Director's Corner - Tuesday, July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Born to Be Wild

Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

What a busy day at Beber! Bright and early, trip vans rolled in to load coolers and last-minute supplies. Campers grabbed breakfast with their trip groups and made their way to lower camp to board buses for some unforgettable adventures. It was like watching a well-oiled machine: fishing trip campers grabbing life jackets, trip leaders calling roll, photographers snapping pre-trip smiles, and buses rolling out one by one—followed by emergency vans—up the hill and out of camp.

A huge shout-out to all the behind-the-scenes support—from logistics to transportation—for making it possible to send over 250 campers and staff to 10 different locations across Wisconsin with such ease.

Here’s a little more about just a few of the trips that launched today:

The Biking Trip

The biking trip travels along two of Wisconsin’s well-known rail trails: the Elroy-Sparta and 400 State Trails. These trails take riders through old railroad tunnels, over bridges, and past scenic views of farms and hills. In fact, the Elroy-Sparta trail features three hand-dug railroad tunnels across its 33-mile stretch and is renowned as the oldest rail-trail conversion in the United States. Campers stop at public campgrounds each night, some with pools or water play areas, making it a great mix of adventure and comfort. This trip is always a favorite for campers who enjoy being active and outdoors.

The Climbing Trip

The climbing group is spending the next few days at Devil’s Lake State Park. Campers are working with Apex Adventures to climb real rock faces using ropes, helmets, and safety gear. Ramot campers also get to try rappelling. It’s a great trip for building confidence and teamwork.

After a full day of climbing, campers unwind with a refreshing swim in the lake. A highlight of the trip includes bouldering to Devil's Doorway, situated high above Devil’s Lake. The views from this vantage point are breathtaking, often prompting early morning hikes to witness sunrise through the rock formation.

The Canoe (Rafting) Trip

Due to river conditions on the Lower Wisconsin, we shifted this trip north to Kosir’s in Silver Cliff, WI. Campers kayaked today on the flatwater section of the Peshtigo River and are gearing up to raft the Menominee River tomorrow. They'll travel through Class III and IV rapids before deciding whether they want to run a Class V section, twice. This is an exciting change of pace and a great challenge for the group.

Makor Mania

They often say that “when the cats are away, the mice will play.” After a breakfast of delicious french toast sticks, Makor and TLP have had the run of the camp today in Makor Mania.  They started with a late wakeup and then participated in a program where they got a “taste” of three day trips.  Over the course of the time Kesher and Ramot are out of camp, they will “taste” a bit of the Canoe trip, Fine Arts trip, and Outdoor Sports Adventure trip.  This program allows them to try out and get excited about what is in store for them when they move on to Kesher in the future.  

After a taco lunch bar, Makor participated in the ever popular car wash where they put on their swimsuits and grabbed soap and sponges and got to wash several of the camps utility vehicles and golf carts.  This always turns into a chance to douse their counselor with water or run through a hose spouting water.  Our vehicles have never looked nicer.  

For their afternoon activity the CITs led the Makor campers in a super cool activity where they located various items in nature to make music from.  Sticks and stones were very popular and campers enjoyed looking for items that would add to the cool sounds of their bunkmates.  I was really impressed with the creativity of the CITs in planning this program as well as their ability to effectively deliver it to young campers.  

The evening kept with the theme of “tasting” trips as the Makor campers packed up their camping gear and headed out for their overnight stay on our property.  They enjoyed a delicious meal of campers stew where they got to load a foil packet with meat and veggies and various spices. It is a hit with all of our campers old and young. Every camper has their favorite combination and the fact that this is a meal only served on a trip out of camp or overnight, it becomes a real treat. They followed that up with a campfire and s’mores and songs and got to set up and sleep in tents with their bunkmates.  Camping is an important part of our program here at Beber and for many of our campers, something that takes them a bit out of their comfort zone but allows them another opportunity to make lasting memories.  

TLP Update

The Pioneers and CITs enjoyed a pasta dinner bar and also some exciting activities like a large game of flour sock capture the flag, a game called empty chair and a trip to Elegant Farmer.  

As I write this blog, all trips have checked in and shared how amazing their days have been.  They had perfect weather and have enjoyed making new friends and trying new skills.  Makor campers are tucked into their tents. There will be many more exciting adventures both in and out of camp tomorrow.  I cannot wait to share them with you.

Peace, Love, 3BC

Michael

Today’s Trivia: Who sang “Born to be Wild”? Email your answer to trivia@bebercamp.com for a chance to be featured in tomorrow’s blog!

Yesterday’s Trivia Answer: Talking Heads sang “Once in a Lifetime.” Congrats to:

• Andy Whitman
• Tobi Pinsky
• Amy Bloomberg
• Sarah Salamon
• Heather Carp