On the Waterfront

summer camp photos

On warm, dewy summer mornings when the air smells a certain way, I am especially reminiscent and nostalgic for the summers that I spent at sleep-away camp. For eight years, for eight weeks I was ecstatic to reunite with my summer friends (now my lifelong friends) in the Pocono Mountains. Each morning we were wakened by the PA system playing Reveille and listened intently for announcements of special events and whether we were to dress wearing shorts and shorts or longs and longs or some combination thereof. We then sleepily made our way up the hill to “lineup” for the raising of the flag. Our days were filled with activities and sports you would typically expect, but the highlight and center of everything was…the lakefront. We had daily swim instruction and donned orange life vests as we climbed into canoes or kayaks or stood in line waiting to check out our sailboats. We fished, and I remember the thrill of catching one, and a large one at that. Those memories are some of my finest.

The mountain area surrounding Stratton is home to some of the most spectacular and diverse bodies of water. Within a 50-mile radius in any direction there is much to explore. At the Stratton Snowmaking Pond right in Bondville, walk, swim, or test your paddleboard skills. Explore nearby Pikes Falls and kayak at Gale Meadows and Grout Pond. Manchester is home to the world-renowned Orvis fly-fishing school and the American Museum of Fly Fishing. For sail- and power boating take a ride to beautiful Lake Bomoseen.

Explore our mountains, and whatever your activity level or age, come enjoy our water and smell the clean scent of the distinctive morning air.

–Marcia Lissak