TRIPS PREVAIL
June 25, 2025
Not too many years ago, we had a dominant U-15 basketball team who beat another camp easily. Unbeknownst to us, that other team practiced veery hard in preparation for the second match. “Where is your team?” they inquired when they encountered an entirely different bunch of Kingswood boys. “This is our team,” we told them, allowing that the previous squad had elected to hike that day.
It is very simple: Trips prevail over any other scheduled activities.
This morning, we awoke to much more seasonal weather as temperatures will rise only into the 80’s, with lower humidity. I arrived at breakfast to see the program gurus organizing several trips for today. My plan is to add the rosters as a P.S. to this newsletter later on. By lunchtime, I will have pasted them, along with some brief description. Maybe you will wish to get into the habit of returning to this space every day to see if I have added anything.
Ditto with the photo albums as I published a “RIGHT NOW” batch of pix yesterday. I am an unscheduled free agent here at camp, even though I go by the title of “Head Gardener.” Truth be known, I exploited the heck out of the staff during pre-season so that I would have more time to track down lists and take spur-of-the-moment pictures. Communication prevails over gardening!
Yesterday, as you know, was another blistering one, albeit with a gentle breeze wafting from north to south, bringing in a touch of cooler Canadian air. It rained for a very short span after dinner and boys were summoned back to their cabins to wait it out. I loved it when the announcement came at 7:30 to resume the evening sponsorships.
Lots of camps would have bagged it for the day, but not here. It even rained a few more drops as I witnessed one of my favorite evening games – Wipflerball. That is “Wiffleball” with several rules adaptations, including making up rules as we go along, as noted by CIT Lucas Masiokas, making his first Kingswood sponsorship. They had a blast.
I’ll keep this blog a tad shorter as I run off to find the rosters and consult with Sara about photos for the day. Check here later on.
Mt. Carrigain promises the best view in the White Mountains. Hard to get to, hard to climb. This is an “invitational” hike, open only to very experienced trampers.
Seriously, some say Moosilauke is the second best view in the Whites. Best of all, Moose is the dominant view from our shoreline and is a prerequisite for our Varsity hiking club. Groups of ten or less are preferred by the Appalachian hiking club. I’ll bet we take more than that to Mt. Cardigan.
Cardigan, not to be confused with Carrigain, is a beginner climb, at least on the trail we take. The summit is a very flat rock and an abandoned fire tower sits there. Boys always enjoy this one.
Mt Garfield is the northern most peak of the Franconia Range. A long, steadily uphill hike gets the climber to one of our favorite views in the Whites. No kidding, all the hikes today provide fabulous views. I think the program guys are trying to get the boys hooked on hiking.
Fishermen are off to Indian Pond, not twenty minutes away, and famed for being our favorite fishing spot.
These boys are going around the lake to a really pretty spot we call Pirates Cove, where they will camp for the night. A great swim in the lake, a campfire and s’mores are on the agenda. I did not get the memo and cannot tell you if they are walking over there or taking canoes! For all these trips we hope to garner photographic evidence!