6/6/10 Welcome to the summer of 2010! We are only 6 days away from the official start of the summer and camp already looks amazing. We've had a great group of guys here for the past several weeks working on precamp projects and camp has never looked this good, this early. The beginning of May saw 6 inches of snow on the ground, but that gave way to 90 degrees and sunshine for several weeks mid-May. It was so warm we were able to put the docks in early and make several trips to the Rave already. We have had some rain over the past few days, but it was much needed. Our new set of canoes is ready to go, as is the new pontoon boat. The new landscaping around the office looks great and the Skeeter will be much improved with a resurfacing and new boards. The horses have arrived and are riding the trails in preparation for the summer. The staff arrives tomorrow and on Saturday it's full speed ahead with the start of Father/Son Camp. Perhaps the new addition campers will be most excited about is "Iz". He is Blaine and Barb's 4 month old yellow lab puppy and he is a barrel of energy. He's very excited to meet all the kids this summer! Click on the photos link below and go to the Shutterfly site to see pictures of Iz.

6/13/10 After huge thunderstorms passed through on Friday, the weather improved for the start to our first Father/Son camp yesterday. This year's group is a great mix of new families and returning alumni, and it's made for a great start to our season. The highlight of the day for most (dads included) was a full-day game of sprout ball on the golf green. The rain held off until after dinner, but did not prevent us from having a great campfire in the lodge. Pictures from Father/Son camp are posted on our shutterfly site. You can access it from the photo link below.

6/14/10 Although the day was cloudy, the rain held off for most of the day allowing for a very busy day of activities. Today was our guided fishing day, and there were several muskies caught by our kids and dads. Tenzing Mangat caught a 38" muskie, Sam Cohen caught a 37" muskie, Thomas Huesman caught a 34" muskie, and JJ Williams topped it off with a whopping 41" muskie! Pictures are posted on our shutterfly site. The day ended with a fathers vs. counselors softball game. The fathers won the game, although the score shall remain unmentioned. It was a great campfire afterward, our first outside campfire of the season.

6/15/10 Today dawned cloudy and rainy, but that hasn't stopped anyone. There's a good game of rafterball going in the lodge, along with board games, and arts & crafts is a busy place this morning. Tonight's after dinner activity will be fathers vs. staff vs. campers Scalp, which always a much-anticipated event.

6/16/10 Our Father/Son camp concluded today with a great awards breakfast. There were wonderful speeches by several dads and amazing guitar playing by James Heath and Andy Miller. Many thanks to Lee Mandel for once again creating a great DVD as a momento for our families. Copies will be sent in the mail in the next week or so. We had 13 kids who are staying for A Session, and they had a great afternoon playing World Cup and other games. Later in the afternoon they took a pontoon boat cruise to the Birchwood for pizza and root beer. Once again, you can check out pictures on our shutterfly site.

6/17/10 We're all excited for the start of our first regular session of the summer. Campers started arriving this morning and the busses arrived right on time at 3pm. Campers took their swim tests this afternoon and checked out camp with their koogee groups. There was a meeting before dinner to introduce the staff, and the after dinner activity was Capture the Flag.

6/18/10 We are enjoying beautiful weather and lots of sunshine today. It's a great day to kick off the first regular day of activities. Campers were assigned to their groups this morning and activities will be in full swing after short orientations in each activity. Leaders are scouting all the campers so they are ready to make their picks tomorrow night for the 4 camp teams.

6/19/10 Today started with gorgeous sunshine and blue skies, and lots of wind for great sailing. Clouds came in around lunch time, but no thunderstorms as predicted. The winds made skiing a little tricky, but all activities had their orientations and got campers right into the action. Lunch was chicken patties and the leaders are picking teams tonight. Sports & Games played World Cup Soccer to go along with the excitement around camp about the real World Cup.

6/20/10 It's another gorgeous day in the northwoods. Sunday morning brings a 9am breakfast, so everybody was excited to get to sleep in an hour. After breakfast, campers enjoyed some free time. A lot of kids played Ultimate Frisbee up on the soccer field, while others played a game of street hockey at the skeeter. Blaine did the Sunday words of wisdom, and afterward the campers got to find out what teams they were on. The special event this afternoon was the treasure hunt, which was won by the Chippewa. Iroquois took second, followed by Navajo in third and Apache in fourth. The event went so quickly that there was time for an early g-swim. Campers enjoyed a cook-out on the beach for dinner, and everyone enjoyed the first campfire of the regular sessions. We'll hope that we continue to have this amazing weather.

