Tag Archives: Lochearn Lassies

Special Trips and Programs

We can’t wait for these Special Trips and Programs!

At Lochearn, we eagerly embrace new opportunities and strive to provide exciting adventures and special programs that will benefit our campers. We are so excited for everything we have in store for our campers this summer!

1st–4th grades
It’s FIELD TRIP time and an exciting summer to be a Junior at Lochearn. Our 1st-4th graders will be going to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) for a super fun field trip including a Raptor Exhibit!

5th grade
Our 5th graders will have the opportunity to camp out with Girls in the Woods this summer, a true tent campout with a campfire story, roasting s’mores, gazing at the fireflies, enjoying the Vermont night sky and sleeping under the stars. Stacie can’t wait to go berry picking with you!

6th grade
Lochearn is our name and Adventure is our game! Our 6th graders will be the first group to have their own challenging but incredible fun day hike! The special bonds that come with hiking to the summit of a mountain together are the best part of our Outdoor Adventure Program.

7th grade
It is so much fun to celebrate Vermont and the special parts of why people travel to New England. 7th graders, get ready for a unique experience exploring the craft of glassblowing at Simon Pearce in Quechee, VT!

8th grade
Our 8th graders will get to go White Water Rafting on the Androscoggin River this summer! This day trip is packed with two White Water Rafting runs and a gourmet lunch enjoyed together by the river.

CT’s
We can’t wait for this year’s CT Bucket List, trip to North Conway and Mount Washington, Blue and Green events, Big Sisters and Little Sisters, and the CT’s night out in Hanover!

CIT’s
CITs will take an overnight trip to Burlington and have their own CIT Service Project!

The Four-Week Overnight Lochearn Experience

Of all the questions we receive at Lochearn throughout the year leading up to the summer, the most frequent from parents and prospective campers alike is one we love answering: Why the four-week experience?

It’s simple, really. We want to build real relationships, incite genuine growth, build confidence, and, rather than force someone to find their passions, give everyone the time to fall in love with the camp experience in her own way. We at Camp Lochearn believe it’s much tougher to develop these connections – both with others and within yourself – in just two weeks, where the outside world continues to call you back, as do family and friends from home. For everyone on the shores of Lake Fairlee, it’s just you and camp, which is built around our core values: Leadership, Mentoring, Initiative and Passion.

A two-week experience gives girls an opportunity – an excuse, even – to stay in the background and be a seer rather than a doer. We often say “We don’t have invisible campers,” because it’s true. We know it’s tough to open yourself up to others. We’ve been there. It takes confidence, strength and time. We don’t want to rush that growth or inhibit it in any way. Some arrive at the gates ready to conquer those 27 days, and that’s wonderful. But others can’t. It’s not that they’re incapable – we’ve yet to meet anyone who arrives at Lochearn and is – but they often need someone to lead them there. That’s why the relationships built in the cabins on Lake Fairlee are key, and we often see campers emerge with life-long relationships. Realizing you have more in common with others – things you often can’t see in the first few days of meeting someone – is an invaluable experience, and it’s one that can only develop naturally. There’s no time limit on it.

And it can take time to find out what makes you love camp. It’s not your fault – it happens to most. You may not know how much you enjoy horseback riding, skiing, gymnastics or fine arts. Many don’t discover what they love until they’re old and grown, or before it’s too late. We strive to give you 27 days of discovery when it comes to finding your passion, and we hope our campers and staff alike bring a kind and caring heart to give every girl the opportunity to grow together.

From all over the world, our staff is carefully chosen to not just bring a guiding eye, but often they’re brought to Lochearn because they’re relatable. The camper-counselor relationship is built on guidance and respect for everyone rather than authority. Whether it’s because they’ve been to camp before, or they’ve taken an atypical path in life, our counselors are leaders we hope our girls aspire to be, because they’ve found confidence in embracing what they love.

We don’t want to rush what makes you YOU, and the four-week experience makes it possible. Let’s passionately grow together!

Camp Lochearn Journal

Dear Journal,

It’s me again, probably for the last time before I head home. We just took our curtains down, and I’m not the only one who can’t believe how different our cabin looks without our bits and pieces of home everywhere. And I know I told myself I wouldn’t get like this…but last night as I looked out over the point, towards that beautiful sunset over Lake Fairlee, I couldn’t help but think of the last 5 years at Lochearn. I mean, there’s still so much ahead of me, but I can’t help but think of how much I’ve grown. At first I was nervous about a month away from home, but now it feels like I can’t imagine leaving Cabin 13…

This year, the month seemed to go by faster than most — I feel like for nearly all of Session 2 I’ve heard the sound of footsteps stepping over the roots up and down the line every morning and every night. But now it’s strange, it feels like time has almost come to a complete stop. And not to get off topic, but I can’t believe I hadn’t tried to water ski before this year. It felt so good to try something new, and it’s another thing to take home with me.

