Posted by: Birch Rock Camp

Today was sick. Dope. Downright radical. So much happened it is hard to contain the energy in mere words, but alas, I shall try.

We started with a classic – oatmeal, french toast, and sausages. YUM. Meanwhile, organizing, scheming, and coordination was happening around the lake. Why? Because today was the BRC Triathalon! 8 brave Bears swam 1.5 Ducks, biked 4 miles up egregious hills, and then ran all the way back to camp. All of camp lined the waterfront path to see the athletes off for the swim portion, and the atmosphere was electric (no actual electricity in the water, of course. Safety is and always will be our priority). They swam down the coast of Lake McWain exiting at a new point down at Camp Buck, our incredibly friendly neighbor who just happens to have a microwave as a mailbox. At this point Kiran F. was in a decisive lead, with Ethan N. and Emmett C. right on this tail! They then exited into the first transition onto the bikes. From there they went the hard way up the steepest section of McWain Hill Road, past camp, and all the way down to Springers Farm on the other end of the road. On the bikes Emmett C. had smoke coming out the back of his tires from the watts he was pushing into the pedals, taking a lead in the race for second. From the second transition our leaders were holding onto their paces, with the other 5 hot on the trail. They dropped their bikes and RAN a full mile uphill back to camp.

    • In the end there could be only one winner, with Ethan N. taking 3rd, Emmett C. taking 2nd, and our champion Kiran F. came in 1st, crossing the toilet paper finish line with an incredible time of under 35 minutes! Way to make camp proud, gentlemen. A fantastic effort was given by the remaining folks: Anderson G, Trip E, Milo S, Gabe E, and Jaden W, who pushed their limits to finish this race at a dead sprint.

    After the morning excitement we settled down for a quick rest period and into my favorite time of day, lunch. It was, of course, Chicken Patty Thursday and camp rejoiced at the splendor of breaded chicken cutlets (you gotta try the South Caroline Golden BBQ sauce on it, trust). 

    After lunch we played an energetic game of Capture the Flag up on the field while various teams of campers and staff started the sad process of cleaning up activity areas, and the exciting process of setting up the lodge for Banquet.

    Banquet is a special time here at Birch Rock. We drink tomato juice, have a fantastic meal of steak, corn, and peas, and top it off with banana splits. Yum. At the end of the meal we also got to finally see the brand new 2025 staff shirts, and holy cow. They are so sick. 

    Ladies and Gentlemen, only three times in Birch Rock history has there been a long sleeve staff shirt, and this year we brought home a long-sleeved white tee with the phrase “See You When the Bell Rings” on the back. They are so dope.

    After a brief bio-break we gathered back in the lodge to celebrate the achievements of the campers and pass our badges! Handshakes were given, Birch Rock cheers were thrown, and then the grand reveal of the plaques took place. Our beloved counselor, Nathan S literally poured his blood sweat and tears into these plaques, with a beautiful painting done by Chad H and Jimmy B to mark 99 seasons of BRC in the books. They are dark, glossy, and there may have even been a spider encased in resin Jurassic Park style. Thank you for the hard work!

    It was an epic day, and tomorrow, I will see you when the bell rings.

    Singing off,

    The On Duty Officer