We had a beautiful sunny, cloudy, windy day out here. We had groups hiking, playing the Animal Game, and Canoeing. The wind was strong enough that a couple of our groups in the morning had to be towed back to the dock - the wind was too strong for them. In the afternoon they tried tethered paddling - a long rope kept them from blowing away. It's not quite as exciting, but they got to experience fighting against the wind and the waves.
Students playing the Animal Game this afternoon got a bit of a surprise - a black bear with two cubs strolled through the playing area! We don't know who was most surprised, the bear, or the students from another school who saw it coming into the area! The camp staff handled things very well - they got the students back to the meeting area, waited a bit, then resumed the game with students in groups of four or five. There were no further sightings in the Animal Game area. Some teachers went into the playing area as an extra safety factor. Apparently the bear then wandered through the campground, right by the lodge, where it was seen by a lot of students who were shepherded into nearby buildings. The Conservation Officer was called, happened to be in the area, and quickly came and "herded" the bear off the camp grounds (where it was heading anyway).
I was very impressed with the camp's safety procedures in this instance - they quickly and calmly worked to ensure student safety, involved the appropriate authorities, debriefed the kids, and got on with the fun events of camp in a safe manner.
Here are some pictures of a breezy day.
