthy activities or nutrition. At Kon-O-Kwee, kids find it easy to make new friends, learn about healthy choices & enjoy the great outdoors.

Hangin' Out on the Zip-Line!

Its been an action packed week with the Send Kids to Camp program! The campers have hiked to Eagle's Nest, accomplished the Trail of Courage, zoomed down the Zip-Line, paddled their canoes & kayaks, topped out on the rock wall, splashed in the creek, played Capture the Flag, swam in the pool, taken a night hike, played gaga, gone fishing... And there is still much more to do!

All Aboard the Spencer Express!

Having the opportunity to be a part of this program has been an honor and a privilege; the campers have had so much fun and we have had a blast working with them. A big Kon-O-Kwee Heep-How of thanks to Howard Hanna and Eat N' park for making this week a possibility for these children. May the Great Spirit Be With You.

Keeping Cool at the Pool!

Week Six: Friday

2011-08-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, its hard to believe that the 2011 Summer Camping Season is nearly ended. The Session Three and Week Six campers are just now saying their goodbyes, packing the last of their luggage and saying their final goodbyes to their cabin-mates, village-mates, and staff.

All three Program Zones were open this morning: Juna & Gena visited Moondance while Sena & Fawna visited Windsong and Expa & Lora visited Foxtail; trying out their favorite program areas one more time. Most villages were sure to get one last visit to the pool in during the afternoon while the boys from Sena had their first opportunity to test out the brand new Trone Zone Splashpad Sprayground. They had a blast splashing and slopping around while getting soaked at the Trone Zone.

Its been a terrific summer and on behalf of Camp Kon-O-Kwee I offer our most sincere thanks to the parents and families of all our campers for entrusting us with the care of your sons and daughters. The summer of 2011 marked a lot of changes in program delivery and now, with the summer season almost in the books, I hope that your campers are able to look back on their experience at Kon-O-Kwee filled with memories of Belonging, Accomplishment, Adventure, and Leadership.

May the Great Spirit Be With You.

Week Six: Thursday

2011-08-04T20:58:00.000-07:00

Things were gloomy in the early morning hours, but it quickly turned bright and sunny so all could enjoy their last full day at Kon-O-Kwee!

Program areas were open all day morning with Juna & Gena visiting Windsong (Archery nature Crafts, Soccer, Ga-Ga), Sena & Fawna visiting Foxtail (Air Rifles, Canoeing & Kayaking, Basketball, Fire-building, Creek Stomp, and Blacklight Ga-Ga) and Expa & Lora visiting Moondance (Fishing, Shelter-Building, Climbing Barn & Bouldering Cave, Slingshots, Performing Arts, and Ultimate Frisbee).

Teen Wilderness & the Vagabond campers spent the morning at Camp Spencer and the Trone Zone Splashpad Sprayground and returned to Camp Spencer in the afternoon to have fun on the High Ropes Course, trying out the Commitment Bridge, Heebie Jeebie, Multi-Vine, Islands-In-The-Sky, Lilypads, Burma Bridge, Giant Swing and Leap of Faith.

The campers from Juna, Gena, and Fawna also spent some of their afternoon at the Trone Zone Splashpad (Sena will have their shot tomorrow) and all enjoyed their well-deserved Rest-Hour in addition to plenty of time at the pool... which is the same place that the entire camp gathered this evening for the traditional Candlelight Ceremony. Candlelight is a reflective time, set apart to listen to and appreciate Village messages as everyone prepares to leave Kon-O-Kwee for the session.

There is so much to do tomorrow! Check back soon to find out what the campers were up to on their final day at Kon-O-Kwee.

Week Six: Wednesday

2011-08-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

The skies were gray and we did experience a little "liquid sunshine" at camp today, but no plans or schedules were interrupted by the weather!

The Foxtail Program Zone was visited by Juna & Gena this morning who got to pick from Air-Rifles, Canoeing & Kayaking, Performing Arts, and Fire-Building. After lunch, the seven, eight, and nine year-olds had a Rest-Hour back at their cabins before heading to the pool. The one-weekers spent the rest of the afternoon at the Spencer Playground and the High Ropes Course where they tried out the outdoor climbing walls and flew down the 500' Zip-Line! The mini-weekers packed their bags and left for home this afternoon... their 1/2 week went by so fast! Everyone went back to their village after dinner to get ready for tonight's camp-wide Wild West Hootenanny!

The Juna Outlaws!

Sena & Fawna spent their morning at the Moondance Program Zone, which means the ten & eleven year-olds got to pick from Fishing, Shelter-Building, the indoor Climbing Barn and Bouldering Cave, Slingshots, Street Hockey, and Yoga. Fawna went to the High Ropes Course in the afternoon, in addition to the pool and Rest Hour, where they ascended 40' off the ground to negotiate the Swinging Tires, Sliding Trolley, and Cargo Net before zooming down the 500' Zip-Line. Meanwhile, the Sena one-weekers hopped in the Connoquenessing at the boat docks and took a creek-stomp all the way to the Spencer Bridge while the two-weekers went on a Rain Adventure that included some mud-pit fun and some serious puddle-stomping before heading to the pool and taking a Rest Hour before dinner. The ten and eleven year-olds made quite an entrance to the Wild West Hootenanny during the evening hours.

Cowgirls at the Hootenanny

The twelve year-olds in Expa & Lora spent their morning at the Windsong Program Zone where they selected three activities from Archery, Nature Crafts, Soccer, Ga-Ga, Environmental Adventure, and Disc Golf. The thirteen year olds made it back from their overnight to Moraine State Park with not but a minute to spare before lunchtime. They did get rained on a bit, but their shelter-building skills learned at program areas came in handy as they stayed (mostly) dry. The afternoon was spent at the swimming pool along with a few rounds of Harby-Ball from Expa while Lora choreographed a dance to Bieber's "Baby" for tonight's hootenanny... nice job Lora Ladies!

Who's Ready to Party?

The adventurers from Teen Wilderness and the Vagabond got back back to Kon-O-Kwee safe and sound right around 2:00 p.m. today. They spent the morning organizing and packing personal and group gear and equipment while taking a few moments to say goodbye to their home on the hill for the last eight days. When they got back they took some hot showers, caught up on their mail, and enjoyed the comforts of main camp before making their grand entrance at the Wild West Hootenanny. Yeehaw!

Vagabond Girls

Tomorrow is the last full day of the 2011 Summer Camping Season!? Its hard to believe... check back to hear about all the adventures in store for what is forecasted to be a beautiful day at Kon-O-Kwee.

Week Six: Tuesday

2011-08-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

We had another great day at camp today!

Juna & Gena kept busy this morning at the Moondance Program Zone where they went fishing, built some shelters to stay dry under, practiced their aim at sling shots, and climbed all over the indoor Climbing Barn and Bouldering Cave. After their Rest Hour and some time at the swimming pool, Juna hiked to the mysterious Covered Bridge to splash in the creek (they also picked a bouquet of wildflowers for Aunt Kelsey on the way back) while Gena climbed all the way to the top of Eagle's Nest. Eagle's nest is the premier hike at Kon-O-Kwee, rewarding all those who ascend a spectacular view at the top. After dinner the seven, eight, and nine year-olds had fun with Counselor Switch where they take their time dressing the Gena counselors to look like the Juna counselors (and vice-versa), culminating with a hilarious fashion show at the end.

Hangin' Out at the Climbing Barn

The Windsong Program Zone was visited by the campers from Sena & Fawna today which means they got to visit Archery, Nature-Crafts, Soccer, Ga-Ga, Street Hockey, and Environmental Adventure. The one-weekers from Fawna spent their afternoon working together on the cooperative challenges of the Low Ropes Course while the two-weekers took their hike to Eagle's Nest. Meanwhile, the boys from Sena visited the High Ropes Course and the Climbing Wall (Brandon Fredrick completed the Bouldering Cave Challenge, traversing his way around the entire room without letting his feet touch the ground). On High Ropes these brave campers completed the Swinging Tires, the Sliding Trolley, and the Cargo Net before flying down the Zip-Line! After dinner the Sena & Fawna campers played a huge game of Capture the Flag and had additional time at the pool.

Trust Falls on the Low Ropes Course

Today was all about outdoor excursion for the Explorers from Expa & Lora. The twelve year-olds visited McConnell's Mill State park where they hiked the rugged Kildoo Trail through the heart of the Slippery Rock Gorge, shared a picnic lunch, and went exploring over and under rocks in a natural area littered with house-sized boulders. The thirteen year-olds, in turn, departed for their overnight trip to Moraine State Park where they canoed across Lake Arthur, hiked on the Pleasant Valley Trail, and enjoyed time on the beach. Tonight the thirteen year-olds will explore on a night hike before enjoying fireside S'mores and a starlit night while the twelve year-olds get in more time on the High Ropes Course and enjoy an evening swim.

Juna Warriors!

Teen Wilderness and the Vagabond backpackers enjoyed their last full day in the Laurel Highlands today. Today was special for them because each camper got to select the activities that he or she wanted to go to most (opposed to being part of an assigned activity group) so that each camper could return to the activities they enjoy most. Tonight will stand out in their memory banks for a long time to come as it marks Vedotional Light - a reflective ceremony held on the last night at Deer Valley. Each adirondack and the Vagabond select a speaker to represent their group who shares thoughts, wishes, memories and wisdom before leaving the Wilderness Village and returning to Kon-O-Kwee.

Thanks for reading today's blog entry! Check back tomorrow for more news from Kon-O-Kwee.

Week Six: Monday

2011-08-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

What a spectacular day at Kon-O-Kwee! We had gorgeous weather today and a lot of activity going on all around camp...

Flags!

The seven, eight, and nine year-olds from Juna & Gena visited the Windsong Program Zone today, choosing from Archery, Nature Crafts, Soccer, and Ga-Ga (Israeli Dodgeball) for their morning activities. The mosaic pictures at Nature Crafts look really cool and Sofia made a phenomenal sand dollar out of clay. After lunch, a well-deserved Rest Hour, and some pool time, Juna & Gena spent some time on the Slip N’ Slide and visited Chief Connoquenessing’s Trail of Courage: our storied obstacle course that requires camper to climb, crawl, slide, jump, swing, and balance over, under, around and through many different challenges. The big Juna & Gena event for this evening was the Messy Gauntlet; a hilarious activity that combines a messy food challenge and the Water Gauntlet splash obstacle course.