6/21/10 Sunshine and blue skies..activities in full swing...grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch...Scalp for the first team competition event after dinner tonight...lots of energy and excitement from both new and old campers...an enthusastic and caring staff...it's good to be at Camp Deerhorn.

6/22/10 Unfortunately the first Scalp game of the season got rained out last night, but nighttime thunderstorms have given way to a bright and beautiful blue-skied day. Sports and Games played football in the morning, but took it down to the beach in the afternoon for some water basketball. Hopefully the weather will hold and campers will be able to play the first game of Scalp of the summer.

6/23/10 Kids were really excited to play Scalp last night. More nighttime thunderstorms continued into the morning activities, but by 10am, the sun was out and skies were blue. The Explorer Trip left this mornign after breakfast. The 14 year old group was excited to spend three days kayaking and camping. Sports & Games has played Sprout ball on the golf green all day, much to the delight of campers. Check out photos on our Shutterfly site. Many many thanks go out to Philip Watt and Tom Parker for the amazing new camera. It will get lots of use in years to come.

6/24/10 Blue skies and sunshine...Sports & Games played Quidditch all day on the soccer field and the wind was perfect for a great day of sailing. Still, it was not too windy for some good skiing, as pictures on our website will show.

6/25/10 Campers were excited to see a plane fly over camp this morning as we captured some great aerial video footage of camp. Our sailng fleet was out in full force for the occasion. The Explorer Trip returned just before lunch with nothing but great stories to tell of their trip. It's been cloudy all day, but the rain has held off and it was a great day of activities.

6/26/10 We had some huge thunderstorms all night, but by morning the rain had stopped. It's still pretty cloudy, but with no rain, activities can go on as usual. Basketball and Sports & Games have teamed up to play some street hockey on the Skeeter. Canoeing is out on the lake in kayaks. It was cinnamon toast and applesauce for breakfast, which is always a camper favorite.

6/27/10 Sunday morning, sleep in day. Pancakes for breakfast and then some free time after breakfast. There was a great game of Ultimate Frisbee on the soccer field and street hockey on the skeeter. We have three birthdays to celebrate today, Parker Frautschi & T.J. Farrell turn 9 today, and Connor Barrington is turning 15. Their koogees will get cake tonight and we all sang Bappy Hirthday to them at breakfast and lunch. Max Isroff did the Sunday words of wisdom today, accompanied by Parker Nixon on guitar. This afternoon's activity is the Deerhorn Olympics.

6/28/10 The Deerhorn Olympics got off to a great start yesterday but unfortunately a huge storm came through and heavy rain prevented them from finishing. The storm was short-lived, however, and after less than an hour, the sun came out and we were still able to have picnic supper on the beach and an outside campfire to end the day. Rain threatens again today but activities are still going on. Today is the last full day of activities before the session ends.

6/29/10 The temperatures dropped last night, and campers awoke this morning to the first chilly morning we've had in awhile. However, the sun is shining and the sky is blue and it's getting warmer by the minute. Hopefully we'll get a break for a few days from the showers that keep breaking up our days. Last night's evening activity was an all-camp variety show, and there were many talents showcased by our campers, including lots of great guitar playing that makes us confident that future campfires are in good hands. Cinnamon rolls started our day for breakfast. The intergalactic battle waged on on the soccer field, as campers battled for control of the universe in the game of Klepton. It's a camper favorite, so it was a fun morning in Sports & Games. This afternoon will be three periods of team competition, concluding with the third one being Scalp. It is always a much-anticipated afternoon, as campers push to earn those final points that will help their team win the session. Tonight is the much-loved counselor show to end the session.

6/30/10 We had a great end-of-the-session awards breakfast this morning. James Heath and Mark Brooks played the guitar, and many awards were passed out. Outstanding camper trophies went to T.J. Farrell, Justin Parker, & Ryan Morabito. Spirit Awards went to Zade Eldomiaty, Tenzing Mangat, & Luke Johnson. Congratulations to them and everyone else who won awards. For team totals as of the end of the session, check out the team comp. link at the top of the page. We have 30 kids who are staying over for next session. They will be doing fun activities this afternoon, have pizza on the beach for dinner, and go to see Toy Story 3 in town this evening.

