Things are Getting Wacky for Lower Camp!

Our hi-senior and senior campers are officially out of camp on trips, and so far, they are having a BLAST! The only thing better than traveling to new places is getting to do it with your camp besties! We can’t wait to hear all about their adventures! Meanwhile, things at camp are great! With upper campers away, lower camp gets spoiled with so many extra fun activities! We pack in A LOT. Fun themes, special activities, and a trip of their own to check out a minor league baseball game. 

Today’s theme? Backwards day! Junior and Inter campers woke up and campers got dressed as counselors, and counselors as campers! Then, we started the day with dinner! Pizza and (yogurt) popsicles?! Dreams do come true! Then, we had evening line-up and played Escape from PFC for evening activity – all before noon! How backwards is that?! The afternoon was full of more special activities: epic games of coke & pepsi, beach volleyball, gaga, knee-hockey, capture the flag, and more. Then after breakfast (dinnertime!), the intermediates will head out to watch the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders play the Worcester Red Sox. Juniors will get to check out a game in a few days, too. Woweeee! We sure are exhausted after this action-packed day! Next up: Stay tuned for Kindness Day tomorrow.

11th Grade

Boston • Monday, July 22nd – Weds., July 24th
Accommodations: Boston University Attractions may include tours of Boston University, North Eastern University and more! Explore the city of Boston, shop around Quincy Market, spend an afternoon of fun in the sun at Pleasure Bay Beach and catch a game at Fenway! 

10th Grade

Niagara Falls, US Side • Monday, July 22nd – Weds., July 24th
Accommodations: Dorms in Rochester, NY Attractions may include Six Flags Darien Lake, Salt City Market for shopping and eating, Niagara Falls State Park, Maid of the Mist Boat Ride, Falls Street USA and catch a Buffalo Bison game! 

9th Grade

New England • Monday, July 22nd – Weds., July 24th
Accommodations: University of New England
Attractions may include a visit to the New England Aquarium, Quincy Market, sun and fun at Old Orchard Beach, dinner and exploring in Portland, Quassy Waterpark and more! Don’t forget dessert at the local Mrs & Me Ice Cream!

8th Grade

Finger Lakes Region • Tuesday, July 23rd – Weds., July 24th
Accommodations: Dorms in Rochester, NY Attractions may include a guided tour of Taughannock Falls, Seneca Park Zoo, Roseland Waterpark for sun and fun, exploring Ithaca Commons, and Sweet Melissa’s Ice Cream Shop for a s’mores brownie!

7th Grade

Adirondacks • Tuesday, July 23rd – Weds., July 24th
Accommodations: SUNY Albany Attractions may include an evening exploring Lake George, Howe Cavern Tours, a tour of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Zoom Flume Water Park and more!

Excitement was in the air today as we welcomed family and friends for Visiting Day 2024! What an amazing day all-around! Parents gushed over all of the amazing artwork campers have been working on all summer, families swam in the pools, tackled the Wibits at the lake, and even enjoyed a snippet of this year’s production of Tangled at Netsy Playhouse! It was quite a day! 

The warmth we felt wasn’t even weather-related (although we couldn’t have asked for a better day!), it was the warmth from our camp families joining us “Up Where the Sky Begins!” And you know what makes the day even more special? So many parents who were once campers and counselors, reconnecting with old camp friends. Former campers and counselors who made the trip to Greeley to spend a few hours in their favorite place with their favorite people. Our special 10 Year Tree Ceremony, where we celebrate those who have officially spent 10 summers here at camp. Noticing a trend? PFC is simply irresistible! 

We already can’t wait for Visiting Day 2025! We hope to see you there! Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. Campers all had time to cool off in the pool when Visiting Day ended, and tonight boys’ camp will be busy making s’mores around the campfire while girls’ camp will participate in the much anticipated annual MTV Night! We have a few more precious weeks to soak up all this fun!

Professional Artist Visits Camp! 

How is it possible to have this much fun everyday?! One day feels more action-packed and amazing than the last! 

Big news – the amazingly talented professional artist (and PFC Alum!), Sam Sidney, is visiting camp for a few days, and campers of all ages are getting the chance to spend some time learning from her and making awesome art out of felt. Wait til you see our creations on Visiting Day! 

In other news, lots of campers participated in intercamp games against Lake Owego today, which is always a blast. 

And tonight, Junior and inter girls participated in one of our favorite evening activities: Cake Wars, an epic cake decorating contest (that ends up as a delicious treat!). Junior boys had the chance to win fun prizes at their auction: one bunk won a trip to the ice cream barn and you could hear them cheering from a mile away! The inter boys were busy playing  PFC’s version of Euro Cup, and our upper campers got their Rita’s Water Ice treat tonight! 