Street Hockey Action

The ten and eleven year-olds from Sena & Fawna spent their mornings at the Foxtail Program Zone and got to choose from Air Rifles, Canoeing & Kayaking, Basketball, Fire-Building, Creek Stomp, and Black-light Ga-Ga (which is the ultra-popular Ga-Ga played indoors, under black-light, with loud music playing). In addition to Rest Hour, all campers got plenty of pool time in the afternoon. On top of that, the one-weekers from Sena & Fawna did the Low Ropes Course (cooperative challenges) and hiked the Eagles Nest, respectively. Meanwhile, the two-weekers from Sena hiked to nearby Brush Creek where they splashed in the creek and enjoyed a picnic lunch as the Fawna two-weekers went to the Indoor Climbing Barn & Bouldering Cave. After dinner, both villages went back to the pool for some extra swim time, Fawna worked on their village pride by learning some new cheers, and all of Sena & Fawna got ready for the popular Counselor-Switch for their evening activity.

Dinner Time!

Expa & Lora were all over the Moondance program Zone today, choosing from Fishing, Shelter-Building, Slingshots, Climbing Wall, Performing Arts, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, and Knitting. After lunch the twelve year-olds hiked to Eagle’s Nest; an arduous climb to a rock outcropping along the Connoquenessing Ridge that gives observers a spectacular view of all of camp and the surrounding countryside. The thirteen year-olds, meanwhile, visited the High Ropes Course to do the Zip-Line and the Tarzan section of the course, including the Commitment Bridge, Multi-Vine, Heebie-Jeebie, and Charlie Chaplin. Throw in some pool time and a Rest Hour and the Explorers had a pretty active day. After dinner these tireless campers played a big game of Capture the Camper/Capture the Counselor before walking to camp Spencer to be the first Kon-O-Kwee campers ever to use the brand new Trone Zone Splashpad Sprayground... another fantastic way to beat the heat here at camp!

The Trone Zone

Up on Mount Davis, the Vagabond backpackers joined the Teen Wilderness campers after a full day of Whitewater rafting on the Lower Youghiogheney River. At Deer Valley campers age fourteen and fifteen are part of activity groups that go climbing on natural rock, rappelling, canoeing, swimming, and hiking. In addition to all the activity and the natural beauty of Mount Davis, these campers are also very self sufficient; taking turns in meal preparation and clean-up for each meal. The teen campers also take shelter in the adirondacks (“addies”) and bathe in Deer Valley Lake each day.

Fun at the Sprayground!

Be sure to check back tomorrow to stay on top of all the fun and adventure at Camp Kon-O-Kwee!

Week Six: Sunday

2011-07-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

All two-weekers who were out on overnights had a fantastic night under the stars, woke up, and made french toast over the fire for breakfast. Those who were not on overnights had "breakfast in bed" brought right to their cabin... pop-tarts, muffins, apples, oranges, bananas, and orange juice delivered to each cabin on a gorgeous Sunday morning.

After the overnighters had returned to main camp and cleaned up, all villages gathered at the chapel for the biweekly non-denominational service. This session's theme for Chapel was The Wisdom of Chief Connoquenessing where we shared some of our most treasured Native American Legends with the campers.

In the afternoon, Juna, Gena, Sena and Fawna all went to the pool for a few hours of swim time and went on exciting scavenger hunts while the Expa and Lora worked together on the Explorer's Ladder at the High Ropes Course and played Capture the Flag. The Explorers got in their pool time after dinner.

We also greeted a boatload of new campers into camp today! It was great to see so many new 7-11 year-olds arrive into camp. All campers and staff gathered at Council Tree this evening for the Opening Campfire - the only way to properly kick off Wild West Week, Week 6, 2011!

On the Lower Youghiogheny River the Vagabond adventurers made their way through the rapids to the Bruner Run take-out and safely made their way to the top of Mount Davis to join up with the Teen Wilderness Village where they will adventure together for their last two days in the Laurel Highlands.

We're excited to fully get into the swing of Week Six tomorrow! Check back soon to read all about Monday's adventures at Kon-O-Kwee.

Week Five: Saturday

2011-07-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

The two-week campers had a great day at camp today!

The morning's highlight for all villages was the Kon-O-Kwee Water Olympics. Campers of all ages, raced, splashed, relayed, cannon-balled, paddled, and synchro-ed their way to victory. In the afternoon all campers went on various hikes: Juna & Gena to the Giant Sycamore Tree, Sena to Eagles Nest, Fawna to the Wishing Tree, and Explorers went to he Covered Bridge and "hiked" back via the Connoquenessing Creek.

Tonight is another night full of overnight camp-outs for all those who have not done theirs yet... nothing but clear skies are in tonight's forecast; It should be a fantastic night for stargazing! All campers overnighted last night visited all their favorite favorite activities like the Blacklight Ga-Ga and the Trail of Courage.

Up on Mount Davis the Teen Campers enjoyed Beach Day at the Deer Valley Waterfront and the weary travelers on the Vagabond made it to Ohiopyle where they enjoyed swimming and sliding down the natural body-slides, awaiting their day of whitewater rafting tomorrow.

Check the blog again tomorrow - we can't wait to greet all the new campers!

Week Five: Friday

2011-07-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

All Program Zones were up and running this morning, filled with campers from Juna, Gena, Sena, Fawna, Expa & Lora! It was great to see each area around camp buzzing with activity and filled with smiling faces. The swimming pool was, once again, a very popular afternoon spot as was the Trail of Courage Obstacle Course. More thunderstorms swept through Kon-O-Kwee today, but they've come and gone quickly, not derailing anyone's plans.

It came so quick, but today is the day we must say farewell to our one-week campers. We hope that each camper recognizes that camp is more than a place and more than an experience that is set apart from their usual routine. Camp is friends, memories, and a state of mind; An outlook on life that emphasizes and celebrates kids who live their life with a solid sense of Belonging, Accomplishment, Adventure, and Leadership. We'll see you next summer one-weekers!

Some of the two-week cabins used part of their afternoon to prepare for their overnight camping trips where they head into the woods to cook over their fires, experience nature, and sleep under the stars. The remaining two week cabins stayed in camp and had a chance to do some of their most favorite activities as they'll prepare for their overnight tomorrow.

The Vagabond backpackers spent their last full day on the Laurel Highlands Trail today, logging the most miles so far with a twelve-mile day. Meanwhile, Teen Wilderness continued their adventures by exploring the old Fort Hill Mine in the morning, and having their choice between the popular Poetry Hike in afternoon or the rock climbing class in the afternoon. Tonight the Teens get silly with the always popular Lip-Sync Idol.

Week Five: Thursday

2011-07-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

The rain that came pouring down between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. had everyone a bit nervous, but the skies cleared just in time for morning flags and all villages made it to their Program Zones...

Juna and Gena visited Windsong where they chose activities like Archery, Soccer, Ga-Ga, and Nature Crafts. In addition to Pool Time and Rest Hour, the Juna campers had their chance on the 500' Zip Line while the Gena campers stayed cool on the Giant Slip N' Slide. After dinner, Gena enjoyed the traditional Garbage Bag Princess Fashion Show, where participants use garbage bags to make the most fashionable designs. Juna, on the other hand, was on the other side of camp near Killer Hill putting the finishing touches on their Juna Warrior Training. Just before lights out, each village had their own ceremonies to reflect on their time at camp and all they have accomplished, recognizing that the one-weekers are preparing to leave.

Sena and Fawna chose from the activities in Foxtail: Air Rifles, Canoes & Kayaks, Basketball, Fire-Building, Creek Hiking, Performing Arts, and Blacklight Ga-Ga. The two-weekers from Fawna spent the afternoon at Nature Crafts while the two-weekers from Sena made their own wooden boats and raced them down the mighty Connoquenessing. The one-weekers from Fawna made (and played) their own camp version of Apples to Apples while the Sena one-weekers visited the Trail of Courage and hiked to the mysterious Covered Bridge. All Sena and Fawna campers also spent some time at Rest Hour in their cabin and visited the pool just before dinner. In the evening time, the girls from Fawna enjoyed a hilarious Dutch Auction while the boys in Sena played a mean round of Harby Ball. The two-weekers from both Villages enjoyed an evening swim while the one-weekers ended their evening with a reflective ceremony that allows them to focus on all their friends, memories, and accomplishments they've experienced while at camp.

Expa and Lora was all over Moondance today which means they visited Fishing, Shelter-Building, Slingshots, Climbing Wall, Yoga, Volleyball, and Knitting during the morning hours. The afternoon brought the adventures of the Explorers Ladder and the Low Ropes Course. The Explorers Ladder is a 40' ladder that only has six rungs... two parters work together to ascend the ladder while on belay. The Explorers also got in some pool time and a rest hour before dinner. In the evening the twelve and thirteen year-olds had fun doing reverse tie-dye with a bleach solution before getting real silly with always hilarious Counselor Switch Pageant.

We experienced a very powerful thunderstorm during dinner time tonight. Thankfully, everyone arrived to the dining hall early, before the storm hit. Everyone in camp enjoyed their dinner as a camp-wide dance party broke out while the storm raged outside. By 6:30 p.m. the storm cleared and the sun shone all around camp so that evening activities weren't spoiled.

Teen Wilderness and Vagabond continued their adventures in the Laurel Highlands today... Teen visited Cold Springs and took a dip in the frigid bright turquoise waters of the natural spring. They also went on poetry hiked and swam to the island on Deer Valley Lake. Tonight they enjoyed the big talent show where everyone can display their humor and their talents! The Vagabond backpackers continue to get closer and closer to their goal, logging over ten miles today.

Week Five: Wednesday

2011-07-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

What an awesome day!

Gena & Juna spent their morning at Moondance which means they got to choose from Fishing, Shelter Building, Slingshots, as well as the Indoor Climbing Barn and the Bouldering Cave. Chloe caught three fish today, and while Emma didn't catch any, she did help get Malia's fish off the hook. Both villages spent their afternoons on the ropes courses; Juna went to Low Ropes which requires participants to use teamwork, communication, and trust to accomplish the various challenges while Gena visited High Ropes and had their chance to zoom down the 500' Zip Line! In addition to rest hour, the youngest campers got in some quality time at the pool and got all dressed up for the festivities at the Hollywood Party!

Keeping Cool at the Pool!

Windsong was visited by both Sena and Fawna who chose between Archery, Nature Crafts, Soccer, Ga-Ga, Environmental Adventure, and Street Hockey. The projects at crafts looked fantastic - Prism Chimes that shimmer in the sunlight! The Sena one-weekers hiked to Eagle's Nest with Uncle Tim & Kaya in the afternoon while the Fawna one-weekers visited the High Ropes Course, doing the Swinging Tires, Cargo Net, and Sliding Trolley in addition to the Zip Line. The two-weekers from Sena, meanwhile, worked together to complete the challenges on the Low Ropes Course while the two-weekers from Fawna had a blast on the Slip N' Slide. Throw in some pool time, a rest hour, and a huge Hollywood Party... life doesn't get much better!

