There are two kinds of boys at Skylemar.  Those who wake up way earlier than the counselors, and those who sleep until just before Flag Raising. 

The really early risers head out of their cabins and go over to Shep’s porch.  Shep’s up around 5, so that gives this small group a place to hang until The Sunshine Club opens at 7.

The Sunshine Club has five “zones” (general locations) to select from.  You check in with the staff member in charge, and then you can choose to go to zones for Hoops, The Shack, Tennis, Golf or the Garden.

This morning also had “Zone 6” – The Murph and the Mini-Murph.  Murphs are fitness challenges at The Gym which balance proper form with a fast pace.   The full Murph means you run a mile, do a total of 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats and then run another mile.  Of course, modifications are encouraged.  The Mini-Murph means you run a half mile, do a total of 100 TRX band rows, 200 inclined push-ups, 300 squats and then run another half-mile.

Congrats to Murph Finishers:  Enric (B25), Jacobo (B26), Marc T (B29), Jake P (B30), Ryan F (B21), Diego V (JC) and all of Bunk 17: Ben B, Conor D, Juan L, Jack M, Miles W.   And congrats to Mini-Murph Finishers:  Alfie (B4), Misha (B20), Ka’Mari (B20), Lionel (B20), Mihailo (B21) and Caleb D (B10).  Way to go!

Lots of comings and goings today.  The Cubs and Lions took a trip to Smiling Hills Farm.  It’s a beautiful petting zoo and dairy farm, and they have the best homemade ice cream.  The milk comes in glass bottles and tastes much better than any in the grocery store. 

Bunks 13 and 15 took the first hike of 2026 to Douglas Mountain.  It’s about a mile steeply up to a stone observation tower at the top which has a beautiful view of the entire Sebago Lake region. 

Back at camp, Bunk 18 had a new activity called SkyFuel, led by nutrition NBC’s (non-bunk counselors) Katie and Claire.  They baked healthy muffins, but here’s the twist.  Instead of using traditional measurements like cups and teaspoons, they used sports equipment.  Huh, you might ask?  For example: add a softball of flour, a baseball of sugar and a quarter golf tee of salt.  Results were “interesting”.

A full slate of afternoon intercamp action began today with the 10U Hockey, 12U Lacrosse and 14U Basketball teams taking it on the road.  Our calendar is packed with opportunities for those interested in competing against other camps, so stay tuned.

Tonight, we all went to another camp.  Camp Fernwood for Girls.  Each year we alternate home or away, and join together for a co-ed evening.  This year Fernwood graciously hosted our very clean and well-dressed young men.  Even our Cubbies made us proud, with hair combed and shirts tucked in.  As Holly says when the boys can’t find their belongings, “they’re not good lookers but they sure are good-looking.”