It’s hard to believe we’ll be seeing our families so soon for Visiting Day! We can’t wait! 

Guess what?! Campers were delighted with a cool treat this afternoon, and on this hot day, we needed it! 

A Rita’s Water Ice (or should we say Wooder Ice?!) truck rolled into camp today, and our lower campers were just delighted by this surprise treat! They each got to pick their favorite flavor, and tomorrow, upper campers will get to do the same! While Rita’s is a household staple for many of our PFCers, there were many campers and counselors who had never tasted such deliciousness! One camper who experienced Rita’s for the first time took her first bite today exclaimed, “WOW! It’s SO good!” See, what told you we’re always trying new things at camp ;). 

Camp sure is sweet!

What. A. Day at PFC! We woke up this morning to clear skies and abundant sunshine – another gorgeous day in Greeley. Campers had an action-packed day full of activities. Junior girls were spotted around camp at various activities – from dance to gaga to drama (one of their faves!). Junior boys had the chance to show off their soccer skills up at Laurie field, and inter boys went from an exciting morning at Campcraft Wilderness to Max’s court to shoot hoops. 

Meanwhile, our inter girls had a pretty zen afternoon at various choices including yoga and music, and our senior boys and hi-senior girls were lucky enough to spend time at the lake today. Senior girls got to play football and basketball, and last but not least, our hi-senior boys were spotted ziplining through the woods at the ropes course! All campers ended the afternoon with extended swim time – the perfect way to cool off! 

AND! To top it all off – tonight our whole camp gathered for the play, All Tangled Up in Greeley! Campers and counselors have been preparing for weeks, and it surely did show! It was an amazing performance, and campers were beaming with pride as their friends cheered for them. 

We had an expert team of very tough critics (thank you, CA boys!), and they all agreed – even though it was cut a few minutes short due to inclement weather (we’ll see the ending tomorrow!) – they’re calling it the performance of a lifetime! 

Sunday nights on boys’ camp are a time for connection, reflection, and fun! You can really feel the love, as they have a weekly Big Brother/Little Brother campfire. They start the night hanging around the fire together, sharing stories, reflecting on the week that passed, and gearing up for another great week at camp. Tonight, they spent some time talking about Leadership (the first quality of the L.F.B. Way). Our oldest campers – the CAs – kicked off the campfire sharing stories about examples of leadership they’ve seen/experienced over their years at camp.

Then, big and little brothers disperse on the lawn to play ping pong, kan jan, nok hockey, cornhole, have a catch, or make up their own game. And of course, they also take turns making s’mores by the fire! With chill music playing in the background, it’s a great time to bond, and all campers really look forward to this weekly event on boys’ camp! 

What a perfect way to come together after an epic Olympic Day: Friday night services. Tonight’s services were led by our oldest campers – the CAs. Our whole camp listened as they shared about what they learned in Costa Rica and what the whole experience meant to them. We heard about their time volunteering and the joy it brought them. We heard about their adventures together with their best friends, and how when you’re with your camp friends, it doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing – it’s going to be the best time. 

Their sense of pride and their strong bonds were apparent as they spoke, and at the end, the whole camp watched a slideshow presentation with photos and videos from their time away. What an amazing, unforgettable experience they had! 

I think we all left the service thinking about cherishing these special summer experiences we’re all so lucky to have! 

Let the fun and games begin!

Ghana 🇬🇭 Canada 🇨🇦 Italy 🇮🇹 Australia 🇦🇺

OLYMPIC DAY is HERE at Pine Forest Camp!

Campers and their high-energy leaders, decked out in bright colors, were hootin’ and hollerin’ as they cheered each other on! First there was the solemn opening ceremony with a flaming Olympic torch and pledge. This was followed by some rousing competition.

It all ended tonight in an intense flaming rope-burning contest on Mitchell Field. Tomorrow it’s all day track and field competition, swim meets and an all-camp Steeplechase.

Let the Olympic Day spirit soar!

We’re MIGHTY glad to welcome more Pine Forest Camp EXPLORERS this weekend. Featured below: Last week’s Play Day group of future campers. We swam! 🏊‍♀️ We played! 🏀 We ate delicious camp food! 😋 Get ready, Explorers, for the best breakfast ever! Bagels and lox! 🥯 We hope to see everybody next summer. Thank you for coming up to experience the magic of camp with us! 💙💛