The Hollywood Party is Just Beginning

Expa and Lora campers rocked Foxtail this morning, visiting Air Rifles, Canoeing & Kayaking, Basketball, Fire-Building, Creek Stomp, and Blacklight Ga-Ga... which is, yep, regular Ga-Ga played indoors under blacklights while loud music is played! In addition to swimming and rest hour, they played the classic get-to-know-you game Red Shoes, set up a big game of Ultimate Frisbee, and made bracelets and picture collages. They made their presence known at the big Hollywood Party as well!

Beautiful Outfits Ladies!

Teen Wilderness got right into their activities today, rappelling and climbing on natural rock at DV Rocks, hiking to Pennsylvania's highest point then ascending the observation tower on Mount Davis, and boating out on Deer Valley Lake. They also got rowdy and had a great time in girls vs. boys movie charades in the Wilderness Pavilion at night. The Vagabond backpackers had their first full day on the trail; logging eight miles, cresting the highest point on the Laurel Highlands Trail, and hiking into the wilderness beyond Seven Springs.

High Ropes Action!

Check back often for more updates on the adventures at Kon-O-Kwee!

Week Five: Tuesday

2011-07-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day! Things were so pleasant around camp all day - perfect for all the activities planned for the day.

Juna and Gena kept busy all morning by picking from the activities in the Foxtail Program Zone: Canoeing & Kayaking, Air Rifles, Basketball, and Fire-Building. Campers can choose a maximum of three of these activities for a morning activity session, today, Rafe and Asa chose Fire-Building for all three hours! The seven, eight, and nine year olds also enjoyed hiked this afternoon: Gena hiked to the mysterious Covered Bridge while Juna climbed to the top of Eagle's Nest, the highest and most difficultly-reached location in all of camp... climbers use fixed cables to ascend the ridge that overlooks all of Camp Kon-O-Kwee. The afternoon was topped off by a refreshing swim at the pool and a much-needed Rest Hour. Juna and Gena kept busy in the evening by playing a fun game of Camo Counselor and enjoying a story told by special guest Uncle Jono, former Juna/Gena Village Director.

Fawna Ladies

The Moondance Program Zone was busy with the campers from Sena and Fawna today. The ten & eleven year olds chose from Fishing, Shelter-Building, Slingshots, Performing Arts, and Volleyball as well as the indoor Climbing Barn & Bouldering Cave. In the afternoon the Fawna one-weekers worked together to complete the cooperative challenges of the Low Ropes Course as the two-weekers went on an adventurous Creek Stomp. Sena, meanwhile, spent their afternoon at the Climbing Walls and on the High Ropes Course where they took on the Swinging Tires, The Sliding Trolley, the Cargo Net and the Zip Line. These villages also squeezed in a Rest Hour and plenty of pool time before playing a massive game of Capture the Camper/Capture the Counselor before Cabin Devotions and Lights Out.

High Ropes Adventures

Expa and Lora had a blast today with their first round of field trips to Moraine and McConnell's Mill State Parks. The twelve year olds went to Moraine where they hiked the Pleasant Valley Trail so they could canoe across Lake Arthur in addition to enjoying lunch on the beach and going for a swim in the lake. The thirteen year-olds, meanwhile, visited McConnell's Mill where they hiked the Kildoo Trail, explored the giant boulders littering the Slippery Rock Gorge, and toured the mill itself. These young adventurers got back to camp in time for dinner and afterwards had a pool party together before gearing up for an explosive cabin vs. cabin Ga-Ga tournament.

We had to say goodbye to our Teen Wilderness and Vagabond campers today. Teen campers set out for our Teen Wilderness Village high atop Mount Davis and situated right next to 120 acre Deer Valley Lake. When they arrived and got settled into their "addys" they gathered enough firewood to prepare their meals for the entire week and toured the surrounding area, getting familiar with their new home. The Vagabond backpackers began their journey in Kooser State Park, setting out on an adventure they'll remember forever. Safe Travels and Happy Adventures to the Vagabond and Teen Wilderness campers.

Week Five: Monday

2011-07-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

We saw weather of all sorts here at camp today... sun, clouds, thunderstorms, showers, wind; We had it all but none of the fun was spoiled, luckily!

Juna & Gena started their day at the Windsong Program Zone, choosing three activities from Ga-Ga (Israeli Dodgeball), Archery, Nature Crafts, and Soccer. After lunch and Rest Hour our seven and eight year-olds got some time at the pool and played charades while staying out of the rain. In the late afternoon these brave campers visited Chief Connoquenessing's Trail of Courage where they jumped, balanced, climbed, swung, and otherwise negotiated the challenges on this popular obstacle course. Juna and Gena wrapped up their day with a hike to the Wishing Tree, where each camper can add a stone to a pile that represents goals they set for themselves while at camp.

Juna Warriors!

The Foxtail Program Zone was busy with campers from Sena & Fawna today. These ten and eleven year-olds got to choose three activities from Air Rifles, Canoes & Kayaks, Basketball, Fire-Building, and Creek Stomp. In addition to Rest Hour and Free Swim, their afternoon was filled with many activities: Sena one-weekers and Fawna two-weekers had time to attempt the cooperative challenges on the low ropes course while the two weekers from Sena visited the Trail of Courage and the Fawna one-weekers hiked to Eagle's Nest where they earned the best view their is of Kon-O-Kwee and the surrounding countryside. These villages brought their day to a close with a giant Sena/Fawna game of Capture the Flag!

Creek Stompin'!

The Explorers from Expa and Lora spent their morning at the Moondance Program Zone, choosing from Fishing, Yoga, Shelter-Building, Knitting, Slingshots, Volleyball, and the Indoor Climbing Barn & Bouldering Cave. In the afternoon the twelve and thirteen year-olds enjoyed Rest Hour and cabin activities like Blacklight Ga-Ga, Mirror-Map Collages, Life Goals/Maps, Creek Stomp, and traditional Ga-Ga. After dinner the Explorers enjoyed their Free Swim (their afternoon time was delayed due to t-storms) and had a big Dutch Auction... a hilarious activity that requires teams to offer the best performance for the required category: Best Original Song, Funniest Joke, etc.

Ultimate Frisbee

The fourteen and fifteen year-olds in Teen Wilderness & the Vagabond backpackers had a full day of preparation and recreation. There was Street Hockey, High Ropes, Climbing Wall, and swimming in addition to planning and preparing for their upcoming trips. The Vagabonds got used to their packs, sporting them about camp, while they measured out and planned their food supplies and personal and group camping gear as the Teen campers participated in a village meeting covering all they'll need to know for their trip to the Wilderness Village at Deer Valley YMCA. The day was also highlighted by the traditional game of Campers vs. Staff Ultimate Frisbee!

Check back tomorrow to read about all the new adventures at Kon-O-Kwee!

Week Five: Sunday

2011-07-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

What a great opening to another exciting week at Kon-O-Kwee! After all campers had arrived we lowered flags to Call to Colors played by Rob Paul, Erick Todd, and Mike Waine on the trombone, trumpet, and alto saxophone, respectively, which was followed by the Sunday evening pasta dinner.

All villages had some time of their own after dinner... Juna & Gena went on a tour of Program Zones and filled out their Fun Forms for their Monday morning activity preferences while Sena & Fawna learned village cheers and played some get-to-know you games. The Explorers in Expa & Lora, together, had some community building time, playing lots of name games and icebreakers. Meanwhile Teen Wilderness & High Adventure got their health checks at the medical center and played basketball & dodgeball on the courts.

Everyone on camp gathered at the Council Tree at 8:30 p.m. for the Opening Campfire. The set list was jam-packed with skits, songs and jokes... some classics like "Pebbles" and "The Juicy Moose" and other newer ones such as "Little Red Caboose" and "The School Bus". Everyone had snack after the campfire and began their first round of devotions, or began preparing for bed.

Its going to be a big day tomorrow! All three Program Zones will be open for business just after breakfast, the pool will be hopping, the High Ropes Course will be buzzing, the birds will be singing, and the sun will be shining. Check in tomorrow to hear about the first full day of Week Five!

Week Four: Friday

2011-07-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

Another session comes to a close... It was great to hear so many thoughtful and humorous candlelight speeches last evening, but it was even better to see the cabins and villages enjoying their last few moments at camp together today.

Program Areas were open this morning for all villages... It was another hot morning, so we took all the precautions we've become accustomed to so that campers could stay as cool as possible. Teen Wilderness and High Adventure spent more time at High Ropes this morning and participated in some reverse tie-dye using bleach to create designs on tee-shirts.

A week-long game, the Super Mario Challenge, culminated at lunchtime today... Cabins that collected enough stars throughout the week at the various challenges got to "Pie" their Village Director with a giant whipped cream pie! And Princess Peach, who was missing all week, kidnapped by the dastardly Bowser, was rescued just in the nick of time! It was hilarious to see our Village Directors with all that whipped cream on their face!

Its hard to believe that Session 2 and Week 4 are over already. We've seen all kinds of weather, we've broken world records (still waiting on the collective grand total of the marshmallow roast), we've had a ton of fun, made new friends, created so many memories, and we did it all together. May the Great Spirit be with You All.

Week Four: Thursday

2011-07-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

Wow! It was another scorcher today! Just like yesterday, everyone tried their best to beat the heat by staying in the shade as much as possible, taking things a bit slower, practicing better-than-usual hydration, and using lots and lots of sunscreen. Campers especially enjoyed the addition of popsicles to the roving hydration cart.

Street Hockey Action!

All campers age 7-13 visited Program Zones during the morning hours while Teen Wilderness and High Adventure visited the High Ropes Course taking on challenges like the Commitment Bridge, Heeby-Jeeby, Multi-Vines, Leap of Faith and Giant Swing.

Roasters Ready!

After lunch everyone got to enjoy plenty of pool time and Slip N' Slide time before gathering at Council Tree to participate in the Guinness World Record attempt at the World's Largest Marshmallow Roast! At 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time we joined our partners at YMCA camps across the USA and collectively had over 10,000 participants roasting marshmallows! The official results are still being tallied, but we expect to report close to 12,000 participants to beat the previous record by a long shot. YMCA Camp Kon-O-Kwee Spencer was able to report 308 participants in todays roast.

