Day camps at Blue Mountain turn everyday adventures into lifelong memories.
by Roger Klein // Photography by Roger Klein
When you first meet Liam Trudeau, his smile and calm nature reveal that the 19-year-old is in his happy place. Blue Mountain Resort is his playground and this is his fourth summer working at the resort’s Mountainside Camp day camp. Liam was first introduced to the camp culture at Blue as a six-year-old.
“When I first started, it was primarily just the Plunge camp that ran out of Plunge! Aquatic Centre, which is located in the village. It was relatively small. As I got older, the camp grew too,” Liam recalls.
That six-year-old is now a six-foot-tall university student and one of the supervisors at the camp, which has also evolved into a multifaceted joy machine for children ages four to 12. It was here that Liam found his connection with the outdoors.
“I love being outdoors and I feel like being outdoors and being in the environment, around nature, doing more physical activity, is something that I thrive in,” says Liam. “I think it brings out the camper in everyone. When you come here day-to-day, you see both girls and guys enjoying the outdoors.”
There are multiple day camp themes based in different areas of the resort, including Plunge! Aquatic Centre, Mountainside Camp, Beachside Camp on Georgian Bay, Monterra Tennis Camp with certified coaches, Skills Camp (Bike or Multi-sport), and Leader in Training. But the most popular is the Adventure Day Camp, which is based in the Adventure Park and includes the Canopy Climb Net Adventure, according to Erin Traynor, senior manager of programming and recreation at the resort.
“We’re not a camp that’s set in a field, a farm or some sort of town area. We’re on Blue Mountain and we have hiking, the adventure park, the aquatic centre. We have so much here, a lot of amenities,” says Traynor. “We’re hoping to see 2,200 smiling faces come through here this summer.”
While the resort offers a new outdoor adventure every day, Traynor adds that there’s also an opportunity for young campers to meet new people, make new friends and become part of the camp’s fabric. “I think my favourite part about the camp is that the kids come back year after year. I really believe that’s where we touch the community, watching all of the kids come back, and we’ve seen them in our winter programs too,” Traynor reflects.
The camp spirit and sense of community is generated by the counsellors who provide both motivation and leadership, a role 23-year-old Kat Morgan thrives on. This will be her second summer as a camp supervisor here. She likes the variety of camp settings and activities that keep it fun for everyone.
“One of the great parts about our camp is the way that we’ve structured it, so that counsellors get to come in and experience multiple different camps, so we don’t keep them in one specific spot,” says Kat.
The real magic of day camp unfolds when counsellors tap into their own personal memories and experiences as young campers to help children through pivotal moments. Kat recalls how a certain camp counsellor helped her along the way. “When you’re working with children, you are their role models. And kids look up to their counsellors so much. I remember thinking they were the coolest people to ever walk the Earth, so when you can be that positive role model for a kid, it’s really, really special,” Kat explains.
Liam has seen it all come full circle.
“This environment creates a lasting memory. I’m not the only counsellor who’s come back after being a camper, and I think just the excitement surrounding camp and the memories that you build from camp is definitely something that should be shared. That’s something that lasts and lasts,” says Liam.
