Our first Father Son camp ended Monday with a great awards breakfast. We heard from dads like Bryan Krol,  Blake Hannafan, and Chetan Phadnis. They expressed so eloquently why camp is such a special place, and we are grateful for their kind words. It’s very rewarding for us to hear how Deerhorn has impacted their families. We also had great performances on guitar from Kiana Broadbridge and Jesse Webb. Every year, we are amazed at how many fantastic entertainers we have for our campfires. Jesse’s dad, Larry Webb, was an incredible entertainer at campfires as well, even riding to a campfire on horseback, dressed as Willy Nelson. Jesse has followed in his footsteps and not only astounded us with his skill, but also with his songwriting abilities.

Our first Father Son session was really great, and we are grateful to have met so many new dads as well as greeted returning families. The past 2 days our staff has been hard at work, making camp look even better than it already did. We have a really  phenomenal staff this year, lots of young guys who, although it’s their first year as a counselor, they have been around camp as campers and AC’s for 8 or 9 years. Our first year of doing our one week, Spike Buck, session, we had a camper named Rocco Mangin. He is now 19 and a counselor, and sharing his love of camp with every camper he meets. We say it every year that “this year is the best staff ever.” But every year it’s true, because we have so many guys who have been with us since they were young, and they’ve truly grown up at camp. They’ve been homesick and conquered it. They’ve made friendships that have lasted over a decade. They’ve grown and matured and become young men we are proud to call our staff.

The dads who are arriving today to our 2nd Father Son session are the perfect example of this. Out of the 40 dads who are coming to this session, almost half of them were campers and counselors when they were younger. How incredible, to get to now share Deerhorn with the kids they love most in the world. How special that our son, Ryder, gets to see his good friend, Ryan, every summer at camp, when his dad, Mike & I were on staff together 17 years ago.

Every day at camp we talk about the Deerhorn Creed and its words permeate everything that happens at camp.  Our hope is that kids go home with the Creed in their heart and their actions represent what they’ve learned. Deerhorn is magic. It’s a magic that is hard to explain to anyone who’s never been. We hope that the dads who joined us for Father Son camp felt that magic, and could understand a little more why Deerhorn means so much to so many people.

I came across a great article that helps articulate why a summer spent at Deerhorn is so powerful in the growth of a boy. You can read the full article HERE.

Thanks to all the dads who joined us for Father Son 1.  We hope you had as much fun as we did.