The Perfect Shirt to go with that Charred 'Mallow!

The day ended with our traditional Candlelight Ceremony; A reflective time together as a camp to appreciate and recognize our time together, hear the words and thoughts of leaders and peers, and prepare for the closing of the camping session. There were some amazing speeches and thoughts from our camper Candlelight Speakers!

The Candlelight Procession

That's all for today! Check back tomorrow for a quick wrap-up and an update on the World's Largest Marshmallow Roast.

Week Four: Wednesday

2011-07-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

Whew! It was a hot day at camp today! Everyone kept their cool by taking things a bit slower, sticking to the shade, being extra mindful of hydration, wearing lots of sunscreen, and making the most of their time at the pool. Everyone appreciated the addition of the mobile Hydration Cart (driven by Aunt Emily to all the program areas) and everyone really appreciated the air conditioning in Kramer Hall, perfect for taking breaks and cooling down at mealtimes. Tomorrow will be just as hot, so we'll take extra precaution to stay safe.

A Few Superheroes Ball Attendees

Juna & Gena had a great morning at Foxtail, visiting Air Rifles, Canoes & Kayaks, Basketball, and Fire-building. In the afternoon they had a blast at the pool, chilled out during rest hour, and went to the High Ropes Course to climb on the outdoor rock walls and fly through the air on the Zip-Line! We also said goodbye to our Juna and Gena mini-campers today... where did the time go? After dinner, everyone gathered at Kramer Hall for the Superheroes Ball Dance Party!

The First Avenger!

The Moondance Program Zone was visited by Sena & Fawna today: Archery, Knitting, Performing Arts, Volleyball, and Climbing Wall. In addition to their Rest-Hour and the pool, our ten and eleven year olds went on hikes (in the shade),creek stomps, visited High Ropes and took on the 40' challenges, and made boats they later raced in the Connoquenessing. These campers also came to the Superheroes Ball dressed quite spiffily!

Hello Down There!

The thirteen year olds from Expa & Lora got back from their Moraine overnight, safe and sound, just before lunch while the twelve year olds spent their morning playing Ultimate Frisbee, Ga-Ga, Nature Crafts, and Soccer at the Windsong Program Zone. They all got in plenty of afternoon pool time and they did cabin activites such as Disc Golf (Cabin 29), Killer Hill Card Games, Raspberry Picking & Cloud Watching (Cabin 30), Blacklight Ga-Ga (Cabin 31), and built a small village and its townspeople out of wood (Cabin 34). The Girls in Lora choreographed a dance that they performed at the Superheroes Ball!

Council Fire

All our Teens from Teen Wilderness, the Vagabond, and the Kinzua all made it back to Kon-O-Kwee today! Welcome back to all with an extra big Heep-How to the backpackers and the paddlers for successfully completing their 36 mile hike and 107 mile paddle, respectively. It was great to see them back (and showered) at dinner and at the Superheroes Ball!

Just Hanging Around!

Tomorrow will be an ultra-exciting day as we will join YMCA camps from coast to coast in a collective Guinness World Record attempt at the World's Largest Marshmallow Roast... it looks like YMCA Camp Kon-O-Kwee Spencer will be able to pitch in about 330 participants toward the projected 10,000+ grand total. We'll keep you posted to let you know how it goes!

Goodnight Everyone! Stay Cool!

Week Four: Tuesday

2011-07-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic day!

Juna & Gena campers began their day at the Moondance Program Zone and had their choice of three between Fishing, Shelter-Building, Slingshots, and the Indoor Climbing Barn and Bouldering Cave. At lunchtime, the Gena campers performed the dance they learned last night in front of the whole dining hall... What a brave bunch of girls! After a relaxing rest hour and some much needed pool time, Gena went on their hike to Eagles Nest while Juna hiked to the Covered Bridge.... both villages listened to the corresponding stories when they reached their destinations! In the evening all Juna and Gena campers got to participate in the always hilarious Counselor Switch, an activity where the Juna campers do their best to dress the Gena counselors up like the Juna staff and vice versa. Afterwards they hold a big fashion show and crown the winners who will be on display at morning flags tomorrow!

Rob blows his trombone as flags are lowered

After breakfast, Sena and Fawna visited the Windsong Program Zone which includes choosing from Archery, Nature Crafts (they made dreamcatchers today), Ga-Ga, Soccer, Environmental Adventure (a nature scavenger hunt), and Street Hockey. Many Sena campers and Nadia from Fawna helped beat the staff in the Ga-Ga Challenge! In the afternoon the Fawna campers worked together to complete the challenges on the Low Ropes Course (one-weekers) and hiked to Eagles Nest (two weekers). The Sena campers, meanwhile, visited the High Ropes Course, completing the Swinging Tires, the Sliding Trolley, the Cargo Net, then flying down the Zip-Line. They also went to the Climbing Wall to try out our 12 indoor climbing routes. Sena & Fawna both got in some pool time in addition to their Rest Hour before dinner. In the evening both villages got together for the Ugly Counselor Contest where the campers all cover the staff in mud, moss, sticks, leaves, etc. to see which counselor can be voted the Ugliest Counselor on this particular night!

Time for lunch!

The rowdy crew from Expa & Lora had an adventurous day enjoying their field trips to our local state parks. The twelve year olds went to McConnell's Mill State Park where they hike along the Slippery Rock Creek on the Kildoo Trail and went exploring through boulders and caves around the park. They also got a chance today to go inside the old grist mill and turn the turbines. When they got back to Kon-O-Kwee the twelve year olds enjoyed the lasagna dinner, went to the swimming pool and played a cooperative game inspired by Name That Tune. The thirteen year olds, meanwhile, left for their overnight to Moraine State Park... which is often cited as the most memorable experience of the entire two-weeks. While there, they hike the Pleasant Valley Trail, canoe across Lake Arthur, sleep out under the stars, spend a day at the beach, and cook three meals over a fire at their campsite. What a cool day for our twelve and thirteen year olds!

Just getting back from a Creek Stomp!

Teen Wilderness enjoyed their last day at Deer Valley today. Rather than being assigned to their activity groups, each camper was able to select their favorite activities from all they had experienced over the past week. The Vagabond backpackers joined up with Teen for a full day at Deer Valley as well. Their day ended with a ceremony called Vedotional where each Adirondack "addy" group selects a representative to speak and reflect on their time together before returning to Kon-O-Kwee. The Kinzua Paddlers are one day closer to reaching their destination, the take-out near Emlenton. Tonight they spend one last night in the wilds of the Allegheny National Forest, on an island, before paddling down the final stretch tomorrow.

Juna Warriors!

We look forward to welcoming all our teen campers back to Kon-O-Kwee tomorrow!

Week Four: Monday

2011-07-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

The skies were overcast and it was hot and humid most of the day, but no one let that spoil the fun at Kon-O-Kwee!

Our 7, 8, and 9 year olds in Juna & Gena visited the Windsong Program Zone today which means they got to choose, three in any combination, from Archery, Nature Crafts, Soccer, and Ga-Ga (which is Israeli Dodgeball: much safer & more fun than American Dodgeball). In the afternoon they got in some time at the pool and a well-deserved rest hour in addition to splashing around on the Slip N' Slide and visiting Chief Connoquenessing's Trail of Courage. The Trail of Courage is Kon-O-Kwee's classic obstacle course, requiring all comers to climb, jump, balance, swing, zip, and crawl over the many challenges that await them. The Juna and Gena campers kept busy in the evening with inside games like Garbage Bag Princess, Dutch Auction, and Sock Dodgeball.

Swingin' at the Trail of Courage

Sena & Fawna had a big day as well, visiting the Foxtail Program Zone where they chose from Air Rifles, Canoeing & Kayaking, Basketball, Fire-building, Creek Stomp, and Performing Arts. After lunch the Fawna one-weekers hiked to Eagles Nest, the highest and most difficultly reached point in all of camp, while the Sena one-weekers exercised their teamwork and trust to complete the challenges on the Low Ropes Course. The two-weekers from Fawna, meanwhile, spent some time tie-dying t-shirts by the pond as the Sena two-weekers hiked to Brush Creek for some splash time and crayfish & salamander catching. All also has some time at the pool in addition to rest hour during the afternoon hours. Our ten and eleven year old campers also had a blast with their evening activity Extreme Chutch Auction: a crazy hybrid of a Dutch Auction and a Chinese Auction blended with BINGO, Charades, and many other activities arranged in a rotating competition!

Natalie covers some of the finer points of tie-dying

The Moondance Program Zone was filled with Explorers this morning! The twelve and thirteen year olds from Expa & Lora got to choose from Fishing, Shelter-Building, Slingshots, the Indoor Rock Wall & Bouldering Cave, Yoga, Volleyball and Knitting (which, believe it or not, has become a pretty big hit among the boys in Expa). After lunch half of the Explorers hiked to Eagles Nest, an arduous uphill climb to a magnificent rock outcropping where once can observe all of Kon-O-Kwee and the surrounding countryside. The other half of Explorers, at the same time, enjoyed some more challenges on the High Ropes Course, balancing and traversing obstacles situated 40' in the air... what a rush! In the evening the Explorers gathered at Steeb Hall for some crazy contests and dance-offs.

Gena keeping dry on their way to evening activities

High atop Mount Davis, Teen Wilderness had a full day hiking to the observation tower, swimming to the island in the lake, rappelling at DV Rocks, and visiting the ice cream shop in main camp. They also went on the popular poetry hike and cooked their meals over the hearth in the Wilderness Pavilion. The Vagabond backpackers went whitewater rafting on the Lower Youghiogheny, a terrific and memorable end to their journey as they were bussed safely to Deer Valley after the take-out at Bruner Run. Congratulations on a job well dome to our Vagabond adventurers! The Kinzua paddlers also get closer and closer to their goal, making their way down the river and camping on islands... they even saw a bald eagle on the river today!

Flying through the air on the Zip-Line

A thunderstorm rolled into camp just before dinner today... All groups made it to the dining hall safely as we listened to music and enjoyed dinner while the storm passed. By the time dinner ended, only rain-showers remained and all villages were able to proceed to their evening activities no worse for the wear, if maybe a little soggy. Check back tomorrow for more reports from the adventures at Kon-O-Kwee!

Week Four: Sunday

2011-07-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Week Four 2011: Superhero Week! We welcomed so many more campers into the camp community just a few hours ago and can't wait to get the first full day of Week Four started tomorrow.

