13 November, 2020 Winter Office
Looking back – We've had a lonely summer on Source, but we worked like mad to make the island shine for next season. Looking ahead - Next season is on! Pathfinder is operating. Grab your spot, do not miss out. Summer 108 will be great.
In Algonquin, late summer and early autumn have been mild and brimming with water levels and forest color. One cold snap brought skim ice and snowy -13c temps. A tropical waft came next, spiking temps close to 20c, the low-angle sun and huge full moons glowing in the golden Tamaracks. At last, we snapped the padlocks on CPI Nov. 7 after a quiet but immensely productive care-taking summer. Now the daily power crew task is enrolling a great community of campers and staff, and preparing the renaissance summer.
Pathfinder 2021 enrollment has been marvelous, a testament to parents’ loyalty and excitement for the return of their boys’ beloved summer place. Early Bird sign ups were robust (166!), and since September many more new families have come on board. With all the challenges our families continue to face, the prospect of an exciting Pathfinder summer 2021, full of friends and favorite staff, has become a bright spot. Some places remain for our veterans who haven't jumped yet - but ... Don't wait!
Even now, so early in the off-season, we want all our campers, staff, parents and alumni to know that Pathfinder will 100% be operating and welcoming campers in Sum
mer 2021. Camp continues to work with the provincial government and public health authorities. And we continue our part in authoring the Ontario Camps Association guidance for residential and tripping camps next season. Just as there was confidence that closing of camps was right for '20, there's confidence that opening is right for '21. A team of Pathfinder and outside experts is assembled to create a plan for safe, healthy, fun sessions.
What will the camp summer look like next summer? Many important factors remain uncertain at this writing, but some facets are safe to predict. We’ll keep you in touch with the latest developments all through this coming winter and spring.
Meanwhile, what basics are in store?
Pathfinder staff and campers will be well prepared for their camp time. Combinations of prescreening, home quarantine and testing will help get everyone up to camp. Once there, campers and staff will join in cohorting and masking, living and playing in smaller, distanced groups, to help get our sessions going in good health. Sleepage and dining may be spread out, while al fresco meals may be in the rotation with smaller dining groups using the DH. The famous fare at Pathfinder will be as great as ever. Camp's health staff will be bolstered especially for this summer. And a lively program of in-camp sport, activities, and those signature sudden surprises will combine with trip training and excited preparations for adventures in the Park and beyond.
As further testing and observation show our camp health, it will become possible to consider the bubbled camp community ‘clean,’ so that the larger community can enjoy daily fun and canoe trips, getting back to familiar routines. To achieve this well-deserved and much-needed sense of Pathfinder normal, Camp will control total enrollment size, close access by visitors, and forego staff travel away from the Park. Our island home will be our safe haven, the back country our playground. More on how we'll handle our mid-session two weekers, our AAs, and our family camp patrons coming up in our next bulletin. Stay well, everyone. Stay in touch and stay focused on our summer to come! Sladds, Glenn, Mary, Paige and the Pathfinder Senior Staff.
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