Of course, what will never leave are the memories, right? From cantering on Montana, and learning to sew my first T-shirt quilt… And forgetting whether it’s A-Day or B-Day, then wondering how you could ever forget… what I thought and felt, those memories will last a lifetime.

Even writing this made me realize something: I still have two more months in my future at Lochearn to make a million more memories, and I wouldn’t give them up for anything.

Until next time,
Rachel

Campitis

As the end of summer arrives, you start to feel it. We call it Campitis.

After a month at Lochearn, it’s the feeling you get when you long for everything that made camp special. You miss the lifelong friendships you made, your inside jokes and the camp songs. These are the things that stay with you, but you miss the little things, too. Like the unforgettable smell coming from Highland Hall when there’s warm tacos for lunch, or the screams of excitement that come with the reveal of camp’s evening program. And you just long for the daily routine, from waking up to the bugle and catching the sunrise over Lake Fairlee, to the harmonious calls of the loons that seem to echo across the water. But most of all you miss who you could be at Lochearn – yourself.

You explored new passions, from beads and bracelets to archery and water sports. You miss how you felt when you won your first blue award in an activity you’d never tried before. You miss the sound of the wind filling your sailboat as you take a deep breath of the cool Vermont air. You miss your new best friends, who in just a month have become as close as sisters. Campitis is when you find yourself missing camp and everything that came with it, and you might find yourself feeling it when you least expect it.

Is there a simple fix for Campitis? We wish it were easy, but the only cure we’ve found is to get back to camp and leave your worries at the gate! The school year may seem like an eternity, but we suggest glancing back at all of your camp photos, wearing your Lochearn gear to school and keeping in touch with your cabin mates from the summer. They could be experiencing some Campitis of their own and are hoping you’ll reach out!

If these don’t help cure your Campitis, just know sometimes there’s nothing better than counting down the days until you’re back on the banks of Lake Fairlee!

Why We Are Thankful

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we here at Camp Lochearn have been thinking a lot about being thankful. And because we’re part of the Lochearn family, we’ve got a whole lot to be thankful for. It’s not just sweet, gooey roasted marshmallows or spending a day on Lake Fairlee — Lochearn Lassies can be thankful for so many things, like:

Learning

learning Coming to camp gives you the opportunity to learn all about yourself. You not only learn skills like how to shoot a bow and arrow or make a mug in ceramics, but you also learn communication and independence — things that will stick with you long after the final sunset of summer. Whether you’re a first-time camper or a Lochearn veteran, there are always plenty of new faces on the first day of camp. One of the best parts of summer is creating relationships with campers and staff members while practicing good decision making and discovering how to be independent. There’s so much to learn about yourself and the world around you, and we encourage stepping out of your comfort zone to get the best Lochearn experience.

Community

Campers and staff come from 20 countries around the world to spend the summer in Vermont at Lochearn. It’s easy to fit into our close-knit community of nice girls. Through the good times and the bad, you know there will always be a Lochearn Lassie somewhere who will be there for you year-round, whether you’re at camp or back at home. We grow together over the course of camp, celebrating each person’s uniqueness and encouraging one another to strive to be our best. And when summer comes to an end, we know we’re not saying goodbye for good, because camp friends are for life.

Memories

Lochearn’s lakefront cabins and welcoming facilities provide the perfect backdrop for all of the wonderful memories made at camp. It’s easy to call beautiful Vermont your home away from home. Your Lochearn memories are different than any memories made at home or while traveling elsewhere because you can be totally you, no matter how silly or spunky you are. Plus, you’re unplugged. Instead of worrying about posting on social media, texting or Snapchatting photos, we focus on being in the moment and communicating face-to-face. As we saw from generations of Lochearn Lassies last summer during our 100th year celebrations, your camp memories truly stay with you for a lifetime.

Values

If the tall pine trees around Campfire Hill could talk, they’d tell 100 years’ worth of stories about girls gathering around the campfire, reflecting on weeks spent at Lochearn, singing songs and sharing stories centered around weekly themes. We live by a motto that encourages girls to make friends while upholding personal ideals, and we facilitate a deeper value of self, of others and of our environment. Honesty, kindness and positivity are three pillars that all Lochearn Lassies live by at camp as they “grow to have more courage and self-confidence,” and “take home an open mind and a kind and caring heart.”

Next Summer

next-summer We’re just under seven months from opening day, and we couldn’t be more excited! Knowing you’ve always got somewhere to come back to is such a cool part of Lochearn, because your favorite things will still be the same, but you’ll be a year older. You experience things in a different way year to year and can set new camp goals for each summer. Maybe this will be the summer you finally earn a purple in gymnastics or work up the courage to try wakeboarding for the first time. And if not this year, you know you’re always welcome back for the summers to come.