The clock strikes 7:30 am, and the bell rings. Campers rub their bleary eyes, awakening to a misty morning, the sun just starting to peek through the cabin windows. A counselor strolls into the bunkroom with a warm “Good Morning!”, encouraging the girls to get ready for the big day ahead. The campers climb down from their beds, stretch, yawn, and begin their morning. Thus, the daily routine at camp begins.
While each day at Keystone is full of new possibilities and surprises for even our most veteran campers, we pride ourselves on the power of our daily routine. At camp, routine inspires responsibility, discipline, and living well in community. Through routine, the girls develop independence and a sense of ownership over their space. It also helps our counselors keep their cabins organized and on task.
Each day begins with morning chores, which include sweeping, taking out the trash, cleaning sinks, and tidying up one’s own bunk and personal area. Chores are usually assigned by a rotation — either by chart or chore wheel. It is every camper’s responsibility to know what their assignment is and to accomplish it before morning flag. The timing is important, because at some point during the morning, a staff member will complete cabin inspections and record each cabin’s score on a large chart. Each session, the girls compete in a friendly cabin inspection competition, with the highest-scoring cabin being named Honor Cabin at the end of the session and earning an extra trip to Dolly’s.
The daily routine continues with raising the flag and breakfast, which includes a variety of options to help fuel the day. After breakfast, campers attend assembly in the Pavilion, where announcements, such as weekly trip signups, take place. The girls also learn the previous day’s cabin inspections scores. Most enjoyably, assembly is where girls learn and sing camp songs! Our LITs (Leaders in Training) lead the rest of camp in age-old songs like Rocky Top, Who Am I Sir?, and Make New Friends. Then campers head out to participate in their first four activities of the day. Unless a camper requests to change her schedule, her activities are part of her routine as well.
The first half of the day culminates with lunch, which is the most energetic meal time at Keystone! Cabins have the opportunity to sing songs and dance while waiting their turn to get food. The meal is followed by a crucial part of the daily routine at Keystone: rest hour. Following table clean-up, counselors collect all the mail for their cabins and distribute it to their campers at their bunks. Campers then have a luxurious hour to spend catching up on their snail mail correspondence, reading, journaling, drawing, or napping. Rest hour helps everyone recharge for the rest of the day, and is a prime example of how girls learn to live well in community. If girls are rambunctious during rest hour, then their cabinmates who are trying to nap might be displeased. It’s important for girls to learn to be mindful of the other people sharing the cabin environment.
At the end of rest hour, campers line up in front of their cabin doors, well rested and itching with excitement. Looking at them, one may wonder what all the fuss is about — but any Keystone Girl could tell you, it’s time for Tuck! When the bell rings, girls scurry down the paths toward the Tuck Shop, quickly forming a line to choose their delicious treats. The Tuck Shop offers everything from tiny sodas to ice cream bars, essentially all you could ask for in a sweet treat!
Campers spend the rest of the afternoon in their last three activity periods and wrap up with some free time, which often means taking a dip in the swim lake, playing games on the green, reading in a hammock, or joining a round of Gaga ball. Before dinner, we have evening flag, where we lower and fold up the flag for the day.
Dinner is followed by Evening Program (which we lovingly call EP). Keystone EPs are usually whole-camp activities that can be very active (like Gold Rush, Rainbow Tag, or a dance) or more subdued (like Movie Night or Coffee House). Another favorite evening program is Sliding Rock. Nothing beats going down a natural slide in Pisgah National Forest and eating your favorite flavor of Dolly’s ice cream afterwards. EPs have a way of bringing the whole camp community together!
Evening programming concludes with Taps: the perfect way to cap off another fun day at camp. Campers then head off to their cabins and begin the process of taking showers and getting ready for bed. One of the best parts of the nighttime routine at Keystone is circle time. Everyone gathers in a circle on the floor of their cabin, and counselors lead campers in “Rose, Bud, Thorn” or “High, Low, Buffalo” — activities designed to help campers reflect on their day and get a sense of what everyone in the cabin has been doing.
When campers’ heads hit their pillows after that big day, they feel tired, but satisfied. They’re able to sleep soundly, comforted by the familiar routine of camp awaiting them the next morning.
