Our 2026 application went live on Wednesday at 10amCT. So far in the first 72 hours of the application going live, we have 552 applications for next summer! That is INCREDIBLE. We are so grateful for the enthusiasm and excitement surrounding the summer of 2026. We know it’s going to be the best yet.  I am married to the guy who processes every application individually, and so far, Patrick has processed 282 applications, and he is only at the 10:03am timestamp!  We are very grateful that so many of you got your  application in early and we know it’s hard to be patient. I just wanted to share some helpful reminders as you wait to hear back about your application.

• When you completed your application, you should have received an automated response that we received your application. That is your confirmation that yes, in fact, you did everything right, and you just have to wait to hear about session availability.
• Yes, your friend may have already gotten their acknowledgement about what session they are enrolled in or waitlisted for. We promise yours is coming soon too, they are just processed in the order in which they are received.
• If you are a new family to Deerhorn, you will be placed on a temporary waitlist until October 1. We only accept prior year campers and waitlisted kids until October 1. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll hear immediately on October 1 in terms of your session status. As mentioned, he has hundreds to go through, and you’ll hear about your session status sometime after October 1.
• If you are a prior year camp family, and you haven’t submitted an application yet, we encourage you to do so before October 1. If you submit it after October 1, you will be placed in the queue behind new families who applied earlier.
• If your son is of Voyager or Pioneer age (in 9th grade right now) and wants to do one of those programs, they need to enroll for A,B, and C sessions and should do so soon. C Session is filling very quickly.
• Our Father Son 3 session is already full. It filled by 10:02am, and we have had to dole out disappointment to returning families because there were so many people who wanted that session, If you are waitlisted for that session, please remember that we have three other Father Son sessions that are available.
• If you find yourself on a waitlist for your session, know that we have a lot of movement in the first few months, with people cancelling or changing sessions. If you applied the day the application went live, you likely will eventually get into your chosen session if you can be patient.
• Also keep in mind that the sessions at the beginning of the summer do not fill as quickly as those at the end. If you have flexibility in your plans, those earlier sessions can be a great alternative. If you have a friend who wants to come to camp with you but hasn’t signed up yet, they have a much better chance of getting in to the sessions earlier in the summer.
• Patrick has been inundated with emails asking when they will hear about their application. Please know that answering all of those emails is taking time away from actually being able to acknowledge the applications. If you have questions, you are always welcome to email me at amy@deerhorn.com

We truly appreciate your patience and grace as we work through the 552 applications we’ve received so far. We’re so grateful you love Camp Deerhorn that much and have spread the love to friends who have also signed up. Here’s to a great 2026!