A cheer went up on boys camp when tonight’s evening activities were announced and it was Capture the Assagi for Inter 5-6 grade boys. Woo hoo! There are a lot of rules (which not everyone totally understands), but somehow the camp erupts (and splits up!) into gold and blue — two teams run around camp looking for the hidden captain of the other team. It’s kind of like Stratego meets Capture the Flag meets Teenage Ninja Turtles. Boys and girl older campers donned their Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses for a Luau. And it came at just the right time! After a hot day like today campers love a night swim.
Camp is action-packed with fun activities everyday! Campers have been bouncing around from tennis to cooking to basketball to arts and crafts…and SO much more. There’s no shortage of fun to be had.
There’s also so much magic in the time in between all of those activities. Here’s just one example. Everyday campers have “hobby time” after dinner, when they can play games together, spend time with campers and counselors in different bunks/age groups, catch up with a sibling, and more.
The other day, as hobby time came to an end, a group of junior boys excitedly approached Hal (head of boys’ camp) to share that they spent their time at Netsy Playhouse creating a play together! They were so excitedly sharing the details so it was hard to catch it all, but there was definitely talk of magical flying squirrels, super powers, and more! They’ve since written out an entire script, gone up to art together to paint backgrounds for their set, and recruited even more friends to help with backstage lights and sound. They boys have decided to continue practicing, and then they’ll share their play with other campers soon. They can’t wait!
There are countless other moments everyday where campers are strengthening friendships, working together, and supporting each other…
Campers walking arm in arm as they head back to their bunks from the dining hall. Campers spending their free time teaching a friend how to shoot a lay-up on the basketball courts. Campers waiting outside of the dining hall after a meal to quickly check in with a sibling, and to tell them they love them. Campers sitting on each other’s beds, telling stories, painting each other’s nails, or playing cards. Campers of all age groups playing ping-pong together, throwing a football, or playing knock hockey. Campers checking on one another after a bee sting or skinned knee. The list goes on and on.
While we sure do love all of our activities here at camp, these moments are pretty special, too, and they’re often the ones that we remember long after the summer comes to an end.
It was another great day in Greeley, Pennsylvania!
We started the day with an inter-camp basketball tournament on Max’s court with several victories for the home team, Pine Forest Camp!
Despite our action-packed day with our usual programming, we made time for “Path to Rhythm,” a group drumming experience to learn more about the art of rhythm and drumming. Woah!
But that’s not all! Our TOP Cooks campers headed to Moka Chocolate and Coffee Factory for lunch, chocolate-making classes and more. Try and catch us, folks! We’re on the move!
If you’re following along on our social media platforms, you may have seen that a few nights ago, girls’ camp had their very own Eras Tour! We gathered together at Netsy Playhouse where we had live performers singing and playing guitar, some amazing lip syncing, banner-making fun, AND!…we even got to dress up our counselors (always a camper fave ;)). Then boys’ camp got in on the fun and blasted Taylor’s Version of Speak Now all day on the day it was released.
To top it all off, after the new Speak Now release, our hi-senior girls had a Listening Party for their evening activity, where they dressed in different colors to represent their favorite era, made friendship bracelets together, danced their hearts out in the rain, belted out their favorite songs, and they ended the night with an ice cream treat. Doesn’t get much better than that!
After all of this excitement, one camper shared, “Well! It’s officially official – I’m DEFINITELY a Swiftie now!” Hard not to be after all of this fun!
We’ve gotta admit, of all of the special days at camp, the 4th of July is one of the best! The fun starts from the moment we wake up, and it doesn’t stop until the fireworks are over.
Our PFC tradition is that our oldest girl campers – the hi-senior 10s – wake up early to get decked out in their red, white, and blue, and then run around camp waking everyone up. There’s music, there’s excitement, and…there’s A LOT of energy at 7:30am! Campers pop out of bed and get dressed for the day, and PFC becomes a sea of red, white, and blue! There are wigs, face paint, hair spray, tutus, fun headbands…and so much more!
4th of July breakfast does not disappoint! French toast, blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream fill our American Flag plates. To top it all off, we have delicious Krispy Kreme donuts. Are you drooling yet? Later, for lunch, we BBQ in true 4th of July fashion.
Our afternoon starts off with an epic counselor parade, where counselors dress up as American icons and parade around camp. Then, our junior, inter, and senior campers have a carnival full of fun games (run by our hi-senior 10s!), time to swim in the pool, and time to climb and play around in giant inflatables – what a blast! Meanwhile, our hi-senior 9 campers spend the afternoon having a 4th of July Lake Luau.
After a delicious dinner of southern fried chicken, we reconvene as a camp at Netsy Playhouse for the infamous 4th of July Talent Show. Campers and counselors have been practicing, and trust us – this will be the show of the century! There will be singing, there will be dancing, and there will be SO.MUCH.MORE!
