Hey, Summer Campers!

Meet Mark. He’s the President of Everything Summer Camp. I sat down to talk with him about what he would do if he was given the chance to return to the summer camp experience right now in his adulthood—what activity would he be most excited about.

Without hesitating, he told me mountaineering would be his top choice. Back in 2019, Mark’s interest in climbing was first sparked when he traveled Wisconsin to Arizona. There he hiked through the rugged White Tank Mountains, conquering a challenging 4,500 feet climb.

Later that year, Mark headed to Denver for the Outdoor Retailer Show, a bustling convention for scouting new camp gear.

Eager to challenge himself further, he arrived in Denver a couple days in advance before the show, looking to make it to the top of the tenth-highest summit of the Rocky Mountains. he set his sights on Gray's Peak, a beginner-friendly mountain towering just over 14,000 feet.

Mark encountered an unexpected hurdle—an avalanche had scattered debris across the road to the trailhead, forcing him to park further down and navigate through the debris field in the dark with his trusty headlamp.

Although he began his ascent solo, Mark soon teamed up with another climber he met along the way. Together, they provided moral support, encouraging each other through the daunting journey. Each step became a victory as they pushed through fatigue, dizziness, headaches, and cramps caused by the high altitude.

Going hand-in-hand with Mountain Climbing, Mark would be interested in trying his hand at Rappelling someday. Additionally, he would like to test out his Outdoor Survival Skills like building a shelter, starting a fire, filtering water, etc.—skills that would test his resilience and enhance his outdoor experiences.

For Mark, the thrill of climbing mountains isn't just about reaching new heights; it's about pushing his limits, forming connections with fellow adventurers, and embracing the challenges of the great outdoors. If he could relive the summer camp spirit today, Mark's passion for mountaineering would undoubtedly take center stage, inspiring others to embark on their own exhilarating journeys in nature.

Till next time, Camp Folks! Thanks for reading and, as always, Happy Camping!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

Have you ever noticed that when you place an order with us here at Everything Summer Camp, your order is delivered at your doorstep in just a couple days? Our Shipping Department is a well-oiled machine thanks to Anita’s awesome orchestration! Under her management, so many great improvements have been implemented to our order-picking and order-packing processes. Creating such a fun work environment, it’s no wonder that our Shipping Department works so smoothly.

If given the opportunity to go to summer camp now in her adulthood, Anita said she would be most eager to do some good ol’ overnight camping. Anita feels at home in the Great Outdoors. Monthly camping trips were a regular part of the first 18 years of her life. But once she started dating the man she would come to marry, her camping trips became a weekly activity.

Included in her overnight camping trip, Anita would do some kayaking, some mountain biking, and—of course—outdoor cooking!   

Kayaking
Like lots of kids, Anita could never get enough time in the water. She’d go swimming all the time in her teen years and enjoyed plenty of other water activities growing up like fishing, tubing, water sports, and, her current favorite, kayaking.

Mountain Biking
As natural on a bike as she is in the water, Anita has plenty of fond memories cruising through a trail on her mountain bike. She recalls “Lots of our trips out,” she told me where “We’d just grab the tent, the cooler, the bikes, and go!”

Outdoor Cooking
Anita still goes on camping trips as often as her busy life allows. And no camping trip is complete without meals made over a campfire! Her and her daughter will still make pizza masterpieces over the open flames as well as orange peel muffins and plenty of other delicious meals. Sounds like I ought to join Anita on her next camping trip!

Do you love the same camp activities as Anita? Her picks are very essential summer camp experiences! It’s no surprise to find someone so in love with overnight camping working here at Everything Summer Camp! As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Adventurers!

Here at Everything Summer Camp, we really like to talk up our customer service because it’s truly something to write home about! One of the major factors of our incredible customer service is our Call Center Supervisor, Diane. She takes your calls and chats online as well as everyday office tasks like returns and the occasional ‘problem order’. She’s wonderful at helping customers along no matter what part of the process they’re at with their order.

You can always count on Diane for a friendly smile and a quick laugh to keep things light around the office. With a friendly attitude and an open ear, she’s always good to talk with (which is so clearly why she is now our Call Center Supervisor—we want all of you to get to talk to her as well)! Always striving to be a positive influence, Diane is also the founder of our Commit to be Fit Program around the workplace which encourages healthy living.

If given the opportunity to go to summer camp now in her adulthood, Diane said she would be most eager to go horseback riding.  