7/1/10 B Session starts today. The busses arrived around 3:30 and after tours of camp and swim tests, there was a quick meeting to introduce the staff before dinner. Dinner was spaghetti and the kids played Capture the Flag after dinner.

7/2/10 We have been having the perfect Wisconsin summer weather. Beautiful sunshine and blue skies, great breeze off the lake. While most kids had orientation in activities, 27 kids who were here last session made the trek down to the Grand Lodge at Stoney Creek. It's a great indoor waterpark and everybody had a blast, although it was hard to be inside on such a gorgeous day.

7/3/10 Campers are having more orientations in activities, but there is still plenty of time for skiing, sailing, and shooting guns. It's another beautiful day and tonight the leaders are picking teams, so anticipation is high.

7/4/10 Happy 4th of July! We are keeping our fingers crossed that the rain holds off to allow us to fit in everything to our busy day! We've had gorgeous weather lately but today it's overcast and there's a chance of storms this afternoon. There are great games of street hockey and ultimate frisbee going this morning. At 11:30 James and Brooksy are giving the words of wisdom, and immediately after that campers will find out what teams they are on and shirts will be passed out. Lunch is at 1, and this afternoon are the very exciting 4th of July relays, both on land and water. We have an early cookout supper on the beach followed by a counselor softball game, campfire, and finally fireworks on the waterfront. Here's hoping we get to do all of it!

7/5/10 Unfortunately it rained most of yesterday. We were able to do all of the land relays for the 4th of July, but not the ones on the water. There are lots of pictures on our shutterfly site of the relays from yesterday. Our cookout was in the lodge, and after dinner was koogee time, as rain postponed the counselor softball game. Our fireworks were moved until tonight, however, we're supposed to get more rain this evening. Today is laundry day and also photo day. It's been pretty cloudy all morning, but the rain has held off thus far. Sports & Games is playing baseball today up on Dick Kinney Field. Today is also the first day of Deerhorn Hockey. The hockey kids have been divided up into two groups, the Flyers & the Blackhawks. One team will skate in the morning and the other in the afternoon each day this week.

7/6/10 The rain started around lunch yesterday and didn't stop the rest of the day. Campers enjoyed rainy day activities with their groups in the afternoon, such as board games, while other activities could continue, such as crafts and riflery. Sailing even braved the weather to launch their boats in the rain. After chicken fajitas for dinner, the evening activity was casino night in the lodge, which everyone liked. Today is cloudy but no rain so activities are going strong. This afternoon the sun has decided to shine so it's a great day to be down on the waterfront in this heat. Hopefully we'll be able to do fireworks tonight.

7/7/10 The fireworks last night were amazing, thanks to Chad and Mattie G. Check out a couple of pictures that Blaine took on our shutterfly site. This morning's weather was gorgeous, albeit quite warm and muggy. We thought there were going to be some big storms after lunch, but the rain held off for afternoon activities. Sports & Games played handball this afternoon and it was a great day to be out on the waterfront.

7/8/10 An evening of rain last night led to evening activities in the lodge, but this morning the rain is gone and the sun is shining. It's a great day of activities today. Tonight is the staff hockey game at the rink. All staff who want to play are divided into two teams, blue and white, for an Deerhorn Hockey game. Campers love going and cheering on theirfavorite counselor and they also love the concession stand!

7/9/10 Today is the last day of Deerhorn hockey. It was a great week and many thanks to our coaches, D.J. LaVarre, Ken Johnson, & Rock Dudek. We are still enjoying amazing weather, sunshine and blue skies.

7/10/10 Another beautiful day at Camp Deerhorn. Campers were excited for doughnuts for breakfast...always a hit. Leaders are preparing their chariots for tomorrow's Sunday event.

7/11/10 What a great Chariots of Fire afternoon! For the Chariots of Fire event, campers from each team are sent to gather pieces of their team's chariots from the "gods" (the counselors) by performing certain "quests". Once all the pieces are on the soccer field, the leaders assemble their chariots and are pulled to victory by their team. Congratulations to Chris Young and the Chippewa for a great victory this afternoon. It was a close race, with Garrett Gust and the Apache pulling out second place. Third went to the Mack Gust and the Iroquois and Philip Pernacciaro's Navajo finished strong in 4th. Check out pictures from the day on our shutterfly site. This evening is a cookout on the beach for dinner, koogee time after dinner, and the day will end with a traditional Sunday evening campfire.