And of course – the 4th of July would not be complete without fireworks. From the show, we’ll all head out to Mitchell Field together to OOOOH and AHHHH over amazing fireworks, before our heads hit the pillow and we rest up after an EPIC day.
There’s a lot to schlep around at camp for Juniors! Water bottles, sunscreen, sneakers – and we’ve got a lot of hills here in the mountains. How do we do it?
Meet “Carty A,” Carty B,” “Paul Mc “Cart”-ney…” You get the idea!
We’ve got these carts that go with each bunk so that campers don’t miss a thing!
Our 11th graders touched down this afternoon to begin the adventure of a lifetime! Bring on the zip lines, surf lessons and local food! AND, most importantly, they’ll be working on bringing the magic of CAMP to local children while they’re there. We can’t wait to follow along (when they have Wifi)! PURA VIDA!
Soccer and basketball intercamp games yesterday, leagues today and Hughie Black hoops tournament practice this afternoon. (Named after our founder and professional basketball player, Hughie Black)
And our first camp show “School of Rock” try outs along with July 4th talent show. Lots of talent on boys camp! Standup comedians, break dancers, jugglers, musicians and more.
Big news today: Bunk Locust survived and thrived on the first overnight hike. Through the woods to the hidden yurt set in a beautiful pine grove. And they made it! Locust campers looked happy but a little scruffy this morning. And very excitedly announced three salamander sightings at the campsite.
And our fearless leader, Hal Schwartz, continues to come up with interesting daily “Did you know?” facts at line up. Did you know, that a dollop of toothpaste is called a “nurdle? A good reminder to brush our teeth! And, the last letter of the alphabet to be invented was the “J.” Go figure.
Hey “uniors” (i.e. “J”uniors), did you get use a “nurdle” this morning?
WOW! Friday was an action-packed day at PFC. We closed out our first week of camp with lots of fun!
For starters, we had our first inter-camp day – Greeley Games – where Pine Forest, Camp Timber Tops, and Lake Owego all played sports against one another. Campers could sign up to play soccer, basketball, baseball, gaga, and/or softball. Next week we’ll do it again, adding even more games to the list: chess, swimming, archery, gymnastics, and more!
For lunch, we had a real fan favorite: quesadillas with all the fixings! YUM. Speaking of yum, we also had our very first camp Friday night dinner. We were practically sprinting to the dining hall for the world’s best challah, delicious matzo ball soup, BBQ chicken, and then chocolate matzah for dessert. The BEST.
Our day ended with our first Friday night service, where we gathered as a whole camp for the first time. Looking up at the stands at Netsy Playhouse, a sea of campers and counselors in their blue and gold – you could really feel the camp love! Bunk Buttercup led us in a beautiful service, where they each shared something they’ve learned in the first week of camp.
The fun didn’t stop there, though! Junior boys were off to play Gaga, a Friday night tradition. They especially loved cheering on their counselors when they took a turn in the Gaga pit. Inter boys played a fun game of PFC trivia. Senior boys were busy playing team handball, and our hi-senior boys played a crowd favorite too: knee hockey. With all that action, they slept well last night!
Girls’ camp gathered for their first Friday night campfire! They sang songs together, danced, and of course – made s’mores! It was a big hit. One of the counselors played guitar for everyone, which makes for great sing-alongs. Campers also received their special G.I.R.L.S. bracelets, made up of 5 strings that represent Gratitude, Inspiration, Respect, Love, and Support.
How is it possible that we’ve already been here a week? Slow down, time! Bring on the weekend! We’re ready for more.
Big news on girls’ side! Our big sister/little sister program is officially up and running, and we couldn’t be more excited about it!
It all started a few days ago for our inter and junior girl campers when they received their first letters from their camp big sisters: anonymous notes left on their beds while they were busy out and about at their activities, filled with fun clues about what their big sisters look like, what their favorite activities at camp are, and more!
Little sisters were excitedly comparing notes and making guesses about who their big sisters could be, while eagerly waiting to hear when they’d get to meet!
Well, we finally had the big reveal! Big and little sisters were paired up for an epic night of fun together! We got to know each other while making delicious ice cream sandwiches (what a treat!), decorating picture frame pillow cases, and learning our new 2023 camp song together: “Welcome to Pine Forest” – just wait until you hear it!
Throughout the summer, bigs and littles will have many special events together. During hobby time, you’ll often catch little sisters visiting their big sisters’ bunks, bonding with each other and getting to know each other’s friends.
Big brother/little brother is also in the works for boys’ side, so stay tuned for more details about that soon! This special PFC tradition is a highlight every summer, for sure.
We invite you to schedule a one-on-one, interactive family tour of camp, led by one of our awesome camp leaders. You'll meet our owners/directors and learn more about our amazing, 95-year camp history and traditions. Come feel the love and warmth that Pine Forest Camp has to offer! Email hillary@pineforestcamp.com to coordinate!
