Both the overnight trip to Pleasant Lake and the 5 day camping trip returned on Friday. Both groups said their trips were fantastic. The 5 day campers and counselors went almost immediately to the shower house as they hadn’t had hot water all week! Pictures from the trips have been posted.

The after lunch announcement that we would be playing Capture the Flag brought loud cheers. This time, the rules were a bit different as the counselors could coach but couldn’t actually play. There was a lot of action, several different people were able to get into the circle but no team got the flag out of the circle. We will definitely be playing again in the next 2 weeks.

It clouded up later in the afternoon and there was some light sprinkles by the time the sisters and relatives from Little Wohelo arrived for dinner but not enough to stop us from having a free evening outside. Later that evening, when everyone was in bed, it rained pretty hard which was perfect as the sound of rain on our uninsulated cabin roofs is one of the best sounds for sleeping.

As has happened on several occasions, the rain stopped by morning and the sun was out by the time the first bell rang. At that point, 38 campers and counselors were already in the barn eating an early breakfast before they headed over to Casco, the neighboring town for a 4 mile road race. This was a very fast group of runners. I don’t know how many runners ran this year but in years past, there have been 500+. The first 2 Timanous campers came in 4th and 5th over all with times of 24:01 and 24:05. Despite the heat, all 39 runners finished in under 40 minutes. After the race, the runners enjoyed the much deserved fried dough or Seadog biscut!

Today is a perfect Maine summer day — 80s, a few clouds and a nice breeze. Quiet hour will end shortly and the campers will be off to their activities — it’s going to be another great afternoon for sailing or just about anything! Dinner tonight will be our annual Point Cookout – a delicious all-camp chicken barbecue held on Crows Point.

It rained hard Tuesday night but once again, it stopped before the first bell rang and we had another beautiful sunny day. A group of 26 campers left right after cabin clean-up for the Telemark Wilderness Lodge just outside of Bethel, Maine to visit with Steve and Leo and all of their wonderful animals. Earlier this year, Steve and Leo brought 18 of their sled dogs to Timanous and we had dog sledding at camp (See “Timanous went to the Dogs!” post on July 15). At the lodge, the campers were able to again visit with the dogs and try sled dog carting but they also groomed llamas, had llama and horse rides, learned about animal care, played with puppies, had an up close hummingbird experience and explored their organic garden. It was a fun and action packed day!

The Acadia Bike Trip returned before lunch having had a great trip to Acadia National Park. Unfortunately, they had some fog on the day they biked the carriage trails but they all had a fantastic time. Pictures have been posted on the Shutterfly account under “Camping Trips”.

Sisters and other relatives from Big Wohelo joined us for dinner and a free evening Wednesday night. Danny the Barber was cutting hair for any campers that wanted a hair cut. Danny has been cutting hair at Timanous for 20+ years!

Today is another beautiful day — a bit cooler but sunny with a nice breeze for sailing. A group of sailers left after breakfast this morning to attend the Wohelo regatta. A second group is traveling to a neighboring camp for a 13 & under basketball game and yet another group is headed to Pleasant Pond for an overnight camping trip. Even with 4 groups out (the 5 day returns tomorrow), there is still a lot going on here at camp.

It rained hard Monday night while everyone slept. It was overcast when the first bell rang but the sun came out later and although much cooler than the previous week, it was another nice day. The cooler weather was great for running around on the field which was busy with campers playing lacrosse, soccer and baseball.

Everyone gathered in the hall for a fun evening of music and other entertainment after which the campers headed to their cabins to get ready for bed. Although usually a somewhat noisy time while the boys are brushing their teeth and making their last runs to the castles, there was some uncharacteristic hollering because just at that time, a fairly large moose decided to wander out of the woods by Beginner’s Beach and pass by Eagles cabin before escaping up through the woods. Several of the Mallards and Eagles got a good look. Unfortunately, it all happened too fast to get a picture and I doubt he will be back again!

The heat of last week is definitely gone and by the afternoon, a sweatshirt felt good. There was the threat of rain most of the afternoon but it held off until after our evening activities.

Two camping trips left right after breakfast. The first group, the 5-day, loaded up the canoes and headed for Lake Aziscohos where they will be canoeing for 5 days, returning Friday afternoon. The second group left for Acadia National Park where they will have the chance to bike the parks’ extensive carriage path system, returning on Wednesday.

All of the regular activities were open and busy. There was an extra session of diving practice during free time as many boys are working hard to finish their swim levels and there was a 10 & under baseball practice in preparation for a game on Tuesday.