7/12/10 We're enjoying beautiful weather again today, after a brief period of rain last night. We had to have the campfire in the lodge since it was raining, but it was an amazing campfire nonetheless. The future of Deerhorn campfires is in good hands with campers like Frankie Mayfield leading the way in guitar playing. Today is the last full day of activities for this session. The Voyagers spent the afternoon in their kayaks out on the lake learning basic skills and safety. The campers were excited to play Klepton today in Sports & Games.

7/13/10 Campers were excited last night to play Civil War for the evening activity, and Chippewa ended up winning the war. Today is the last full day of the session and campers will have regular activities this morning. This afternoon will be three periods of team competition, ending with third period being everyone's favorite, Scalp. After dinner tonight is the Counselor Show, which is always a highlight of the session.

7/14/10 This morning was the awards breakfast for B Session. Taking home tennis trophies were Griff Parry for the 11 and up tournament and Mike Maicke for the 12 and up tournament. Spirit awards went to Philip Meyers for juniors, Warren Van Ryzin for intermediates, and Will Gaudet for seniors. Outstanding camper trophies went to Parker Frautschi for juniors, Frankie Mayfield for intermediates, and Bobby Thomas for seniors. Great job guys! It was a great session and we can't wait to see you back next summer! We have about 50 kids staying over for next session and they will be treated to a climbing wall this afternoon at camp, followed by pizza on the beach and a movie in the lodge after dinner.

7/15/10 We had some huge storms come through yesterday afternoon and it rained the entire afternoon and evening. So we had to change a few plans...Kids were in the lodge most of the afternoon playing games and watching movies and after pizza dinner in the lodge, they all went to town to see Despicable Me at the movie theatre. The climbing wall guy came back this morning so kids were treated to a morning on the climbing wall. Many kids said it was their "funnest" day at camp. Pictures will be posted soon on our Shutterfly site. We are grateful to have sunshine and blue skies today for our opening day of C Session. The busses arrived right on time at 3:00 and camp is full once again of excited campers, both new and veterans. We had a meeting at 5 to introduce the staff, and after a spaghetti dinner the campers will play Capture the Flag.

7/16/10 It's a beautiful day for the first day of activities at camp. Blue skies, sunshine, and lots of wind...It was too much wind for some of the younger sailing classes and also made for some choppy skiing today. Sports & Games had a great day of soccer on the soccer field. Most of the kids who stayed over from last session went down to Wausau for the waterpark trip. It's always a fun day at the waterpark. Campers who arrived yesterday had orientations in all of their activities but they were soon off and running in all activities.

7/17/10 It was a traditional Saturday morning breakfast of cinnamon toast and applesauce and now it's on to a great day of activities. Leaders have been scouting the new arrivals for the past two days and they'll pick teams tonight. Campers will find out tomorrow what teams they are on. Sports & Games is playing handball on the soccer field today. New pictures from yesterday's activities are posted on our Shutterfly site.

7/18/10 Sundays are sleep-in days at camp, much to everyone's enjoyment, so breakfast was at 9 this morning. On Sunday mornings campers enjoy some free time, and there are several games going on like Ultimate Frisbee and street hockey on the Skeeter. Today's words of wisdom was given by Will Kocher. After it rained all night and all morning, we were so glad to see the sun come out this afternoon for our Sunday event, "Water Wars." Campers loved being in the water all afternoon and pictures from the event will soon be posted.Tonight is a picnic supper on the beach, followed by koogee time and the first campfire of C session.

7/19/10 It was a great day of activities at camp today. Last night's campfire was great too...videos from some of the performances are now posted on the Shutterfly site. Check out some of our amazing performers. We were grateful to have such a beautiful night for a campfire overlooking the lake.

7/20/10 It's another beautiful day at camp and activities are going strong. Sports & Games is playing Ultimate Frisbee on the soccer field today. Bagels were for breakfast and BLT's are for lunch. Voyagers have been having meetings at rest hour to prepare for their departure one week from today.