The crowd cheers with anticipation moments before Opening Campfire begins

Our new campers got camp tours and played-get-to-know-you games in addition to gathering at evening flags (thanks to Sena Counselor Rob for blowing Call to Colors on his trombone) and having a camp favorite for dinner: Chicken Parmesan! At 8:30 the entire camp gathered at Council Tree for Opening Campfire... we saw lots of skits and sang many songs from campers and from staff. It was wonderful to have so many campers brave enough to perform in front of the whole camp!

Some Fawna campers entertain with the Puppy Skit

Back at Deer Valley Teen Wilderness enjoyed Beach Day today, getting to enjoy all that the main camp waterfront has to offer: Swimming, Sand, Volleyball, Ga-Ga, Bocce, Basketball, and oversized chess. The Vagabond backpackers reached Ohiopyle after some serious mileage on the Laurel Highlands Trail and the Kinzua paddlers plough closer and closer to their takeout on the Middle Allegheny Water Trail.

Staff members performing the Furniture Store skit

We're looking forward to a fantastic week here at camp. Check back tomorrow for pictures and reports from the days biggest activities!

Week Three: Saturday

2011-07-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful day for our two-weekers as they geared up for our weekly Water Olympics! Contestants raced, cannon-balled, relayed, synchro-ed, and flopped their way through one of the silliest competitions out there. In the afternoon many cabins swam, hiked, went to high-ropes and played field games.

Some of the two-week cabins went on their overnights last night and woke up this morning to sunshine and french toast cooked right over an open fire. The other two week cabins went on their overnights tonight and listened to a chorus of crickets as they lay under the stars in the forests and fields around camp.

We've got a brand new crew of Week Four campers arriving tomorrow. We can't wait to welcome them to the camp family!

Week Three: Friday

2011-07-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a day! There was a lot of action going on at Kon-O-Kwee today as all villages in camp visited program zones (Moondance, Foxtail & Windsong) in the morning... the entire area around main camp was buzzing with activity.

Later in the afternoon our two-weekers kept busy on the High Ropes Course, at the swimming pool, and with individual cabin activities while the one-weekers began to pack their bags and clean their cabin one last time before saying their goodbyes. We'll miss you Juna, Gena, Sena & Fawna one-weekers!

Many of the two-weekers prepared to go on their overnight campouts tonight, packing all their needs to their campsites, cooking over the open fire and sleeping under a blanket of stars... it certainly is a gorgeous night for sleeping out!

The reports from Deer Valley and the High Adventure trips continue to be filled with good news as well. Funny stories, excellent weather and new experiences are happening every minute!

Week Three: Thursday

2011-07-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

Everyone enjoyed another perfectly sunny and clear day here at Kon-O-Kwee!

Juna & Gena had a blast at Windsong this morning! Our 7, 8, and 9 year old campers kept busy at Archery, Ga-Ga, Nature Crafts, Soccer, and Street Hockey. While at Archery, Thomas, Hayden, and Nya all won the Johnny Appleseed Challenge... successfully shooting an arrow straight through an apple! After a pretty chill rest hour and some fun at the pool, Gena visited Chief Connoquenessing's Trail of Courage, running, jumping, climbing, balancing, zipping and swinging over, under, around and through all the obstacles that so many Kon-O-Kwee campers have completed for so many years. Juna had their chance on the High Ropes Course this afternoon, tearing up the outdoor rock walls and the Zip-Line before spending some time at the Spencer Playground. After dinner the Gena campers had a reflective ceremony called Gena-light and the Juna campers completed their Juna Warrior Training consisting of some super-secret obstacles scared to the Juna tradition. The picture below captures the moment all Juna Warriors completed their training!

Sena & Fawna spent their morning at Foxtail, choosing from Air Rifles, Canoes & Kayaks, Basketball, Fire-Building, Creek Stomp, Performing Arts, and Blacklight Ga-Ga. In the afternoon the Sena campers enjoyed some cabin activity time where they played Street Hockey, more Black Light Ga-Ga and had a Pirate Treasure Hunt! The Fawna one-weekers, meanwhile, hiked all the way to Eagle's Nest while the Fawna two-weekers had their time on the Trail of Courage. Later in the afternoon the Sena two-weekers had their Eagle's Nest hike as the Sena one-weekers hit the Trail of Courage. In the evening there was a big Sena/Fawna Pool Party and later the one-weekers had their own reflective closing cermonies, Fawna-Light and the Sena Bead Ceremony.

Today, Expa & Lora went to Moondance where they could go to Fishing, Shelter-Building, Knitting (which the boys are really getting into!), Yoga (led by Uncle Adam), Slingshots (Madeline hit the uber-difficult pink target), and the Indoor Climbing Barn & Bouldering Cave. The report from shelter building was that all shelters were perfect after undergoing the garden hose test! In the afternoon 1/2 of the Explorers went to the Low Ropes Course where they used teamwork and trust to rock the Spider Web, Wall, Lava Blocks, All-Aboard, Trust Fall, and the Wall. The other half took on the challenge of the Explorers Ladder where two campers use teamwork to to ascend a 40' ladder that only has 6 rungs! later in the afternoon all Explorers went to the pool and then had rest hour before learning Aunt Brie's Pirate Song. After dinner they wrapped up their day by playing an epic game of Cabin vs. Cabin Capture the Flag.

Teen Wilderness continues to up the adventure ante in Somerset County climbing and rappelling on natural rock faces at DV Rocks and hiking to Cold Springs, a frigid and bubbling natural pool with bright turquoise water. The Vagabond backpackers, meanwhile, get closer and closer to their goal as do the Kinzua paddlers who completed their first full day on the Northern Section of the Middle Allegheny Water Trail.

It was another great day at Kon-O-Kwee! Check back soon to read about tomorrow's adventures!

Week Three: Wednesday

2011-07-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous day here at Kon-O-Kwee! The day started with cloudy skies and light rain but things improved quickly and everyone enjoyed bluebird skies, sunshine, and low humidity... a welcome change!

This morning Juna & Gena visited the Moondance Program Zone; Choosing from Fishing, Shelter Building, the Indoor Climbing Barn & Bouldering Cave, and Slingshots where Nya hit the extremely difficult pink target! In addition to some time at the pool and a relaxing rest hour, Juna spent the afternoon working together in cabin teams to complete the challenges on the Low Ropes Course using communication, trust and teamwork to work toward success. Gena, in turn, visited the High Ropes Course to climb on the outdoor walls and fly through the air down the 500 foot Zip-Line! The day culminated with one of the highlights of the entire week - the Pirate-Themed PARTY! Lots of Juna & Gena campers showed up at Kramer Hall in full pirate garb to dance, run around, play Ga-Ga, Volleyball, sing and have plenty of snacks.

The Windsong Program Zone was visited by Sena & Fawna today. All ten and eleven year old campers took their pick from Archery, Nature Crafts, Environmental Adventure, Soccer, Ga-Ga, and Street Hockey. Environmental Adventure was especially exciting as a small group of adventurers went trailblazing and learned about native, non-native and invasive plant species while discovering new areas of camp. The Fawna one-weekers had their chance at high ropes, trying out the Zip-Line as well as the Tire Swing, Cargo Net, and Sliding Trolley while the Sena one-weekers hiked to Eagle's Nest, the highest and most difficultly reached point on all of camp, providing a most amazing view! Meanwhile, the two-weekers from Fawna kept cool on the giant Slip N' Slide while the two-weekers from Sena played some intense rounds of Wilderness Dodgeball. All ended their day with the Pirate PARTY as well!

Expa & Lora started off their day at the Foxtail Program Zone and had their pick from Air Rifles, Canoes & Kayaks, Basketball, Fire-building, Creek Stomp, Performing Arts, Disc Golf, and, making its 2011 Summer Debut, Blacklight Ga-Ga... the camp favorite played indoors under a blacklight with techno and dubstep playing loud... its a hit! Explorers also did some reverse tie-dye and played a huge game of Ultimate Frisbee in addition to some time at the pool and rest-hour before heading to the Pirate PARTY!

In their first full day at Deer Valley, Teen Wilderness wasted no time getting to the adventures with a hike to the observation tower atop Mount Davis and getting in some paddle time on Deer Valley Lake. Meanwhile the Vagabond Hikers logged some serious trail miles and broke camp for the evening right around 3:00 p.m. Additionally, the Kinzua paddlers set off on their voyage today, shoving off around 1:30 p.m. for their 107 mile canoe trip. Safe travels to our teenage adventurers!

It was one fantastic day at camp today... be sure to check tomorrows post for pictures from the Pirate PARTY!

Week Three: Tuesday

2011-07-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

It was another great day in camp today despite the heat and humidity!

The Foxtail Program Zone was occupied by both Juna & Gena this morning. Our 7, 8, & 9 year old campers kept a steady eye at Air Rifles, practiced their paddling strokes at Canoes & Kayaks, learned and practiced different methods of Fire-Building, and had a blast at Basketball. While at Basketball Andre taught a new game that everyone loved he calls "Excuses" and Warner claimed his spot as the undisputed "Knockout" king. In the afternoon, after a well-deserved rest hour and Free Swim, the Juna campers hiked to Eagles Nest, the highest point in all of camp, to observe the countryside and hear the Legend of the Great Eagle. The Gena campers hiked to the mysterious Covered Bridge and spent some time splashing in the creek while there. After dinner both Juna & Gena participated in the Camo Counselor evening activity... dressing counselors up in sticks, mud, moss and leaves then hiding them before looking for the other teams' counselors. By the time the sun went down these young campers were tuckered out!

Sena & Fawna visited the Moondance Program Zone today, choosing from Yoga, Fishing, Shelter-Building, and the Climbing Wall. Many campers were able to ring the bell at the top of our highest climbing routes and over 20 fish were caught at the pond today! Way to go Sena and Fawna! After lunch, our 10 & 11 year olds enjoyed some quiet time during Rest-Hour and cooled off at the pool before beginning their afternoon activities. Today the Fawna one-weekers and the Sena two-weekers completed some of the teamwork challenges on the Low- Ropes Course while the Fawna two-weekers had a blast on a Creek Hike and the Sena one-weekers visited the High Ropes Course where they climbed our Outdoor Rock Walls, completed the Swinging Tires, Sliding Trolley, Cargo Net and finally, everyone's favorite, the Zip Line. For the evening activity Sena and Fawna joined forces and played a giant game of Capture the Camper/Counselor, an all time favorite camper vs. staff field game.

