Hey, Camp Folks!

The summer season is in full swing—lots of you may already be back from your summer camp stay. Where was your summer camp experience this camp season? Maybe you went to the camp that we’re featuring on today’s Summer Camp Spotlight Blog post! We’re swinging the Everything Summer Camp spotlight westerly where we find the great Geneva Glen Camp in the lovely state of Colorado.

Geneva Glen Camp is nestled amongst the ponderosa pines of Indian Hills in the heart of Colorado. They’ve welcomed generations of campers to create their own community on this beautiful land summer after summer since 1922—one of the older camps in America.

Through friendships, traditions, and activities, Geneva Glen helps its campers to develop the character within, as well as values and leadership. The campgrounds are set up to provide awesome and adventurous activities. Enjoy awesome times at Geneva Glen Camp engaged in campy pastimes like Hiking, Exploring, Horseback Riding, Swimming, Archery, Climbing, Challenge Courses, Music, Drama, Arts & Crafts, and Pageantry and Ceremony.

Geneva Glen Camp comfortably houses more than 200 campers each year. The boys live in dorms with about 15 other peers as well as their group counselor while the girls occupy the cabins in groups of 12 to 13 including a counselor or two. Geneva Glen prides itself in their counselors’ ability to create a welcoming and embracing environment for each camper in ever group.

Regarded by many as ‘magic’, the summer camp lifestyle at Geneva Glen Camp strengthens the loyalty of each member in the camp family every summer and inspires generations of campers to return summer after summer. If you’d like to look into Geneva Glen Camp further for your own future experience, check them out some time. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Merry ‘Mockers!

Happy Hammock Day! I’m always happier with my awesome ENO hammock packed along with the Atlas Suspension Straps while I make my way through the welcoming wilderness because I know that at any moment, I can come across an appropriate spot, set up my ENO Hammock, and relax in the great outdoors! Making time to ‘mock is important!

Sway your way to respite because you need to be serious about your relaxation after all the summertime adventures and fun times you have. Find your summer sanctuary within the comfort of a quality parachute hammock. Whether you make your escape in the great outdoors or in the privacy of your own backyard, time spent in a hammock will heal you—mind, body, and soul!

Enjoy relaxation time in this comfortable cocoon with a number of different activities:

Just the same as reading in bed, reading in a hammock is just as relaxing, but made even better when you can do it in the great outdoors! Make a trip out to somewhere special and catch up on your reading in a hammock!

Conducive to deep concentration of meditative relaxation, hammocks are perfect for focus on the simplicity of existence and deep breathing.

Catching Zzz’s never comes with more ease than when you’re hanging out in the comfort of your very own hammock. Tip a cap over your eyes to take a daytime snooze or close your eyes for a night of sleep beneath the canopy of stars!

If you have a spare hammock or know friends with their own, journey out into the great outdoors together and hang up your hammocks for some chill, quality time together. Laugh it up over your stories as you enjoy snacks or activity book fun!

Check out our ENO selection by clicking here and order your own to discover true relaxation! Enjoy this awesome portable comfort and ‘mock like you mean it in an ENO Hammock from Everything Summer Camp! As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Writers!

It’s another camp season in the books! And now that kids are returning home, they have some time for reflection on the experience they had at camp. We want to hear how it went. Tell us through our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest! Last year we saw the most submissions yet and we always love reading each and every one!

We can’t wait to hear what you guys cooked up this summer!

Tell us about your most memorable moment or talk about all the great people you met. Maybe you want to write about the camp you went to and why you think it’s the best! No matter what you choose to share, we’d love to hear it! Include your first and last name as well as the name of the camp you visited and how long you’ve been going to camp. Submissions must be 150 words to qualify, but go for more if want!

There’s an endless list of things you could write about for your submission—a list of everything you ate while at camp, for instance. But the best submissions are written about the parts of camp that meant the most to you. Take your time to really set the scene for us.

