What I miss about camp!

Just Sit

Sometimes when I close my eyes the sound of traffic rushing on the Decarie Expressway sounds like wind blowing through the trees. With my eyes still closed I can almost convince myself that the sun shining on my face is not from a -20 degree Celsius January day, but from a lazy summer afternoon. For that one small second I'm not on an icy Montreal sidewalk; I'm on the sailing dock at Camp Wilvaken soaking up the last of the days rays. But then I open my eyes and instead of seeing sailboats moored and the lake's gentle waves, I see concrete and glass and more concrete. 
 

I love the city, I really do, but there is one place I love more. A place where you wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything but mismatched clothes, dirty hair, and the muddy outline of your flip flops on your feet. In this place, the only technology that you really need is a guitar or a piano. Oh, and old clothing fads like wolf shirts, bandannas, and hair wraps never go out of style. In the daytime the air rings with laughter, and at night all you hear is the hooting of a loon somewhere out on the lake. It is in this place, even on the coldest day, no matter how far away I am, that my heart remains. 
 

Camp is so full of life. There is always something to do, someone to talk to, fun to have, and friends to be made. Amongst all the craziness that is camp, I always make sure to find time to just sit. When I have free time some days, I mosey up to the upper riding ring and take a seat in the grass or on a fallen log. Sometimes there are campers having riding lessons, sometimes I just watch the horses eating grass. When I'm by the lake I take a seat wherever there is one-- Lovers Rock, a bench, a dock, the sand, doesn't matter to me! As long as I can just sit. I watch and smile at people playing in the water, boats floating by, a big shaggy black dog chasing sinking rocks. 
 

The best thing about going for a nature walk on one of Wilvy's many forest paths (ALWAYS with your friendly neighborhood tour guide aka counselor, of course) is that you can pick any rock, stump, or even a dry spot on the forest floor and, you guessed it! just sit. You see the world differently when you take a moment to just sit. When you are just sitting, you can tell the birds apart from just their voices, you realize the leaves are more colors than just plain old green, and if you are quiet enough you might see some interesting wildlife before they see you. 
 

It is these simple things in life that I treasure most when I take a time-out from the busy city life and go out to camp. I treasure the fact that my only worry that day is what to wear. Will it be sunny? Will it rain? Do I need bug spray? Sandals or boots? Where did I leave my beach towel? I treasure that I have the opportunity to camp out on the beach with my cabin at night and try to count the stars. I treasure that when I wake up in the morning after it rains I can take a deep breath of fresh air, and that is a 100x better way to start my day than a cup of coffee (which I still drink anyway, because sadly I’m addicted). 
 

I think that I could be eight years old, or eighteen, or eighty, and I would still love these things. I hope that I will never forget to appreciate them. We are all blessed that we are able to spend a few weeks in this wonderful place, because a lot of people in this world will never have a similar opportunity. Some people will never breathe clean mountain air or walk through the forest or paddle a canoe. 

 

So I hope that next time you go to camp, at some point take the time to just sit. Soak it all in — everything you see, hear, smell, and feel. Treasure that moment like there will be no other. Keep that memory in your heart, and it will always be there to warm you up, no matter where you are, even when the summer sun is gone.


Sandy Alain - staff 2009 - 2010
Sandy's blog

Spring has Sprung!

Good day to you Wilvaken idols.

Spring has officially sprung. We even had a few days of summer weather! The snow is just about gone everywhere and the ice is almost all melted. We are a month early. Hard to believe.
So are you itching to go to camp yet? Are you jumping up and down because you cannot wait another 3 months?
This is the time of year when almost all our staff are hired (check this page ) and registrations are coming in at a great rate. It gets really exciting for us from now on.

By beginning of May camp will be shaken out of its winter slumber by our maintenance man Jim and Dave will be there as well. There is always lots to do in the spring after the winter break - cleaning, painting, fixing, launching all the docks, boats, bringing the horses in and just generally making sure everything is ready for all the eager campers and staff who will be with us this summer.
It never stops. You may think camp is only a summer job but it really only has 2 months when things are quiet. Those are November and December. During those months we do our paper work and start preparing for the next year! Round and round it goes.

For the next few months we can dream of sitting on the rocks in front of the lodge or on the beach watching one of the beautiful sunsets that Wilvaken has, listen to the birds and watch the sailboats bobbing in the water. We can remember the sound of the bell, singing in the lodge or campfire and running down a path to get to a meal on time. We can remember the first day of camp when we had butterflies in our stomaches but made friends in no time. We can remember laughing and talking with our friends and our counsellors, dressing up for theme days or evening programs and finally the good-byes with the tears that come when camp ends.

Wilvaken is looking forward to another busy season with campers and staff. SEE YOU AT CAMP!!

Don't forget that we would love to have others send a Blog to be posted. Just email it to us and you will see it up in no time. Remember you can write in French, English, German or Spanish.

Wilvaken's First Cycling Summer

Cycling at Wilvaken -  Summer 2011

Last summer marked the beginning of Wilvaken's cycling program with the purchase of 12 bikes. Suddenly, the talk was of multi-tools, tire pressure, and which roads were connected allowing one to cycle around the lake (oddly, though seemingly a question of simple fact, this debate only intensified as the summer went on). In a sort of homage to the new road-going 12, small and ancient camp bikes were enthusiastically restored, becoming camp's objets d'art du jour.  One was painted red and gold by a spontaneous collective camper and staff effort (to the latest music) that only Wilvaken's flexible afternoon schedule could allow for. Suddenly campers and staff with real knowledge about bike repair started piping up  -  they could holler away freely about shifters and seatstays, chainstays and cogsets. It was the zeitgeist. When the black spandex cycling shorts appeared, I realized it was more. It was Cycling Fever.
And actual cycling trips happened too. The land circumnavigation of Lac Lovering was indeed heroically achieved, in both directions. Keeping things fresh for 2012, no one quite remembers (or can agree) on the exact route taken. The covered "Narrows Bridge" was visited, as was the spectacularly lush Tomifobia Bike Trail. One group cycled to Burrows Falls, and at least two groups managed to dig deep and make it to Wood's Snack Bar in Ayer's Cliff. The CITs all completed a 50 km day-trip with the aid of such sustenance.
Summer cycling in the Eastern Townships simply has to be experienced to be believed - it is an absolute joy of an activity. The cycling program adds a fun, healthy, environmentally responsible way to see the surrounding sights. The trips were restricted to older campers who demonstrated that they could ride in a controlled way and were deemed responsible. Safety rules were strictly communicated and enforced, and staff were equipped with radios to communicate between the front and back of the group of riders.
This coming summer we hope to try new routes, find more views, and enjoy the countryside together.

Duncan, Assistant Camp Director.
cycling

First post- January 2012

Welcome Bienvenue Bienvenidos Guten Tag
As a new blogger,we will keep this message short this time.

For Wilvaken friends, family, campers and staff (current and alumni) Dave and I  welcome you to our blog. We will be looking for some blogging input from all of you. Languages you may write in are English, French, Spanish or German. These blogs will not be translated unless you wish to do this yourself. To have your blog message published, we ask you to please e-mail your blog article to wilvaken@wilvaken.com and we shall then post it. We will accept pictures as well. Dave and I are very excited to have this happen on a regular basis.

Below are some ideas that you may want to write about:

• Why do I keep returning to Wilvaken? As a camper or staff
• What I love about camp?
• What I learned about myself while at camp?
• What activities I loved best
• As a parent, what am I looking for in the camp environment?

So let's hear from you soon!!

Maya and Dave