Today marked the first round of field trips for Expa & Lora. The twelve year olds visited Moraine State Park, spending half their time paddling across Lake Arthur and half their time hiking the peninsulas and inlets that surround the lake. The thirteen year olds went to McConnell's Mill State Park, completing the entire Kildoo Trail, exploring the house-sized boulders at the rock climbing area and touring the mill itself all in the stunning backdrop of the Slippery Rock Gorge. When these campers returned, tired and dirty, they enjoyed the ravioli dinner in the Kramer Hall and spent some time swimming at the pool before gearing up for tonight's huge Explorer Ga-Ga Tournament. For those wondering what Ga-Ga is, it had nothing to do with Lady Gaga. Its Israeli Dodgeball, a form of dodgeball played below the knees with an open-hand slap rather than a throw... it's addictive, inclusive, fast paced, and totally awesome!

The Teen Wilderness Village departed right on schedule for Deer Valley and stopped at Kooser State Park for lunch on the way. Once they arrived they were given a tour of the area, selected their Adirondacks and were given an orientation on life at Wilderness before gathering enough firewood to cook on for their entire stay. The first day at Wilderness also includes a walk around the entire lake as all participants get used to their new digs and life on Pennsylvania's highest point.

The Vagabond backpacking trip also departed for their trip; beginning at Kooser State Park and embarking on their long journey. Still here at Kon-O-Kwee, the Kinzua paddlers practiced their technique for one more day while packing their gear and sorting their food for the epic adventure they're about to begin.

Check back tomorrow folks, there will be plenty more adventures to share!

Week Three: Monday

2011-07-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

Whew! It was a scorcher today at Kon-O-Kwee, but all found ways to stay cool and beat the heat.

Juna & Gena visited the Windsong Program Zone this morning, enjoying Archery, Ga-Ga, Soccer, and Nature Crafts where they made pirate hats and eye patches in celebration of Pirate Week... Aaarrrgghhh! Both villages stopped by the pool for some Free Swim in the afternoon before splitting up so Gena could keep cool on the Slip N' Slide and Juna could enjoy the challenges of Chief Connoquenessing's Trail of Courage obstacle course. We had a brief period of thunderstorms in the afternoon when Gena had Dance Time with Aunt Kelsey and Juna played Sock Dodgeball in Wherritt Lodge. Both villages participated in the big Chutch Auction for their evening activity... A wacky hybrid between a Dutch Auction and a Chinese Auction.

This morning the Foxtail Program Zone received visits from Sena & Fawna. These 10 & 11 year old campers took their pick between Air Rifles, Canoes & Kayaks, Basketball, Fire-Building, Creek Stomp, and Performing Arts. In the afternoon Fawna took on the adventures of the Trail of Courage and visited the swimming pool while Sena one-weekers worked in cabin teams to complete the challenges of the Low-Ropes course before stopping by the pool. The Sena two-weekers, Cabin 35 and Cabin 36, went on a hike to see Kon-O-Kwee's legendary Sycamore Tree and on a Creek Hike, respectively, before visiting the pool themselves. Fawna & Sena also enjoyed a wacky Chutch Auction for their evening activity before cleaning up for Lights Out.

Expa & Lora had blast at the Moondance Program Zone today. They rocked the Climbing Wall, built storm proof shelters, caught so many fish, learned how to knit, loosened up with some Yoga, and practiced different methods for fire-building. The afternoon brought on individual cabin activities... some cabins participated in Ga-Ga and Air Rifles while others choreographed dances and made life-lists. All the Explorers gathered together for Free Swim and helped all of them cool down in the extreme heat. After dinner, all Explorers participated in a Dutch Auction which involves teams providing the best example in a given category, such as best dance move, funniest joke, best animal impression, etc. It was a bombtastic day in the Explorer villages!

Mondays of the first week in a session is all about preparation for the Teen Wilderness Village. These senior-most campers head out for their eight day trip to Deer Valley tomorrow morning. Today they spent time, playing, packing, swimming, High-Roping and having meetings about their upcoming trip to the Teen Wilderness Village at Deer Valley YMCA Camp... a rustic arrangement of Adirondack-style shelters and a large picnic pavilion situated alongside 120 acre Deer Valley Lake, high atop Mount Davis, Pennsylvania's highest point. There will be plenty to report from this group over the next eight days.

Also focused on preparation today was the High Adventure Village. Two trips, both at maximum capacity, the Vagabond backpackers and the Kinzua paddlers, comprise this adventurous village. On top of playing Ultimate Frisbee, swimming, and playing street hockey, the Vagabond campers sorted and organized their trail food and tested their pack-weight, marching all over camp with their fully loaded packs. Additionally, the Kizua campers spent some time practicing shallow water rescues and T-saves in the swimming pool with their canoes. Both trip-groups also got some time in on the High Ropes Course, learning more about one another all along the way.

It was a great day here at camp... we can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!

Week Three: Sunday

2011-07-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

Wow... What a terrific opening day of Session B and Week 3 here at Kon-O-Kwee! We greeted over 250 campers today and a few of our villages are at capacity.

After everyone had arrived, all villages gathered at the Kramer Patio to bring down the flags as Rob Paul and Erick Todd played Call to Colors on their brass. All 350 Kon-O-Kwee citizens gathered for a pasta dinner where they had to turn in their program area preference sheets for Monday: a 1st Choice/2nd choice form that each camper fills out so that s/he can visit the activities in which they are most interested.

Following dinner, each village spent some time playing get-to-know-you games and getting basic health checks from the doctors in the Medical Center. At 8:30 the entire camp community gathered at Council Tree for the Week 3 Opening Campfire, enjoying songs and skits from the staff and a brave Fawna Cabin #11 who entertained everyone with the Invisible Bench skit.

Evening snack followed Opening Campfire and the younger villages began cleaning up and getting ready for bed while the older villages continued to spend time getting to know their cabin and village mates.

It truly was a fantastic opening day... Hopefully everyone gets a good nights rest for the first full day of camp!

Week Two: Friday

2011-07-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

The last of our Session A and Week Two campers are being picked up at this very moment. Its certainly sad to see them go, but we know we'll see them next summer... and a few of them later on this summer!

Passing thunderstorms and light showers popped up this morning but didn't put too much of a damper on things... villages played inside games around camp like Dockey-Ball, Sock Dodgeball, FFEACH, and Dutch Auction. Things cleared up after lunch and camp was buzzing with kids at the Pool, Street Hockey Court, Ga-Ga Pit and Nature Crafts before everyone started to get serious about packing up their things, cleaning their cabin one last time, and saying their proper goodbyes to new friends, old friends, cabin-mates, village neighbors, CITs and Counselors.

Leaving camp, whether it's for the first time or the ninth time, can be a confusing time... We hope each camper leaves with excitement in talking about their friends and their adventures, we hope each camper talks everyones ear off the entire car ride home, and, of course, we hope that each camper wants to come back next summer... a sure sign that we've delivered a quality camp experience. It's not a goodbye, just more of a "We'll see you later!"

Now it's time for the staff to rest and do their laundry... We greet 250 new

campers on Sunday!

Week Two: Thursday

2011-07-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

Thursday was yet another day filled with fun, friends and beautiful weather!

All of the Juna & Gena campers signed up for the same Moondance activities: Fishing, Fire-Building, and the Rock Wall! They had a blast keeping together to share in all their activities as a group and Marni caught 4 fish! After lunch and Rest Hour these campers visited the pool for some Free Swim, the low ropes course, and spent some time on the Spencer Playground. Asa Silver & Katie Slaymaker were selected as the Session A Candlelight Speakers, representing their villages and writing speeches that reflect on their time at camp.

This morning Sena & Fawna chose to go to Archery, Nature Crafts, Ga-Ga and Street Hockey in the Windsong Program Zone. Fawna Also hiked to Eagle's Nest while Sena took on the Trail of Courage and an additional round of dodgeball (back by popular request). These two Villages cooled off at the pool before celebrating Kendall's birthday at dinner and preparing for the Candlelight Ceremony. They're sad the session is coming to a close, but still squeezing in as much fun as possible!

Expa & Lora, after a fun-filled morning at the Foxtail Program Zone, participated in the Explorer Challenge. This huge competition consists of Archery (hit the red), Air-Rifles (5 cans), Fishing (3 fish), Fire-Building (start one), Village Director hunting (find their favorite state) along with a multitude of other challenges, riddles, and tasks. Teams earned points for each task they completed and finished the event with a giant relay race in the swimming pool, splash contest, and belly-flop contest (won by Sam Marzula). After dinner these awesome kids rested and prepared for Candlelight.

It was great to have Teen Wilderness & High Adventure back in camp for a full day! Our eldest campers spent plenty of time at the pool, did some reverse tie-dye and enjoyed all their favorite Kon-O-Kwee activities before preparing to cap their two weeks of camp with a great Candlelight ceremony.

It's hard to believe that first session is almost over! No need to fret though... all villages are primed for a full schedule of activities for Friday morning!

Week Two: Wednesday

2011-07-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

Today was one to remember! We had yet another day of beautiful weather and lots of activity all around.

Juna & Gena campers spent their mornings at the Foxtail Program Zone and Juna Warrior Brian won an intense game of Knockout at basketball. In the afternoon these brave campers had an awesome time on the Zip-Line and climbing 40 feet in the air on the outdoor rock walls. It was amazing to have such courage and bravery displayed by our youngest campers! Things became kind of sad later in the afternoon because we had to say goodbye to our mini-campers. They had a great time and we'll miss them, but we know that we'll see them again next summer. After dinner everything picked right back up again because it was time for the Patriotic Party!

The Moondance Program Zone was filled Sena & Fawna campers all morning long. Our 10 & 11 year old campers used their time to go Fishing (May caught 12 fish!), Shelter Building, Sling-Shots (Sara & Kendall won the Blue Cap Challenge), the Climbing Barn, Bouldering Cave, and Ultimate Frisbee. After lunch the ladies from Fawna did the Zip-Line and the continuous circuit on the High Ropes Course... How cool to have 100% participation from Fawna on High Ropes! Sena spent their afternoon with the two-weekers playing Wilderness Dodgeball and the one-weekers ascending the Connoquenessing Ridge to Eagle's Nest to gain the best view of Camp Kon-O-Kwee. Just before dinner both Fawna and Sena joined forces for a well-deserved late afternoon swim. After dinner both Villages went back to their cabins to prepare for the Patriotic Party... one of the biggest events of the entire summer!

What an adventurous day the Expa & Lora campers had! The thirteen year olds awoke in their sleeping bags deep within Moraine State Park as half the campers canoed across Lake Arthur while the other half hiked the Pleasant Valley Hiking Trail. The twelve year old Explorers spent their morning hiking to Brush Creek where they went creek stomping and caught crayfish. All had time to shower upon their return to main camp (yay!). After a morning of such activity the Explorers enjoyed a relaxing afternoon swimming and making the Explorer bracelets. Like all Villages, they made quite an impact at the Patriotic Party!

