Winter is often a time of hibernation for many city dwellers in our country. The Compass Leadership Program doesn’t believe that should be the case and put that belief to the test with the Compass Winter Excursion at Camp Kawartha this month.
The Winter Excursion was a fun mix of outdoor adventures and cozy time by the fire. The amazing staff at Camp Kawartha started the weekend by taking the Compass Leaders on snowshoeing and cross-country skiing adventures. Lots of evidence of life in the woods was spotted, including various animal tracks and scat, all while testing their ability to learn a new skill and enjoy the snowy outdoors. The weather and company made fun of the ups and downs of the adventure.
The first day adventures was rounded out by some team building challenges and a campfire in the teepee. Communication was the theme of the campfire. Camp and life questions were distributed in small groups to answer and share so new relationship development could take place amongst a group of friends. The smoky teepee didn’t keep down the laughter and fun.
The theme of fire was continued into Sunday as the Compass Leadership Program was led on a Quest for Fire. This quest was a scavenger hunt through the woods to find key items necessary for ancient fire building techniques. After the items were located, the teams worked with steel, flint, cedar tree inner bark and dry wood to start a fire. No matches or lighters were allowed in this challenge. Each team showed determination and skill while catching a spark and attempting to turn it into fire. There was some success and a lot of good team work displayed during this quest.
A Compass gathering wouldn’t be complete without a time of reflection and celebration. Sharing in a closing circle we celebrated the highs and lows of the weekend, and shared our excitement for the rest of this Compass season ahead.
Thank you Camp Kawartha and the Compass Leadership Advisors and Youth Leaders for making this weekend of winter fun memorable!
