Camp Country Lad offers a boy the opportunity to live in the woods simply; to enjoy a combination of wilderness camping and rustic living; to have fun informally while gaining new skills as they live in the out-of-doors; and to share the insights of living together in a Christian atmosphere.

A Typical Day

MORNING

The boys can choose to sign up for any of the following activities: boating, crafts, sailing, woodworking, BB, archery, tennis, and horseback.  Ages are mixed in all of the activities so the boys all get to be friends and learn from boys of all ages.  Each boy takes one period of swimming daily in our lake.   

The day begins with the wake-up bell.  Getting ready for the day, each boy makes his bunk and organizes his area.  Then, together, campers pitch in to clean the cabin and make it ready for morning inspection.  After the flag-raising, the boys enjoy a hearty breakfast served family-style in our Dining Hall, followed by four periods of morning activities.  

AFTERNOON

After morning activities, the boys gather again in the Dining Hall for lunch.  Following lunch, the boys return to their cabins for a rest hour - a chance to read, relax, and write letters. 

Afternoons give campers many options: a game of tetherball, a trail ride, or returning to program activities of interest.  After a full day of activities, the boys head to the lake for free swim.  Then they gather at the dining hall for the lowering of the flag and the final meal of the day. 

EVENING

After supper, boys have free time to enjoy a wide range of activities: basketball, badminton, tetherball, stilts, fishing, or field games (ultimate frisbee, soccer, Camp’s own “Danny Ball”).  

As the sun sets, the boys come together for an evening program.  Each night is different with skits or lip-syncs in Lad’s Lodge, watermelon or scavenger hunts around Camp, or programs around our campfire circle.  

Returning to their cabins, the boys wash up and gather for counselor-led devotions.  Then, it’s lights out, falling asleep in the cool mountain air.  Day is done!

Camp Activities

  • Swimming

    All campers take swimming every day. Our program is based on the Red Cross swimming program and gives the opportunity for the boys to become at home in the water as stronger and more confident swimmers. Each day, free swim gives them a chance for fun and relaxation with friends while they play on the log, the rope swing, diving boards or the slide.

  • Boating

    Camp's 25-acre lake provides a wonderful opportunity for boating. Boys learn how paddle canoes by progressing though ranks. After learning basic techniques, they can take boats out with friends to fish or just enjoy a sunny afternoon on the water together.

  • Sailing

    Mountain breezes make for fun sailing. Boys can choose between Optimist dinghies or Sunfish sailboats. The sailing ranks include sailing proficiency and learning a wide variety of knots. Learning to catch the wind and have it carry you across the lake and back again can give a boy a sense of pride. The Country Lad Cup allows boys to test their skills in our Camp sailing race.

  • Crafts

    Creativity abounds in crafts where boys can explore nature crafts, pottery, make duct-tape wallets, or work with leather. The highlight for many is making a tie-dye T-shirt. Some boys may also come hang out in the craft shop and just enjoy the company while they play a game of checkers or chess.

  • BB

    Campers learn gun safety and shooting accuracy through target practice at BB. Scores are kept throughout the summer to measure progress and work towards ranks.

  • Woodworking

    In woodworking, boys learn basic woodworking skills, using old fashioned hand tools to create projects. As they get older and more proficient, they begin to use basic power tools for sanding and drilling. Many use woodworking to create sailboats and paddle boats for the boat regatta.

  • Archery

    For many, launching an arrow using a bow is exciting. With both Junior and Senior Archery, boys have a chance to grow in confidence, safety and marksmanship at increasing distances, earning ranks recognized by the American Archery Association.

  • Tennis

    Tennis is fun and exciting on Camp's clay courts. In addition to learning basic tennis skills, boys participate in the tennis pyramid and other tournaments. If we have rain, no worries! The boys run to Lad’s Lodge for table tennis until the courts quickly dry.

  • Horseback

    From the first year of Camp, boys have enjoyed riding horses. They first learn to ride in our riding ring with experienced instructors. Then, after mastering basic skills, the boys head out on trail rides through the woods. The best way to see all of Camp is from the back of a horse! Many look forward to coming back each year to be reunited with a favorite horse.

Around Camp

Any given day, when the boys aren’t at their activities, you might find them hanging out with their cabin mates, playing with one of their animals in the nature area, fishing by the lake, walking on stilts, filling their water bottles from the well, playing a game of tetherball, or going for a hike to swim in the Obey river. 

Special Days at Camp

There are the special days at Camp when our schedule totally changes as we have Camp-wide celebrations.  The 4thof July and Camp Birthday are great favorites with all-day celebrations of games and activities from dawn past dusk.  We have other special days like Pioneer Day, or sometimes Donkey Day, the Boat Regatta, a Flea Market trip, or a tour of our local Mennonite Community.

Church and Sundays

Sunday is a special day at Camp where the pace slows down and we take time to reflect on the past week and look to the week ahead.  After breakfast, we begin with cabin inspections and cabin chores, where each cabin cleans and organizes an area of Camp to get us ready for the week to come.  After a mid-morning free swim and time to change into their Sunday whites, boys make their way to our outdoor camp church, a special place at Camp, set along the lake with towering trees above.  With the older boys helping, the service includes Bible and nature readings, hymns, and a special message delivered by one of our Senior Staff.  The emphasis is on the enduring Christian values of humility, service to others, respect for God and His creation, and brotherly love.  From the church, all process to the Dining Hall for a summer Sunday dinner before rest hour.

In the afternoon, we might take a hike to the Rock House for a swim in the cool Obey River.  Our evening meal is held outside and we close our day with a twilight Vespers program of music and usually an inspirational story told by one of our Senior Staff around our campfire circle by the lake before all head back up the hill and through the woods to settle in for a quiet lights out and a readiness for the week to come.

 Camp Country Lad is a place where “boys can be boys.”