To the woods or to the water? Overnight “camping” trips at camp can be one of the best nights of the summer. Each cabin at camp gets one night per session when they get to go do an overnight camping adventure at one of three locations. With locations one and two being Upper and Lower tree house, and location three being camp’s beach. Each location has its own merits but all are equally fun. While the younger of the cabins experience the Treehouses, the older cabins (the wolves) get to experience the Beach for camp out nights.
Bonding at the Beach!
With each age group getting to experience a different location, they also get to experience a different dinner that they cook themselves! These meals are prepared over an open fire that the campers are in charge of starting and maintaining. The three meals, from youngest to oldest age groups, are hotdogs, pizza pies, and TINFOIL dinners (TFDs). Now we can’t rate which location is better solely based on the food option can we? I mean you can not beat kicking it old school with a hot dog roasted over an open fire can you? A hot dog over an open fire is one of the most traditional camp meals there is! On another hand, a pizza pie cooked in a pie iron over an open fire sounds pretty good as well! …But TFDs are so plump and delicious, and you can customize what you want in each foil pack. Just talking about these meals makes me want to go start a fire and cook some lunch (even in the snow!).
Well enough with the food, what else happens at these “camp outs”? Games, Stories, nature talks, bonding… well to each their own. In the end it really comes down to the campers and staff. With a wide variety of activities to choose from, creativity is key. On one side you have the woods (the treehouses) that can supply endless fun, while on the other side (the beach) you do have the waterfront to enjoy.
So let’s break down each location a little more for you.
A counselor tending the fire at Lower Treehouses
Lower Tree house, this location has the most variety because it is located closest to the soccer field where the group can enjoy field games of all sorts. If I was to take a gamble, I’d say Tag is the most popular game played there. The Lower Tree house not only has the soccer field but also the wood skills area. With the woods skills area comes hatchet throwing. With safety as the number one concern we do allow campers and staff to attempt their skills and see how their hatchet throwing abilities are.
The upper tree house comes with a beautiful hike to get to it. Located up in the woods (hence the name) this location has the best fire pit layout out of the three locations. With a half circle layout with benches there is plenty of room for campers and staff to spread out, enjoy their meals, and share stories. With its location being up in the woods, the upper tree house also has the advantage of being in the midst of the majority of the hiking trails at Camp Foley.
Great view from the deck of the Treehouses!
With a little less woods, but still comes with a hike is Camp’s Beach location. With the name “Beach” you could only guess what the main attraction is …spoiler it’s the lake. Being able to utilize the lake for a nice swim, canoe paddle, or take the giant paddle board out, it may seem like the ideal location…but unlike the tree houses, the beach has no standing sleeping structure! So at the beach you have to tent it overnight. Do not worry though you don’t have to tent in the sand, the beach area has a nice flat grass area perfect for tents.
In conclusion … is one “camping” location better than the other? The simple answer is no, but it’s all up to interpretation and personal opinions. Each spot has great opportunities to experience nature and bond with your cabin mates. It’s easy to see and hear that treehouse or beach nights are one of the best nights in camp for our campers and staff.
Happy Camping, stay warm out there!
-Benji
The best views of the lake at the Beach!