Cabin life is the heart of the residential summer camp experience. It is where campers bond as a group, make friends, get into a bit of mischief, and have epic experiences they’ll remember forever. Campers get to know kids from all over Camp, but the cabin groups are special.

Campers live in rustic but clean cabins by age group in our Kanasatka Circle (boys area), Winnetaska Circle (girls area) and Juniors area. Cabins generally have 2-4 counselors, a CIT, and 6-12 campers. All cabins have electricity, screened windows, clothes line, and a cubby for each camper, plus updated and comfortable bunks for all. The girls and juniors cabins include bathrooms, while the boys use a Wash House and Shower House. The addition of yurts in the girls area has been a fun new experience for campers.

 

After breakfast campers have a short clean up period to tidy their beds, cubbies, floors and clothes line and bath rooms before heading off to their  first activity. Cabin inspection occurs each morning while campers are at their activities and the cleanest cabins receive a prize each week.

Campers are together or in their cabin area (boys, girls, juniors) during Rest Period after lunch. This is a time for relaxing, hanging out, writing letters and re-charging for the rest of the day.

Evening activities are generally all camp affairs but some are cabins-only, enabling cabins to spend time together as a group, take a nature walk, play frisbee golf, have a cabin discussion and much more. After Evening Activity campers have time for hanging out while getting ready for bed with an extended cabin time.

Candle Pass

Candle Pass is a camp favorite. When everyone is showered and ready for bed, each cabin has a nightly Candle Pass. Supervised by their counselors, campers pass an LED candle and discuss some highlights of their day or camp session or a topic of the day. Cabins can use this time to reflect on something about camp together, hold a cabin discussion or tell a good joke. Cabins also develop a cabin covenant at the beginning of each session, which further creates the bonds they will keep during the summer and beyond. It’s a perfect way to end the day, with campers forming stronger bonds as the ritual helps them settle down for bedtime. After Candle Pass, campers have a few more minutes of chatting, laughing and fun before dozing off to sleep.

 

Cabin Sleepouts

Whether permitting, at least once a session each cabin has a sleep out at either our tents, tipis, or in Monkeytown. Cabin sleep outs involve a camp fire, s’mores, great discussion and bonding time as a group. Campers also learn about their cabin tribe during the sleep outs. In the morning, they wake up, clean up their sleeping bags and return to their cabins before breakfast, and the fun begins again. The shared experiences – whether peaceful moments stargazing or silly ones, giggling about burned marshmallows – bring each cabin together, creating a family within the Quinebarge community.