2025 Camp Day One…All The Fun

What a day! The Northeast Kingdom delivered its classic moody, grey, and damp welcome today. As a camp director, you always hope for sunshine on arrival day, but a little rain never hurt anyone, especially not a group of resilient mountain bikers. Despite the drizzle, the energy here at camp is already buzzing. New faces arrived all afternoon, some a bit shy, some camp veterans, and many practically bouncing with excitement. It's always a bit chaotic, but that's part of the fun of Day One.

Camp Activities Director, Denise, gives the students some instructions prior to their first set of instructions. We sent them off for their rain coats shortly after this.

Dinner was a cozy affair tonight, perfect for the grey weather. We refueled with some delicious roasted chicken thighs and a fresh kale salad by Chef Laura. Some of the campers got to sample the maple balsamic vinegar on their salad. The new drink dispenser was a hit! I swear, after a long travel day, there's nothing better than a hot, hearty meal to settle everyone in. It was great to see campers starting to relax and chat as they ate. Afterwards, we launched into some icebreaker games, and it was fantastic to watch the initial awkwardness melt away as laughter filled the lodge. You could almost feel the connections starting to form.

Campers loved the new drink dispenser upgrade camp made this year. We will stay well hydrated this week.

A big milestone for everyone was meeting their roommates. There's always that nervous anticipation, isn't there? We tried to pair folks up thoughtfully, and from what I saw, most of the room assignments went smoothly. Hearing snippets of conversations from the dorms later on, it sounded like new friendships were already budding. It's amazing how quickly a shared bunk and a few hours can turn strangers into allies.

Riders had a variety of activities to get to know each other and the camp staff. Here, they are drawing a land scape with directions from their coaches but without seeing their paper. Their creations were pretttty interesting.

Now that everyone's settled in, the real excitement is building for tomorrow: Our first day on bikes! You can practically taste the anticipation. We've got some incredible trails lined up, and I can't wait to see everyone out there, shredding and pushing their limits. The rain today just means the trails will be hero dirt tomorrow – tacky and fast, perfect for a grand opening.

All of our campers do Kitchen Patrol for two sessions during the week. Tonight was the Snyder Ride Group’s chance to work in the kitchen and they left it clean as a whistle.

And, of course, tomorrow is jersey day! It's always a highlight to see everyone proudly sporting their team colors. It really brings home the sense of community and shared purpose we're building here. Representing the team isn't just about wearing a jersey; it's about supporting each other, pushing our boundaries, and having an unforgettable week on two wheels. I'm so stoked to see what this group accomplishes. Bring on Day Two!

We rely on some of our more experienced riders to take on some leadership roles throughout the week. Lilly Torres and some other riders stepped up to manage the girls’ bike shed. It is not so easy to fit all of their bikes into a shed each day but I think we got it after the first night of practice.