"Give a kid a smart phone when you are ready for his childhood to end."
- Anonymous
Around Camp
Welcome to Night Eagle! Chances are that you have never been to a camp quite like this before. Being located on 135 forested acres and completely surrounded by 365,000 acres of the Green Mountain National Forest, Night Eagle is rather secluded.
In camp, there are only tipis, a food shelter, a semi-permanent structure used for group gatherings, and a crafts shed. For swimming and canoeing, there are two beautiful lakes. As you explore camp, you will find the garden, our homemade oven, several outdoor toilets (Maxwell Houses), and an open-air shower. As you can see, we live as simply as possible.
You should know that if you are looking for the tennis courts, dining hall, swimming pool, or cabins, you won't find them here. Life at Night Eagle is one without non-essentials. Except for refrigeration, which is run by solar power, we live without electricity, flush toilets, watches, flashlights, matches, and other modern conveniences. Being without these comforts will seem strange at first; however, our counselors and campers feel that what Night Eagle offers in their place is far more rewarding, and certainly most rare in today's modern world.
Chores & Work Projects
Work is an integral part of life at Night Eagle. Whether campers are doing daily chores before breakfast, skinning trees to be used as tipi poles, working in the garden, packing in supplies, or maintaining the trails and water bars throughout the camp, they each play a vital role during the summer. The contributions of even the smallest of boys are needed if the camp is to run smoothly. That sense of being needed builds self-respect in boys and provides them the security and self-confidence necessary to face more difficult challenges. Each camper plays a vital and important role in the success of the Night Eagle experience.
Music
Music is an important part of the Night Eagle experience. Since radios, cell phones, and iPods are not allowed, homespun music and instruments are encouraged. Guitars and other musical instruments tend to bring out the creativity in many of our campers. Songs like "The Bean Curd Blues," "The Revenge of the Velociraptors," "Ben the British Counselor," "Hey, Hey, Blue Heron," "What Do You Do With an Arctic Arrow," "Prop Me Up In Hocoka When I Die," and "Mamas Please Let Your Babies Go Camp at Night Eagle" are typical of the songs that have been written in camp and enjoyed by campers and staff alike.
Games
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Everybody enjoys a good game, and Night Eagle has more than its share. Some are old favorites, while others have been created by the campers themselves. Capture the Feather, Washichu in the Woods, Sticks and Stones, Medicine Ball, Rattlesnake, Quest for Fire, Stalk the Chief, Shinny, Legend Ball, and Buffalo Robe are but a few of the games that take place in camp. Many Night Eagle games involve skills that are developed in camp and evoke a great deal of imagination and strategy in their design and rules, and all are just plain fun!
Tipi Living
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Tipi life is an integral part of the Night Eagle experience. The 20 and 22-foot tipis we live in are patterned after Lakota design. Although the Lakota were not indigenous to Vermont and New England Indians did not live in tipis, we feel that tipis offer the safest, most flexible housing for our campers and program. They are cool in summer, withstand all types of weather, are easy to set up and move, and accommodate four to five campers and a counselor comfortably. For those cool Vermont nights, smoke flaps regulate the draft so campers can have a cozy fire inside the tipi to make hot chocolate or pop corn.