Write about the things you learned at camp. Write about all the friends you made while you were there. Write about how it felt to be away from home. Write about the beautiful landscapes and natural surroundings you saw at camp. Or submit a journal-style entry that chronicles a day in the summer camp life!

Submit your written entry of your time at camp by clicking here. There is no entry fee. If you're under the age of 18, you'll need permission from your parent or guardian to participate in this Contest.

And speaking of parents—we certainly love hearing from you as well; so don’t hesitate to enter your own submission if you’d like to share your own story. How did the experience go on your end? Has your kid shown a positive change in character and behavior? How did you cope with your camper being away? Did you learn any lessons? Tell us anything you want, really—we’re all ears!

For this contest we’ll be picking ten random winners. Our first randomized winner will receive our top prize of a $250 gift card to use on our website! Two more winners will receive $100 gift cards to our site. Three random winners will get $50 gift cards. And four random winners will receive $25 gift cards. All other participants will get a $15 gift card to make everyone a winner! 

Tell us how camp went and submit your stories to be shared right here on the Blog! Check out the entry form for further details. You can browse through previous submissions by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Hammock Lovers!

Here at Everything Summer Camp, we’re extremely excited to now be carrying the brilliant hammocks from the awesome brand name ENO—Eagles Nest Outfitters. It was 20 years ago that the Pinholster brothers co-founded this incredibly successful and recognizable brand name. To go back and look at the rocky start they had, it’s surprising that this brand ever lasted more than a few years!

Pete and Paul started out in the summer of 1999 selling their hammocks out of the back of a minivan at popular music festivals. They did pretty well for such a rickety beginning and it wasn’t long before they were able to acquire an office to conduct their business apart from their van operation. Things were going well but good fortune took a sudden nosedive when an office fire destroyed their entire inventory as well as all their confidence in ever growing the ENO brand.

“It was heartbreaking,” Pete has commented. “We were tempted to give up, call it a loss and move on, but we realized we had started something, maybe something small, but it was gaining support. We moved to Asheville and decided to give it another try.”

So, incredibly, these determined brothers moved past the destruction of their strong start and started again. “We are extremely fortunate for our faithful supporters,” Paul pointed out. “They have really been the catalyst for our growth since the beginning. Our customers inspire us to continue developing the best products to help them relax and enjoy their surroundings.”

Since then, the Pete and Paul Pinholster have incredibly brought their company back with a vengeance! Its name recognition has skyrocketed in the last few years especially and their product quality is unmatched. Check out our ENO selection by clicking here and order your own to discover true relaxation! As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

What an excellent response we saw for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp that we held after LAST summer! We’re still publishing each and every one right here on the Blog! We received a handful that weren’t long enough to qualify for our contest, but we thought we’d at least share them on the Blog. Check out two more accounts from excited campers right now!

First is this entry from Michael Q. who attended Camp Deerhorn:

“Today I came home after 3 weeks in Camp Deerhorn. It was my first time at Deerhorn and the longest I had ever been away from home. I am very proud that I won 1 of the 6 Bravery Awards out of about 150 campers. I won it because I overcame my own fear. It was very windy and most kids were too scared to sail out, including me. However, one camper was in need of a sailing partner. Even though I was scared I decided to help him. I went out sailing on a windy day and had a great time!”

Next up is a submission from Hamed Al D. who wrote in to tell us about her boys’ camp experiences at Camp Kenwood.

“I really enjoyed camp, everyone was very friendly and nice. I felt very welcome. I made friends from the very first day. 2018 is my first year going to camp and it was amazing. This was my first time away from home and it was an amazing home away from home experience.”

Thanks for these submissions, Michael and Hamed! It’s always great to hear when summer camp produces such fun experiences. Glad you both had such positive first-time experiences. Thanks for sharing! If anybody else is interested in attending one of these camps, put some time aside and look into Camp Deerhorn and Camp Kenwood for yourself! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John