Ride Horse of Course
If you know Diane, you could have guessed that horseback riding would be at the top of her to-do list at a summer camp. Diane loves the freedom she feels on horseback and she loves being outdoors as well. She talked about it back in a post I wrote that featured her trip to Roatán which can be read when you click here.

Dolly and Diane
It’s no surprise that Diane is so in love with horses. She doesn’t get the opportunity all that often these days, but back when she was growing up on her family farm where she had her own horse, Dolly. She’d even ride Dolly bareback from time to time—no saddle.

Born in the Saddle
Life for kids growing up on a farm is a very different kind from those who grow up in the city. Diane mentioned that she wasn’t sure of her age the first time she was on a horse. “Six months old, probably,” she told me. Turns out she wasn’t sure because she had essentially always rode horseback.  

It’s cool to see Diane’s eyes light up as she talks about riding horses—especially her old pal, Dolly—and great that her love of horses, instilled at birth, has stayed with her all her life. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Comic Strip Lovers!

Interest in Comics has held the fascination of children and adults alike throughout the decades. Summer camps know how cool comic strips are so most are sure to offer a comics program. This art form—and, yes, it IS an art form—is a genius combination of the written word and drawing.

The inventor of comic strips seems to have some confusion surrounding it. Many people credit a Swiss schoolmaster Rodolphe Töpffer who lived in the first half of 19^th Century. He published ‘The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck,’ along with others. His work made use of panel frames that are commonplace today but his panels had no space between one another (referred to by cartoonists as ‘the gutter’).

But despite Mr. Rodolphe typically being credited as inventor of the comic strip, it is ‘The Yellow Kid’ which is generally considered to be the first comic strip—first published in the New York World in 1896. ‘The Yellow Kid’ is the work of Richard Fenton Outcault. This strip was a single-panel comic featuring a kid-like cartoon who always wore a yellow garment with words printed on it, giving a short commentary.

‘The Yellow Kid’ gained popularity after the turn of the century along with comic strips altogether. The art medium gradually became more polished with multiple panels and gutters between them. Cartoonists experimented with overlapping panels, word bubbles, and other stylistic choices.

By just 1913, the legendary ‘Krazy Kat’ debuted which would go on to become a great inspiration for modern comic strip artists like Bill Watterson—creator of ‘Calvin and Hobbes’. It was Bill Watterson that I selected to feature last year as an installment to our ‘Pioneers and Record Setters’ Blog post series as he holds many records with his magical strip. Check out that Blog post by clicking here.

Nowadays, comic strips are found in every newspaper and online publication. I wrote the comic strip back in the day for ‘The Mirror’, my college newspaper at Lakeland College. I called it the ‘Chase & Eddie’—two college roommates whose personalities were different sides of myself. Comic strips are a great way to express yourself, even if your drawings are just stick figures! Give it a try for yourself today. As always, thanks for reading! See you in the funny papers.

- John

Hey, Friends of the Environment!

When your room is clean, your mind is at peace. And, in similar fashion, the rest of the world isn’t any different than your room; we’re all much happier in a clean environment than we are in a smoggy, littered landscape. Unopposed Nature brings abounding beauty and fortifying fresh air to make us feel even more valuable than a million bucks—something priceless!

Yes, Nature can have that effect on us but, in order to reap its benefits, we must take stewardship over the land. It falls on all of us to care for a piece of the world regardless of who owns it. Caring for land means maintaining it, taking into consideration all the facets of what your particular land needs to achieve great health.

Some goals may be loftier than others if you don’t have access to the necessary equipment or understanding (restoring balance to an ecosystem, for instance). But no matter what your experience level is or what kind of equipment you have access to, there’s always a favor you can do the environment…

Put a Lid on the Litter
This is probably the easiest to do. Just devote some time to combing your yard or local park or woodsy trail for trash. All you need is a trash bag and maybe a pair of gloves for sanitation’s sake. Cleaning up trash outside will not only make you feel better, but everyone who passes that area as well.

Eliminating Excess
Eliminating the waste of our resources is essentially the definition of Conservation. Practice conserving the energy that goes into running water as well as electricity and gas in your home by turning off switches and faucets when you're not using the commodity.

Enriched Recycling
Composting your yard waste and kitchen scraps is a great way to practice conservation. Simply by discarding organic items together in a designated spot will reduce landfill waste, introduce valuable organisms to the soil like bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, and add nutrients to the soil. The land will thank you.

You can learn more about composting in particular by checking out this previously written Blog post right here. And learn what the #Trashtag project is when you read this Blog post about the UCO Gear challenge. Make the land that you love shine with compassion and care and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John