7/21/10 Today is one of those days that makes you grateful to spend your summers in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Sunshine, blue skies, and the perfect breeze make for an amazing day. Sports & Games has entered the realm of Harry Potter, complete with beaters, bludgers, quaffles, and the Golden Snitch. They are playing Quidditch all day on the soccer field. If you're having a hard time picturing how you play Quidditch with no flying broomsticks, just pictures three hula hoops attached to the soccer goals, dodgeballs & tennis racquets, and a counselor with a yellow flag as the Golden Snitch. Campers love it. Pictures of the event will be posted soon. It is also a great day to be down on the waterfront, and the 4 leaders had a fun morning goofing off in the A-dock. Pictures of their antics will also be posted soon.

7/22/10 Campers were thrilled about the menu line-up for today, beginning with doughnuts for breakfast and pizza bagels for lunch. A hiking trip took off after breakfast this morning and will return tomorrow afternoon. The Voyagers had another meeting at rest hour today, learning about Leave No Trace wilderness ethics. Today was pretty cloudy with some brief showers this afternoon, but it wasn't enough to slow anyone down.

7/23/10 The hiking trip returned before lunch and they had an excellent time. Voyagers spent most of the afternoon packing their food for their trip. It's always a favorite activity of most Voyagers. Camp enjoyed another day of beautiful weather and busy activities.

7/24/10 The sky is cloudy today but so far the rain has held off. Breakfast was a Saturday staple of cinnamon toast and applesauce. Sports & Games is playing sprout ball all day on the baseball field. It's a much-love camper favorite. Check out pictures from sprout ball and from the hiking trip on our shutterfly site.

7/25/10 It's time for the MONKEYS! This afternoon's Sunday event is the monkey relays. It's the most-anticipated event of the summer. It is one giant relay race all over camp and involves almost every activity in camp. Every member of the team is involved, and campers must carry a ping pong ball on a spoon between activities. It culminates with a sand-castle building contest on the beach by the leaders. It is an exciting event, and we are blessed with beautiful weather for it! Breakfast this morning was pancakes and there are ultimate frisbee and street hockey games going on this morning. Nick Kerr is doing the words of wisdom talk today. Updates for the monkey relay results will be posted later today. Stay tuned!...

Congratulations to the Chippewa! They have won the Monkey Relays for 2010! Iroquois came in second, Apache third, and Navajo fourth. It was a great race and all four teams finished close together. We are so proud of the leaders! It was a great day to be at Deerhorn! Tonight is a cookout on the beach, followed by koogee time and a campfire. Koogees 10 & 19 won inspection this week for having the cleanest koogee, so they will be going to a movie in town this week. Koogees 3 & 5 are heading to the Birchwood on the float boat to have pizza for dinner.

7/26/10 Yesterdays Monkeys were tons of fun and there are now lots of pictures and exciting videos posted to our Shutterfly site. It's a very busy week here at camp Deerhorn, with lots of fun stuff going on. The Voyagers are getting all packed up for their 8 day trip, which leaves tomorrow. They have to pack all of their gear and also must pack up their koogees because the E session kids will move into those koogees on Thursday. The Voyagers are really excited to finally be taking off tomorrow after 4 weeks of preparation. The Lake Superior Trip also leaves tomorrow for an overnight trip. We are blessed again today with beautiful weather. It's going to be a good day!

7/27/10 Camp is buzzing this morning. The Voyagers took off at 7am for 5 days of kayaking in the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior. The Lake Superior trip departed at 9am with 75 kids also heading up to Lake Superior. They will stop at Wildwood Zoo in Minocqua on the way. They'll take the ferry across to Madeline Island, swim for the afternoon, and come back to the mainland to their campground for a campfire and pizza dinner. Tomorrow they will have some time to explore Bayfield before heading back to camp. They'll stop at Copper Falls State Park on their way home for some hiking. There are 52 kids staying at camp over the next two days and they will be split into new groups for some fun and different activities here at camp. It's kind of nice to have a little bit calmer, quieter camp for 2 days.

7/28/10 Today was a special sleep-in day at camp since the Lake Superior trip is gone, so breakfast was at 9am. The rest of the day includes different activities than normal, with smaller group sizes, so it's a fun change of pace. The Lake Superior trip will return around 5:30pm. After some storms last night, the sun is shining and it promises to be a very warm day.