Perhaps the most exciting thing that happened at camp today was the arrival of Teen Wilderness & High Adventure back here at Kon-O-Kwee! Their departure was delayed a bit, but they were none the worse for wear as they made their presence known in a big way at dinner time. It's nice to have them back at camp!

Week Two: Tuesday

2011-07-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a day at camp! The beautiful weather continues to bless us, keeping all the plans and schedules rolling right along.

This morning the Windsong Program Zone was visited by the campers from the Juna & Gena Villages... Congratulations to Asa for winning the Johnny Appleseed Challenge (shooting an arrow straight through an apple) and an honorable mention to Sean for getting super-close to winning! In the afternoon, in addition to some Free Swim time and Rest Hour, the Juna Warriors hiked to the mysterious covered bridge and played in the creek a bit while the Gena Butterflies hiked up to the top of Eagles Nest to hear the tale of the Great Eagle and observe the fantastic view. Tonight, both Villages enjoyed a hilarious counselor switch; seeing the male counselors trade places with the female counselors and vice versa. It was one BIG day for these little campers!

Sena & Fawna visited the Foxtail Program Zone today, each campers had a chance to choose from Canoeing & Kayaking, Creek Stomp, Fire-Building, Performing Arts, Air Rifles & Basketball. After a wonderful lunch (cheeseburgers, tator-tots, watermelon and ice-cream sandwiches), the Fawna campers hiked to the Covered Bridge and splashed around in the creek before going swimming at the pool. The Sena campers spent the afternoon in the air, testing their nerves, courage and sense of adventure on the high Ropes Course and in the Climbing Barn. After dinner Sena and Fawna played a rousing game of Capture the Flag before heading back to the pool for an evening swim.

Today was a big day of trips for our Expa & Lora campers! The 12 year olds spent the day at McConnell's Mill State Park; they completed the Kildoo Trail and explored a rock climbing area littered with giant boulders and humongous hemlocks situated along the Slippery Rock Creek. Meanwhile, the 13 year olds set sail for their overnight trip to Moraine State Park for hiking, canoeing across Lake Arthur, beach-bumming, and night-hiking. Back at Kon-O-Kwee the 12 year olds set off on an epic scavenger hunt and had a pool party before winding down for the night.

On top of Mount Davis, our Teen Wilderness & High Adventure campers enjoyed their final day at Deer Valley before preparing for the journey back to Kon-O-Kwee. We're certain they had a blast on their trips and all the campers will remember tonight's reflective and contemplative program: Vedotional. It will be great to see Kon-O-Kwee's elder adventurers back in camp tomorrow!

Week Two: Monday

2011-07-04T16:46:00.000-07:00

Happy July 4th Everyone!

What a great day to be at camp - it was amazing to see so many crazy campers and kooky counselors wearing their red, white and blue all over camp today.

The Gena and Juna campers had a fabulous start to Patriotic Week here at Kon-O-Kwee. Both villages visited the Moondance Program Zones which include fishing, shelter building, the climbing wall, and slingshots! Hannah not only caught her first fish ever, but also caught two more after that! In the afternoon the Gena Butterflies and Juna Warriors had afantastic time at the slip n' slide (probably because they got to throw freezing cold water on their counselors and their Village Director!). After that they all went to the Trail of Courage, an obstacle course used many moons ago by the Kon-O-Kweenesson tribe. In the evening these awesome campers hiked to the Wishing Tree to set personal goals for their time at camp.

This morning Fawna & Sena enjoyed their adventures at the Winsong Program Zone which includes Archery, Nature Crafts, GaGa (Israeli Dodgeball), Street Hockey, Soccer, and Environmental Adventure. the campers who chose to go on the Environmental Adventure completed the scavenger hunt with plenty of time to spare (a very admirable accomplishment) while Thaddeus and Jonah from Sena both became the first Sena campers ever to win the Johnny Appleseed Challenge at Archery; shooting an arrow straight through an apple! Today, campers also learned a new varition of GaGa: Zombie GaGa! The Sena one weekers did an awesome job on the low ropes course today while the Sena two-weekers went on an amazing adventure to Brush Creek where they had a picnic lunch! The ladies from Fawna spent some time tie-dying and also flew some kites that they made: awesome stuff. These two villages rounded out their day by celebrating the 4th of July at the Fawna/Sena Beach Party at the pool, complete with water baloons, the limbo, and much more.

Expa and Lora spent their mornings at the Foxtail Program Zone: Canoes & Kayaks, Air Rifles, Basketball, Fire-Building, and Creek Stomp! After lunch the 12 year olds hiked to Eagle's Nest to gain a bird's eye view of Camp Kon-O-Kwee and the beautiful countryside that surrounds while the 13 year olds dropped red, white and blue paint bombs off the Zip-Line to make a huge patriotic splatter-paint collage. Tonight the Explorers will reverse tie-dye some of their duds and participate in the big Counselor-Switch.

Our Teen Wilderness Village, far off in Somerset County, continues to have a blast paddling, hiking climbing and swimming in some of the most pristine wilderness Pennsylvania has to offer. We've received nothing but positive reports and good vibrations from teen: talk of great weather, poetry hikes, and some stupendous memories from the mountains. Additionally our High Adventure Village, the Vagabond Backpackers, are right on schedule, spending the last few days in Ohiopyle, PA and enjoying the comforts of Deer Valley - Way to go Vagabond! That's some awesome hiking!

Again, Happy Independence Day to all: We're going to wrap up the day back here at Kon-O-Kwee with a fireworks display to remember!

Week Two: Sunday

2011-07-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Week Two!

Week Two campers have arrived, have met all the Session A campers, and are now fully immersed in the Kon-O-Kwee experience. It was great to see new faces arrive in camp, ready to celebrate Independence Day here at Kon-O-Kwee.

The Expa Village is sponsoring the festivities for Patriotic Week, planning all the extra games and activities, decorating camp, proving the music for lunchtime shenanigans, etc. We can't wait to see what they have in store for us tomorrow!

Session A campers got a chance to sleep in today, having breakfast in bed delivered right to their cabin: An assortment of muffins, pop-tarts, oranges, apples, and orange juice! After Chapel & lunch all the campers had a great pool party before preparing to greet all the new arrivals in camp.

Week two campers spent the evening playing some get-to-know-you games before gathering at Council Tree where the whole camp celebrated the Sunday Night Campfire with a variety of songs and skits. This was just the beginning... Week Two here we come!

Week One: Saturday

2011-07-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, our two-weekers started off an exciting day with the Kon-O-Kwee Water Olympics - a stupendous event for all villages and all ages filled with speed contests, splash contests, balance contests, accuracy contests and more - the whole camp showed up to have some fun in the pool before lunchtime.

After lunch there was more free swim, some Trail of Courage and some preparation for the big Overnight - various cabins slept out under the stars, cooked pizza mountain pies over the fire for dinner, s'mores for a snack and french toast the next morning for breakfast! The skies were a little to overcast for any quality stargazing, but the summer fireflies put on quite a display!

Week One: Friday

2011-07-02T00:51:00.000-07:00

Wow... We've really lucked out with the weather this week! Yet another super sunny day, warm, but not too humid, and cool at night - perfect camp weather!

It was great to see all the one-weekers running around camp with their tokens of their experience: tags, bracelets and beads reminding them of their accomplishments and personal challenges.

Juna, Gena, Sena, Fawna, Expa & Lora all had a blast with their program zone rotations this morning while, in the afternoon, the one-weekers prepared and packed up their belongings for pickup while all the two weekers either enjoyed the swimming pool, played field games, or visited the high ropes course.

Our Week One campers will be missed. It was a week to remember to be sure filled with fond memories, laughter, sunshine, adventure, discovery and accomplishment. The entire Kon-O-Kwee family can't wait to see them next summer or in some cases, later this summer.

Many of our two-weekers spent a portion of the afternoon getting ready for their overnight adventure! These brave campers are sleeping out under the stars, they cooked their dinner over an open fire and tomorrows breakfast will be prepared the same way... some Expa boys are camped out atop Spencer Hill while the Lora girls are positioned on top of Killer Hill (named for the cardiac-blast of a walk to the top) and the Fawna girls made their camp at the Sugar Shack, our maple-sugaring shanty deep in the woods.

All campers went to bed this evening with plans to get plenty of rest for tomorrow's Water Olympics!

Week One: Thursday

2011-06-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

It was a gorgeous day at camp today! The sun was shining all day long and it made for a lot of smiling faces around camp.

Juna & Gena geared up after breakfast for the Windsong Program Zone... it's an honor to announce that one Juna Warrior, Dominic, won the "Johnny Appleseed Challenge" at the archery range by successfully shooting an arrow through an apple! Juna campers also played Camo Counselor, covering their counselors in leaves and sticks and hiding them while searching for the other village's hidden counselors. Gena & Juna campers also practiced their teamwork and communication skills on the Low Ropes Course before preparing for Gena-Light and Juna-Light - contemplative candlelight or fireside ceremonies to reflect on their experiences at camp.

Fawna had fantastic adventures at Foxtail today; especially at air-rifles - everyone hit at least three targets! There were also some really creative skits practiced at Performing Arts. During the afternoon Fawna visited the pool and the Trail of Courage after rest hour, displaying their impressive skills jumping, climbing, and balancing on all the obstacles. These awesome campers also spent some evening time writing letters to themselves providing a chance to reflect on their camp experience... their letters will be mailed to them later in the summer.

Sena also had a blast at Foxtail this morning, splashing in the creek with canoes and kayaks as well as an awesome creek-stomp to the Spencer Bridge. The Sena campers also competed against each other at fire-building to see who could ignite their designs first. Additionally, some campers played games at Basketball and practiced their sharp-shooting skills at the air rifle range. After lunch, the two-weekers made the climb to Eagle's Nest and enjoyed the view at the top while the one-weekers tackled the Trail of Courage and, Uncle Nick notes, reached a Sena first by having no one fall in the mud at the rope swing. In the evening the one-week Sena campers engaged in full Super Secret Sena Activities to earn their coveted Sena Beads while the two-weekers played some great field games with the ladies from Fawna.

