Crisp mornings, clear days and cool evenings. Summer is now fall at Walton’s Grizzly Lodge. The leaves on our Aspen trees have turned a beautiful yellow as we move towards winter. On site, Patrick Garcia is dilligently tending to our lawns in preparation of their dormant season and we are putting the finishing touches on our fall projects as we prepare to fully close down camp as we move into November.
When our final group of campers depart at the end of August camp begins to transform. Gone are the days of 225 campers and staff members enjoying the Walton’s experience. There is a slowness in the air at camp as we settle into a differnet routine. The wildlife also settles into their post camp routine. The remnants of pinecones are strewn about the Rec Area as squirrels prepare for winter. Ducks return to the lake. Birds that we have not seen since the spring can be found perched in the Announcement Area. Summer is not officially over until September 22, but the feeling of fall is in the air once camp ends.
Fall is also a time for projects and improvements at camp. Jared, Paul and Patrick are at camp during September, October and into November working on a variety of projects. They spend their days building, painting, staining, digging and thinking of ways to improve camp for our following summer. There is always something to do at camp once summer ends.
Many camp projects and improvements are being made in preparaton for the Summer of 2020. As we do each off season we have been replacing a number of decks at camp including the Store Porch, (along with the stairs and railing leading to it) the deck of the Announcement Area and the deck of the Polar dorm. In addition we are building a second sleeping platform that our younger campers will use on their overnights at Frog Rock. Like the first platform that was built two years ago, campers will have the the feeling of sleeping in the trees above our lake. As we begin to wrap up our fall site improvements we are exccited for our campers and staff to use and enjoy these new and improved additions at camp.
Camp life is very cyclical. We enroll campers and recruit staff in the winter, prepare for their arrival in the spring, welcome them into our “camp bubble” during the summer and then make improvements to our facilities and program each fall. It’s our circle of camp.
