A typical day at Camp Triumph

The morning is still. The sun streams in through your bunk windows. It’s almost 8:00, so your counsellor comes in to make sure you’re ready for flagpole. You really don’t want to be late. You and your bunkmates throw on some clean clothes and head towards the flagpole where the rest of the campers and counsellors are congregating. You can already smell the pancakes in the dining hall as everyone takes off their hats to sing O Canada and the flag raises to the top.

After the Trivia Question of the Day, you run to get in line to wash up for breakfast, and what a breakfast! The cooks have outdone themselves again. Fresh fruit, bacon, and pancakes are in front of you, ready to be devoured. After breakfast, it’s your group’s turn to wash the dishes, so you gather the stacked plates and make ‘em shine – with help from that fancy dishwasher, of course. 

This morning you’ll be kayaking, so you run back to your bunk to slap on some sunscreen, a bathing suit, and a hat. The water front director is leading kayaking this morning, and helps you get in the water. You’ve been out a couple of times already this week, so you’re almost an expert at paddling now. As a group you paddle out around the sand bar and then return to the beach so you can move on to your next session.

One of the goofiest counsellors is waiting for your group at the multipurpose court. He says you can choose between all kinds of activities. There is ball hockey, basketball, tennis, …what will it be? You choose ball hockey and strap on the goalie pads and pull the mask over your head. Some of your friends join you while others are off playing a game of bump at the basketball net and some draw cool pictures on the pavement in chalk.

Before long the humongous bell by the dining hall rings and there’s a little bit of free time before lunch delivers some more delicious food. Just enough free time to play a couple games of GagaBall!

Veggies with dip and tacos get you fuelled up for an afternoon of beach time, challenge course, and arts & crafts. After a great swim between the waves, building a kingdom in the sand, and enjoying the warm sun on the sand, you head back to camp and right into a session on the low ropes course. You think it’s neat to try and work together as a team balancing on the big seesaw thing the counsellors call “The Whale Watch”. Over on the high ropes, the big kids try to climb the rock wall, balance on a beam way up in the air, and walk a skinny wire. You hear them yelp with excitement as they wiz past you on the zip line. You think, ‘next year I’ll be old enough to do that and I can’t wait.’

When that’s done, it’s time to go over to the lodge with your pals to let your creative side show. Today you’re making a magnetic picture frame complete with seashells and everything. You’ll take that home to display on the fridge for your family to admire. 

Tonight’s supper theme is Halloween and you brought a pretty good costume, the Incredible Hulk. You even have some green face paint to complete the look, hardly anyone can recognize you.

The dining hall is really decked out for the theme, with fake spider webs and jack-o’-lanterns everywhere. The cooks are even dressed up and the counsellors have on some of the wackiest costumes you’ve ever seen. Another great meal: spaghetti, garlic bread, and Caesar salad. You couldn’t believe how hungry you were. Dessert comes along and you’re beyond thrilled to see homemade ice cream sandwiches. This place is great!

After supper, you go and wash off your face paint and take off your costume, there’s a camp-wide game and you don’t want to miss it! You’re ready to take on anything that’s thrown at you this evening. The entire camp comes together and divides into two teams. It’s time for the best camp game ever… Rocks! Despite playing against some pretty fast runners, your team comes out on top and you’ve got a pretty big grin on as you head down to the fire pit with everyone for campfire, the perfect way to end your day.

You sit with some new friends you met today and sing Fire’s Burning, the way campfire always starts. The campfire master gets up and leads everyone in the loudest and most catchy songs you’ve ever heard. You can’t help but join in. A couple of the other counsellors and campers bring their guitars and fiddles and perform some songs that have you humming and clapping your hands. When the fire is almost finished, you get up and sing one last song: Taps.

With your cabin mates, you head to your bunk to change into your PJs and brush your teeth. Jumping into bed, you can’t fall asleep until you’ve heard about everyone else’s favourite highlights from the day. Then your counsellor tells a story. Before long you’re off in dreamland. Tomorrow’s another day at Camp Triumph, and you can’t wait!