The Lake Swim event was anything but a lazy float for the sizable group that participated in this marvelous Kingswood tradition yesterday afternoon.  It was one of the best Lake Swims in years:  First, the weather was perfect, it being both warm and with very light breezes.  This latter condition is essential, as boys get off course no matter what, due to the current.  This time there was a bit of drifting, but not too bad.

Secondly, what a thrill it was to see three boys make the full trek  –across the lake to an orange marker posted at water’s edge and back to the beach — in under 30 minutes.  Aidan, age 12 and just arriving at camp one day ago, came within 3 minutes of the camp record of 22 minutes, set  by a counselor several years ago.  I do not recall a camper ever coming that close to the mark, so let’s say he has that record as of now.  That’s Aidan with his adoring fan club in one of the photos below.

Lastly, and most significantly, every person who set off on the trek, made it both ways.  “I could not walk on dry land that fast,” was my standard reply to each finisher.  Meanwhile, other truly lazy activities were going on, including a scavenger hunt, in which one item was a photo of yours truly making a funny face.  I growled at all of them!  Some other boys golfed on our Cayman course and others took out kayaks to fish or otherwise lull through the warm afternoon hours.

After dinner was more of the same, minus the Lake Swim, and the very happy day concluded with the Inspection Ice Cream Party, with its most unusual verdict of the older campers (Guides Lodge) running off with the best inspection grade of the week.  Unusual, in that these erstwhile slobs went from last to first place in seven days time, thus confirming for all time that the stick-carrot theory works!

The last photo is the CIT’s who used yesterday’s relative lull to have another meeting on the subject of Kingswood leadership.