Camp Journal
An over night adventure!
12th August 2020
With the sun shining and some happy campers, it was a recipe for a wonderful day at Camp Suisse. After gently incorporating some language classes into our day, the campers packed up their bags ready for a hike to Torgon’s finest ski lodge. With a dash of kit check and a sprinkle of enthusiasm- we were off! The first half of the hike was the steepest and the most challenging, but the juniors fared well with the rocky terrain and soon made it up to the halfway point- Plan de Crois. We left the kids to rest in the shade as we took a break for afternoon tea. We soon set off for the second half, and although a little tired, the group was eager to make it to the top- with a scattering of hiking songs throughout (particularly well sang by Bjorn and Meg). At long last – the junior campers reached the ski lodge and took a well deserved drawing and colouring break as we waited for the seniors.
Following a delicious camping BBQ, some of the very courageous campers decided to hike to the French border, and the others stayed at camp to learn firelighting and prepare the campfire for our marshmallow dessert. We found that Bjorn, Andrea and Dillan had a particular knack for firelighting, as they managed to light the large campfire after everyone had helped to collect the right kinds of sticks. Krisha proved to be an avid hiker as he lead the way across the border into France last night.
When the hiking group had returned from france – we sat down for some marshmallows around the fire. Indie and Neve not only managed to eat theirs, but get them all over their hands and faces! Some stories were told and jokes shared- then the juniors headed to bed.
The following morning, we enjoyed and alfresco breakfast- then hiked back down to camp (with a break and story time at the House of Beards). Back at the centre, we packed our swimming kit and headed to Villeneuve pool. The campers swam and waited excitedly for their turn on the banana boat! Up first was Indie, Meg, Neve and Gary (who watched the others from the boat). The three girls held on to the banana valiantly as they faced brutal twists and turns – and even when the banana flipped and they ended up in the lake- all 3 emerged from the water with huge smiles on their faces! It was then Alexie, Gleb, Maisy and Leo’s turn. After a nervous start- the group soon gained some confidence to give the ‘thumbs up’ to the boat driver to take it up a notch. For some, this was an immediate regret as no less than 3 seconds later- we found ourselves in the lake having been thrown off the banana! Though Alexi then chose to stay in the boat, Maisy and Gleb laughed in the face of danger- and got straight back on for more banana fun.
We spent some more time in the lake – jumping and flipping into the water, before packing up to go home.
After a busy couple of days – staff and campers alike were looking forward to one of the favourite evening activities at Camp Suisse- dinner at Caprins Pizzeria! The kids waited patiently for their stone baked, hand crafted slice of italian delight. With full and satisfied stomachs, the campers slept soundly before their final day at Camp Suisse.
