Director’s Reports

By the Warmth of the Fire

July 18, 2026

By the Warmth of the Fire

July 18, 2026

Last evening we had our fourth council fire of the summer, just three weeks into the summer. We enjoy these sessions and especially when the campers behave –we being the Wipfler boys and behave referring to kids who sit quietly and stare into the fire or off towards the lake, hills or skies.

I like to get to the council circle at least 30 minutes early, as do Ryan, Scott and Oliver. Ryan builds the fire, Scott sets up the electronic gear and Oliver plans out the order of song performances.

I always enjoy the setting of council fire and feel that in these tranquil gatherings, we can preach good values to the kids without them even knowing it is happening. “I approved two actions on the summit of Moosilauke years ago when I was a young counselor. One was smart and the other a terrible mistake.” Then I let them guess – kite flying or tossing Frisbees – which was which?

FYI, the Frisbee game could have resulted in the destruction of alpine vegetation that was hundreds of years old. “I let that happen,” I practically hollered, “but don’t you ever be so dumb” I did holler! Rob and Mike followed with good stories about hypothermia on hiking trips, mostly due to poor planning and packing. I am confident the boys’ minds were spinning. Storytelling is how you make things stick.

Then, when you toss in some funny accounts involving peeing and pooping in the woods, you not only get some chuckles but tacit acknowledgment from the boys that they would never be That Guy.

After the round of stories, Mike Wiff distributed cabin group photos, handsomely framed, to all those three-week campers who depart today. Just a handful, actually, they were made to feel soon-to-be-missed by fellow campers and counselors. Nice touch.

Ryan and I had tossed a few extra logs on the fire this time as the temperatures again started falling rapidly as the sun was setting. As you can see from my photos, I like to sneak up behind campers, say “psst” and take pix with the fire in the background. This I have been doing for years.

Oliver, or Swampy , as we call him, had some nice camper song performances scheduled. The tunes had counselor support and were cheerfully received by the respectful crowd. Many boys joined in on songs I have never heard in my life. “Why not some Chopin” I remarked.

We sang the Kingswood song and taps followed by Klaus dismissing one cabin at a time until only the Guides (15 year olds) remained, whereupon the fire became theirs.

On this occasion, many lads departed council fire with warm feelings both outside and in.