Hiking five miles and climbing 2,000 vertical feet to the top of Sunday River is no joke, especially on legs that have already completed 1,000 burpees! But all 43 campers rose to the challenge with grit, teamwork, and plenty of good humor.
Along the climb, our five teams completed challenges that included 100 burpees, singing a song, creating a star, and writing a poem using words like “Every Win Counts,” “Dig Deep,” “Core,” and, naturally, “Banana Bread.” They absolutely delivered! Check out one of their masterpieces below. The spectacular views, mountaintop lunch, and finish-line popsicles made every step worth it.
After some much-needed quiet time and our first real room clean, we headed outside for our own World Cup soccer tournament. The competition was fierce, the energy was high, and we are proud to report there were ZERO flops!
Next came an ELITEAM classic: the Weird Healthy Foods Taste Test. Campers bravely sampled liver, sardines, caviar, sea grapes, kimchi, Vegemite, and even bugs, including crickets and beetles! There were plenty of groans, a few gags, and yes, a couple of strategic spit-outs, but everyone stepped up and tried something new.
We finished the day ELITEAM-style with Crazy Relays, Agility Poles, Dowel Walks, and the legendary Jell-O Drop, an intense partner challenge that is especially delicious when you actually catch the Jell-O!
By 9:00 p.m., everyone was tucked in and dreaming about Saturday’s grand finale: SUFFERFEST and the ELITEAM Olympics! See you tomorrow!
What was the best and the hardest part of the hike today?
- Madeline H: The best part was reaching the top and the hardest was the middle because you weren’t close to the end and had a ways to go. It was high energy.
- Claire: The singing and the poem, it was funny and exhausting.
- Hazel: The best part was talking to Coach Caroline all the way up because she’s a pretty cool person to talk to. The hardest part was coming down because I almost rolled my ankle.
- Azlyn: I liked talking to new people and the hard part was going down because of the rocks.
- Maleena: The hardest part was the steepness and the best part was the view at the top.
- Kayla J: The best part was the poems because they were funny. The hardest part was climbing up the rocks at the top because I thought I would fall.
- Embry: The best part was reaching the top. It was really pretty and it felt really good to be there. The worst part was the steep parts and staying motivated.
- Alexa R: The best part was being at the summit on the rocks and looking at the view knowing I just did a 2.5 mile hike. THe hardest part was the beginning knowing that I had a whole hike ahead of me.
What did you have to eat at the Taste Test? Describe what it tastes like?
- Madeline: I had to eat dried crab and it tasted like a crunchy dry fish.
- Claire: I ate a crab, it was bad but good. I saw someone else gag then I did too.
- Hazel: I ate sea grapes. They tasted like salt, it honestly wasn’t that bad.
- Azlyn: I had caviar, it was gross. It had a pop.
- Maleena: I had kimchi and it was really good but spicy. I also had caviar which was really salty but not that bad.
- Kayla J: I ate bugs and it tasted like bugs. The taste wouldn’t go away.
- Embry: I ate the vegemite. It was salty, sweet and spicy at the same time. It was also so thick, I don’t know how to describe it.
- Alexa R: I had liverwurst. It looked like beef but tasted salty and the consistency was creamy.
How were the 100 burpees today compared to Monday?
- Madeline: They were so much easier!
- Claire: Not hard at all, they were easy!
- Hazel: The 100 burpees today were really easy because we’ve done so many.
- Azlyn: I had to tuck but it was easy.
- Maleena: A lot easier but I am more sore.
- Kayla J: They got a lot easier and I am less sore.
- Embry: They get so much easier and I have so much more motivation to do them now. I also liked how we spread them out during the hike.
- Alexa R: The burpees were much easier now because I have a lot more practice.
