A Mid-Winter Break from Hibernation

Winter here at Camp always brings the same old questions:

What exactly happens at L.G. Cook 4-H Camp all off-season long?

AND

What in the world do the counselors do when it's not Summer Camp!?

Well, the answer to both is simple.

The counselors spend the winter the way so many other creatures of the forest do...

They hibernate.

And they hibernate right here at Camp. 

Yes, at the end of every summer they curl up...

Somewhere nice...

And comfortable...

To finally get some sleep...

After a long season of 24-hour-cabin-counseling days.

But then, come a certain day mid-winter...

They stir.

And stretch.

And yawn.

And start to wake up!

And wake each other up!

Time to explore a wintry Camp!

No, you can't have ten more minutes of hibernation!

You've been sleeping for 4 1/2 months!

It's time to wake up now!

Then it was a morning stroll to Vespers Island...

To wake up one more colleague...

For a mid-hibernation vespers.

See, the off-season is crazy! We have Vespers in the morning!

Then off for a hike!

To see how lovely Stokes Forest is weathering the winter...

And to make sure the rocks are all piled up nice and neat.

Then time to play!

Because you all know how it is.

You can't wake up at Camp...

And not start playing almost right away.

But being a counselor isn't all fun and games.

(It's just mostly fun and games.)

There's work too!

Like putting the finishing touches on their holiday cards. (Which is fun work.)

Hurry up, crew! The holidays are coming up! We need to get those in the mail!

And then finally, they enjoy just a little bit more quality time...

Together by Lake Shawanni in its slightly-more-solid-than-summer-state.

Cause truth be told...

They're still exhausted from last summer.

And need to catch up on all the winter sleep they can...

...To start resting up for next summer.