Although the temperatures reached into the 90s again, the humidity had dropped significantly and it felt cool in comparison to Friday. Right after breakfast, a group of swimmers headed to one of our neighboring camps for a dual swim meet with both individual and relay events. It appears that our daily instructional swim paid off.

The Katahdin group returned to camp during lunch having had an awesome trip. The group had a successful climb on Friday completing a challenging loop up and down the mountain in about eight hours. They returned tired but with a great sense of accomplishment having reached the top. Pictures from the trip can be seen on the Shutterfly site under “Camping Trips”. Below is a short video taken on the mountain.

Saturday night was a great night for cookouts followed by cabin activities. The youngest cabin, Mallards joined the oldest cabin, Crows for dinner and the Mallards had the chance to slide down the Crows’ slide into the lake. Most cabins took advantage of the lake to cool off.

The Katahdin Group

It was 80 degrees by breakfast and it hit 96 in the afternoon. We had a somewhat regular schedule in the morning but our Friday afternoon trips were abandoned for an extra long free swim. Of course we still had Friday Candy! The whole camp gathered in the shade for a late afternoon concert with our resident musician/counselor, Jason Levasseur and any other counselors and campers who wanted to perform. There was a great breeze blowing off the lake so in the shade, it was quite comfortable.

The heat had everyone dragging a bit so it was a great night to relax and watch an outdoor movie. The air started to change soon after dinner and by the end of the movie, it was in the 70s. Not many pictures from the day but the photographers will be back out on Saturday!

We continue to encourage the boys to use the written letter so it is a little disheartening to us that the number of packages arriving on a daily basis often out numbers the number of letters the campers receive. The boys love getting mail – it is a novelty for most. And although many of you are using the bunknotes which are placed in the mailboxes with the regular mail, there is still something special about opening an envelope addressed to them.

The weather reports were correct — Thursday was hotter than Wednesday and it’s predicted that Friday is going to be even hotter. It’s great to have the lake but with no electricity and no air-conditioning, our buildings can get pretty warm!! We tried to keep everyone in or near the water as much as possible. Both Main Dock and Beginner’s Beach were open for free swim all afternoon. During free evening, the ultimate frisbee game took place on the field with the sprinklers going. A group played water polo at Main Dock, there was free swim at Beginner’s Beach, sailing, kayaking, and canoeing & boating. Anyone who wasn’t already wet took a dip before getting ready for bed.

Two groups left on camping trips. The first group left after breakfast headed for Baxter State Park where they will climb Mt. Kathadin on Friday, the highest Mountain in Maine. They will return Saturday. The second group left in the afternoon by canoe, paddling to the other end of the lake where they will spend the night on a great campsite at the other end of the lake and will return Friday morning.

The streak of great summer weather continues with each day warmer than the last. Thursday and Friday are supposed to be really hot.

There was a strong breeze all day which helped keep everyone cool and made for some really exciting sailing. The waterski boat went most of the day as both beginner and regular waterskiing were open. There was cheering each time someone got up on skis for the first time. All of the regular activities were open including the climbing wall and kayaking. Anything around the water was very popular.

Wednesday dinner is always “Jimmy Buffet” and it was a perfect night for eating outside. During the free evening, the Twilight League game was between “Wohelo’s Favorite Team” and the “The Trashmen”. The video is from the end of the game. Dips felt great before bed as they will for the next several days!

10 & under baseball team

As hard as it was to say good bye to the first session campers, it’s great to have the second session campers join us. Everyone is here and these next 3 1/2 weeks are going to fly by.

This morning, we had regular sign-ups after breakfast and because orientation for new campers was Monday afternoon and evening, the second session campers were ready for their first sign-ups. The sign-up process can be a little confusing the first time but everyone signed up for something and for after lunch sign-ups, everyone knew what they were doing. Morning choices included archery, climbing wall, baseball, riflery, sailing, wood shop, and tennis. The same activities were open in the afternoon with the addition of kayaking, handicrafts, and soccer. In addition a group of tennis players attended a tournament with several different camps, a small group of sailers were at a regatta and there was a 12 & under baseball game in the afternoon. A busy day!

There was a free evening after dinner with Ultimate Frisbee, Canoeing and Boating, Soccer, Tennis, and Bocce just a few of the choices. The Twilight League Game was between “Udder Madness” and “Toxic Terrors:. It was a hot night so the dip just before bed felt great!

12 & Under Baseball Team