The Explorers (Expa & Lora) had a stupendous time creek hiking & shooting sling shots among all the other activities including knitting while at the Moondance program zone. They also made a most excellent hike to the Wishing Tree, a short but pleasant hike to the Wishing Tree where each camper makes a wish upon a stone an casts it onto the pile of stones left by all the campers before them. The one-week Explorers tested their nerves and their sense of adventure on the High Ropes Course and the Zip-line throughout the afternoon i addition to an epic game of dodgeball along with ample time at the swimming pool. The evening hours brought about a brand new Explorer activity called Seek & Hide where a small number of campers hide throughout main camp while the rest seek... when the seekers find a hider, they begin hiding with them - when a certain number is reached in any given group, they move to a new location via riddles and then answer trivia questions a la Explorer Quiz Bowl!

Our Teen Wilderness campers continue to enjoy themselves at Deer Valley, hiking to DV rocks to rappel and climb on natural rock and hiking to Big Spring - an ice cold pool of turquoise natural spring water to take on the Big Spring Challenge - swimming in the springs, fetching a leaf, touching the bottom and hopping back out again... What a rush!

Lastly, our High Adventure - Vagabond adventurers continue to chug along toward their destination in Ohiopyle, seeing some amazing landscapes and scenery along the way while forging friendships and memories on the trail that will last a lifetime.

Its hard to believe that Week 1 is almost over... One more day of fun in the sun for the One-Weekers!

Week One: Wednesday

2011-06-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

The fun just keeps rolling along during this most excellent week of camp!

Juna & Gena campers all enjoyed the Moondance program zone this morning, choosing from activities like fishing, shelter-building, slingshots and the rock climbing wall. After rest hour and a great visit to the swimming pool they all had a fantastic time flying through the air on the zip line!

This morning brought the adventures of Windsong to the Sena & Fawna villages - each camper picked their own activities from Archery, Nature Crafts, Ga-Ga (Israeli Dodgeball) and Soccer... once again, some chose all different activities while other chose to specialize in just a few. Rest hour and free swim at the pool, came after lunch before the Sena one-weekers hiked to the highest point at Kon-O-Kwee, Eagles Nest, while the Fawna one-weekers visited the high ropes course and braved the challenges of the tire-walk, the gliding trolley, and the cargo net. Meanwhile the Sena two-weekers had some pretty serious handmade boat races on the mighty Connoquenessing and the Fawna two weekers got silly on the Slip N' Slide.

Expa & Lora had a fantastic time at Foxtail this morning, choosing their adventures like Basketball, Performing Arts, Creek Stomp, Fire-Building, Air-Rifles, and Canoeing. And, in addition to having a great time at the pool, played an awesome game of Capture the Camper - Harry Potter style all over main camp before taking a well deserved rest hour before dinner.

Everyone at Kon-O-Kwee gathered at Hogwarts for the Party at 7:00 p.m. - it was awesome to see all the characters, creatures, witches, wizards, unicorns, centaurs, house-elves, death-eaters and muggles dancing the night away at the party while some intense Ga-Ga and rounds of Volleyball were played outside.

As the evening wore on we received word from our eldest campers - the Vagabond hikers reached their Day 2 destination on the Laurel Highlands Trail while Teen Wilderness continued to get more acquainted with Deer Valley and their Adirondack shelters before heading off to try out some open-water swimming, paddling, or a hike to Mount Davis.

This week is flying by, but the summer of 2011 is off to a great start! May the Forest be With You.

Week One: Tuesday

2011-06-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

The skies were grey when the day began, but spirits were as high as ever!

The High Adventure Village departed for their Vagabond backpacking trip... upon arrival at the trailhead, the group hiked their first 2.4 miles of the Laurel Highlands Trail to their first campsite, prepared and enjoyed their first trail dinner, and continued to form friendships and make memories that could last a lifetime.

Teen Wilderness also left Kon-O-Kwee for some higher ground at Deer Valley YMCA, on Mount Davis - PA's highest point. On their way to DV, the teen campers stopped and had lunch at Kooser State Park, then upon arrival, collected enough firewood to last for an entire week of fireside cooking. Teen wrapped up their big day by taking a night hike around the 120 acre Deer Valley Lake.

The Expa & Lora Villages also had huge days! The 12 year olds went hiking and canoeing at Moraine State Park, paddling their way across Lake Arthur while the 13 year old Explorers visited McConnell's Mill State Park, checking out house-sized boulders and hiking the Kildoo Trail along the Slippery Rock Creek. The Explorers wrapped up the day by getting some much deserved time at the swimming pool and enjoying a crazy Dutch Auction.

The mighty girls from the Fawna Village had a blast at the Moondance program zones today... word around camp is that they caught a ton of fish! After lunch some of the girls did an awesome job working together on the low ropes course while other made their own kites! Throw in some new Fawna Cheers and a rousing game of Capture the Camper with those crazy boys from Sena and Fawna had one terrific day!

In addition to that crazy game of Capture the Camper, Sena also had the Moondance Program Zone today. The boys had a great time attending the activities they selected. Additionally, Sena spent some major time at the Indoor Climbing Wall and High Ropes Course, testing their sense of adventure as well as physical and mental agility.

The older campers weren't the only ones going on some serious adventures today... In addition to the Foxtail Program Zone, Juna took an awesome hike to Eagles Nest (Whooo!) and listened to the legend of the Great Eagle as they looked out and observed over all of camp Kon-O-Kwee while Gena hiked to the mysterious Covered Bridge and made it back in time for dinner. It was great to see these young adventurers reach their goals!

Another fabulous day in the Y-Kwee! Let's get some rest for another big day tomorrow.

Week One: Monday

2011-06-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a day at Kon-O-Kwee! There was a whole bunch of fun in the sun all across camp today... here are some highlights from the Village Directors:

Juna & Gena enjoyed the Windsong Program Zone following breakfast this morning, choosing from Archery, Ga-Ga, Nature Crafts and Soccer for their activities. Everyone had a wonderful time, especially those who made magical Harry Potter wands at Nature Crafts! In the afternoon Juna & Gena went to the pool before bouncing over to the slip n' slide and then on to Chief Connoquenessing's Trail of Courage obstacle course. Just like Princesses Gena and Juna Yun, two of the most famous Juna/Gena heroes ever, each camper made it through the Trail of Courage with flying colors. After dinner these brave campers went on a super-secret hike designed just for them called "the wishing tree hike" in which each camper set a goal to accomplish while at camp.

The Fawna Village is off to a super fun start! They celebrated Natalie's birthday on Sunday night and then went to the Foxtail Program Zone this morning, having the option of going to Basketball, Performing Arts, Creek Stomp, Fire-Building, Air-Rifles, and Canoeing. The Fawna one-weekers proved they are super Fawna-Strong with a hike to Eagle's Nest right after lunch while the two- weekers had some fun in the sun playing games like "drip-drip-drop" and making some fantastically beautiful cabin flags. After dinner Fawna flew down the slip n' slide and worked together on the low ropes course. Overall Fawna had one fantastic day making new friends and trying new things all while being super Fawna strong.

It was an equally day great day in the Sena Village today... who also visited the Foxtail program zone, choosing activities along the way from Basketball, Performing Arts, Creek Stomp, Fire-Building, Air-Rifles, and Canoeing. Some campers tried several while other campers focused on one or two activities. No matter what the choice, everyone had a great time! This afternoon, campers had a blast teambuilding on the low-ropes course doing activities like the Spider-Web, 3 Islands, The Wall, and the Trust Fall. Through this activity campers were able to get to know each other and have a blast while demonstrating the value of the day, Caring. Even in the evening the fun never stopped with a giant field game of Quittich! It was a good day to be in Sena!

The Explorer Villages started their day off in grand fashion... last night, Expa enjoyed their brand new cabins (and Lora enjoyed their not-quite-so-new-but-equally-awesome cabins). First thing this morning they had a blast with the Moondance Program Zone, choosing any combination of fishing, shelter-building, slingshots, climbing wall, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, and knitting. After lunch the Explorers had cabin activities ranging from Ga-Ga to Nature Hikes, Crafts & Cheers to Creek Stompin' fun! Add in some time at the Pool and a little bit of rest hour, and they had one jam-packed afternoon. Expa and Lora also had quite a game of Capture the Flag going on through the evening hours.

After waking, the Teen Wilderness Campers enjoyed their cheesy eggs with ham before heading out to the upper ball field to play Uncle Anton's magical game - the Wizards won! After lunch the focus was on the high ropes course: swinging, climbing, balancing and zipping 40' in the air! To add to the adventure, these awesome campers added the indoor climbing walls and bouldering cave to their afternoons. After a short rest hour and some dinner, these awesome campers had a beast game of campers vs. staff ultimate frisbee and a pool party before meeting about their upcoming trip to Deer Valley.

In addition to these fantastic reports from all the great Villages around the Y-Kwee, it was great to see the High Adventure Village walking all over camp with their packs on their backs, organizing their camping equipment, getting used to their heavy loads and sorting their food rations for the Vagabond backpacking trip that lies ahead.

It was truly a great day here at Kon-O-Kwee!

Week One: Sunday

2011-06-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

What an opening day to the Summer of 2011!

All villages gathered at Kramer Hall for flag-lowering and we all got our first listen of Call to Colors played live on the trombone by Sena Counselor Rob Paul. After a big pasta dinner Juna & Gena (7-9 year olds) went on camp tours and played some GaGa while Sena & Fawna (10 & 11 year olds) played get-to-know you games and filled out their program area preference sheets for Monday.

Expa & Lora (12 & 13 year olds) enjoyed some coed community building time outside Steeb Hall while Teen Wilderness (14 & 15 year olds) visited the Medical Center for their observations. Everyone in camp heard the victory calls of the High Adventure (14-16 year olds) Crew shouting from the top of Eagle's Nest; They left right after dinner and got back to main camp just in time for Opening Campfire...

The entire camp gathered around Council Tree and enjoyed classic songs and skits like "Little Red Wagon" and "Raisin Bran" and some new ones like "60's Party" and "Elephant Repellent". As the sun lowered in the sky, the Expa staff performed "When Eagles Cry" while Leslie from Ravenwing brought it home with her own rendition of "Build Me Up Buttercup".

After a snack consisting of Cheez-Its and Grape Bug Juice, the younger campers went back to their villages to clean up before bed while Teen Wilderness and High Adventure went on a trust walk in the dark.

Let's not forget that today also marked the beginning of Expecto Patronum (Harry Potter) week and each cabin received instructional letters from the Kon-O-Kwee School of Withcraft & Wizardry related to the week's festivities and there have been plenty of appearances from Wizards, Witches,Death-Eaters and campers on broomsticks!

It truly has been a great opening day here at Kon-O-Kwee, but with perfect weather and a full day of camp coming up tomorrow, I can't think of a better forecast.