While Ann, Tilly, and I were trudging through snowy, soggy mud, and melting ice, we happened across some new logging trails crisscrossing the Hive trails. (Part of responsibly managing wooded property means cutting down or logging the old, unhealthy growth to ensure the overall health of the forest.) We were deep in discussion about favorite Hive memories when we suddenly realized we’d gotten off course and had accidentally followed a logging trail! Whoops! It took us a while to re-orient ourselves, and by the time we found the correct trail again we were covered in mud and Tilly needed a serious nap!
this summer at camp our theme, CHOOSE CURIOSITY, will help us to understand what that means for each of us individually & as a community
This experience is a wonderful example of our Aloha Foundation-wide summer 2023 theme in action: CHOOSE CURIOSITY. While Ann, Tilly, and I could have panicked, very lost in the woods without a clear path forward, we chose to forge ahead with determination and curiosity. We even enjoyed the process as the woods were peaceful and beautiful even though we were lost. We asked ourselves lots of questions: should we retrace our steps? Or continue in the general direction of Wilson’s Farm Road? What tools do we have on us to help us find our way? If WE were a trail, where would we be? (Just kidding!) And eventually, asking those questions and choosing to be curious helped us find our way back.
At camp we talk a lot about how we choose to respond to situations. How we choose to respond to feeling homesick or how we choose to challenge ourselves. This summer we are also going to explore together what it means to choose curiosity in all kinds of situations. What does choosing curiosity look like when we’re meeting
new people? What does choosing curiosity mean when we are having a disagreement with a tentmate? How do we challenge each other to choose curiosity when learning a new skill? What are some examples of NOT choosing curiosity?
This is going to be a juicy topic for our community to think about as we play, teach, learn, and grow together on the sunny shores of Lake Fairlee. Camp is a place where we are free to practice becoming the best possible versions of ourselves and this summer our theme will help us to understand what that means for each of us individually and as a community.
So, my curious Hivers, I leave you with one question: How will you choose curiosity at Hive?
I am excited to hear your answers when we’re together at camp SOON!
Aloha,
Ellie Pennell Director of Aloha Hive
Liz Saldivar
Where are you from?
I’m from Puebla, Mexico.
What’s a cool talent or hobby that you are excited to bring to camp?
I learned to swim at a very young age and it is my passion. I also love running marathons in the mountains and connecting with nature.
MEET SOME OF OUR NEW HIVE COUNSELORS…
Ciara Duffy
Where are you from?
I’m from Dublin, Ireland.
What’s a cool talent or hobby that you are excited to bring to camp?
I’d love to share my national sport, Gaelic Football!
If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?
I’d love to have super speed so I would never be late again.
Sian Ameer-beg
Where are you from?
I’m from Newcastle, UK. It’s in the Northeast of England.
What’s a cool talent or hobby that you are excited to bring to camp?
I love playing Netball and Touch Rugby. I’m really excited to bring these sports to camp and have some fun!
If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?
My superpower would be the ability to talk to animals. I have 4 dogs and I would love to be able to talk to them about everything!
Alix Radke
Where are you from?
I was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, but I’ve also lived in Phoenix, Arizona and Essex, Vermont. I consider Phoenix to be my home, though!
What’s a cool talent or hobby that you are excited to bring to camp?
I’d love to bring my flute and play some for everyone, I’ve been playing for almost 8 years now and am studying some music in college. If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?
If I had a superpower, I’d definitely want it to be telepathy.
Jodie Smith
Where are you from?
I’m from Horsham, United Kingdom (not far from London).
What’s a cool talent or hobby you have that you are excited to bring to camp?
I absolutely love cooking and like to think how I can throw together a good meal no matter what’s in the fridge, no matter how random!
If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?
I would 100% choose the ability to shape shift, you can be anything! Fly like a bird? Done. Run like a cheetah? Done. Be a celeb for a day? Done!
Ellie’s Queries!
There’s lots to know and lots to learn about Hive! What do you already know? What will you learn this summer? Ellie’s got a few fun questions for you to help pique your curiosity!
The Ark is a small structure by the waterfront next to the Halekipa. What was the Ark originally used for?
Pets! A long time ago, campers could bring their pets to camp, and they were housed in the Ark. It has hosted hamsters, rabbits, mice, gerbils, and even a chinchilla!
Where might you find ferns and books at Hive?
Fernsworth, our camp library and music room. You can find a great book to read during rest hour or strum a ukelele and play the piano during free time. The name is a play on the name of Hive’s first director, Ellen Farnsworth.
What does KP stands for?
Kitchen Patrol the group of campers and counselors who set the dining tables before meals. We take turns at Hive so everyone pitches in to help!
Hive has large decorated nameboards that list all the campers and counselors who were at camp in a given summer. How long has that tradition been around?
From the very beginning of Hive 1915 camper and counselor names are recorded and displayed. The earliest years are painted on the walls of the Dining Room. The most recent years (since 2000) are painted on nameboards attached to the ceiling of the Comb.
Where is the SS Elfin found?
In the Elfin unit (next to the Lolander unit). It’s a large boat-shaped climbing structure perfect for Lolanders and their friends to play on.
How many corrugated metal ridges (or rings) are in the Tunnel that connect both sides of Hive?
This is privileged information! ☺ Only those willing to put the time into counting them will know the answer to this question (there are MANY)!
CHIPPING SPARROW
Chipping sparrows are common birds to see foraging on the ground in open areas. They’re small with a long tail and a red stripe down their heads (both male and female have it before nesting) and a prominent white brow. These are birds that have adapted well to human intrusion; once they lived primarily in forests, but now do quite well in
BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE
Chickadees are so named because of their call, which sounds like “chick-a-dee-dee-dee.” The blackcapped chickadee can be distinguished from others by its white cheeks and black head and throat. Look for them in the woods around camp. Chickadees are a peace-making bunch. In the winter, when foraging is tough, they often act as “nucleus species,” bringing together groups of different birds, such as woodpeckers, nuthatches, creepers, and kinglets, to cooperate and find food together.
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER
Woodpeckers in general tend to be shy these ones in particular so you may not see the actual perpetrator, but you’ll notice the marks they leave on the world. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers get their name from their coloring (yellowish belly) and their feeding behavior. They bore many small, regularly spaced holes through the top layer of bark in a tree, letting the sap drip down from the holes. Then they lick up the sap as food and return repeatedly to the same tree to eat the insects that get trapped in the sappy holes.
Important Camp Dates, 2023!
FULL SEASON: Friday, June 23–Wednesday, August 9
1ST SESSION: Friday, June 23–Sunday, July 16
2ND SESSION: Tuesday, July 18–Wednesday, August 9
VISITING WEEKEND: Saturday, July 15–Sunday, July 16
