The First Shabbat

It’s on! What an amazing first week we’ve had to kick off 2022. From new sports like ultimate frisbee, to new friends being made, (Cabin 14 leading the way here) it has been a week of absolute awesomeness that has fired up our first week with campers.

Camp getting ‘fired up’ was an interesting choice of words, I guess, given the circumstances of the week. It’s still hard to grasp that we were evacuating camp on day three of the session, but we were able to do so safely, successfully, and get everyone off camp in under twenty minutes. I couldn’t even begin to imagine having to order the evacuation of both campers and horses and pray we will never have to again. However, it was also so reassuring to know that this is a team and a place that can respond to an emergency when the need arises. A big Shabbat thank you to our Elbert County First Responders, as well as the wildland fire crew who got the fire near us under control in just a few hours. I deeply appreciate the community’s patience with our first-time camper calls, being out of the property for most of Wednesday has really set us back a bit.

Despite the stress of Wednesday afternoon, it has been absolutely amazing getting back to what feels relatively normal, and a lot more like camp than how we began summer 2021. Seeing campers out and about with their peers and just enjoying being at camp has been a true blessing and truly sets camp apart as a space where campers can feel safe and able to just enjoy being themselves in the company of friends. 

As the story of the Torah wraps our 40 years in the desert, it’s been great to wrap our first week of camp after three weeks of staff training. Being able to have this community together, after years of waiting for a ‘normal’ week of camp, has really been one for the record books. From watching our Mini Campers do the ropes course and get up in the air ten times their own height, to seeing our EQers get their horses for the first time today, it’s been challenging, but a soul-filling few days. It’s been great to see staff leading chugim (electives) again, bringing their own passions to camp to share with kids and build an even better experience for campers. 

I’m excited about our first Shabbat dinner together and, a sentiment I’m sure I share with a majority of our campers and staff, cannot wait to see what the next week brings.

Shabbat Shalom Ranch Camp! See you in Week 2 of Session 1.