At Camp Killooleet in Hancock, husband-and-wife team Kate Seeger and Dean Spencer found themselves alone on their campground last summer.
“It was eerie to be at camp without campers in the summer, there’s no denying,” Spencer said. “We miss them.”
Last season was a difficult one for summer camps across Vermont. Many never opened at all for the summer — for many, a first in their history — because they couldn’t meet stringent state regulations put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Now, camp staffers around the state are thrilled to be reopening for the summer 2021 season.
“Our campers have been far apart from people and places that hold a lot of meaning for them through a really difficult time,” said Frances McLaughlin, executive director of Farm and Wilderness, which runs seven outdoors-based camps for teens and kids.
Many young people have experienced trauma over the past year, McLaughlin said — the loss of a loved one, unable to go to school, unable to spend time with friends, forced to move, a parent losing a job.
“We know that nature has healing power, so time in nature can help one go through the natural processes of loss,” she said. She emphasized the importance of giving kids and teenagers a space to be with others their own age, after spending most of the year at home.
Reopening this summer is also financially crucial for the camps.
“Summer camps that didn’t run last year are going 20 months with no income. You can imagine the financial loss that is,” said Ellen Flight, director of Songadeewin, one of the three Keewaydin wilderness summer camps. “Those aren’t the sexy or fun things about camp, but that’s the reality in these times.”
The Keewaydin Foundation accepted donations from alumni to help bridge the gap, Flight said.
Killooleet also received alumni donations to support it through last season. “As a small family business, if we don’t open [this year], I don’t think we would survive,” Seeger said. The business has been in the Seeger family for over 70 years.
Luckily, campers are excited to return after a summer away and programs are filling up quickly.
At Farm and Wilderness, McLaughlin reported record enrollment. Although the camp plans to operate at 75 percent capacity, following state guidelines, it has already registered more campers this year than it had at this pre-pandemic time last year, or the year prior.
Keewaydin’s boys’ and girls’ camps are almost full for the first month, and filling up rapidly for the second, according to Flight. Killooleet has not yet opened its registration, but pre-enrollment indicates interest is high.
This summer season will bring unique challenges, though, as staff members grapple with constantly developing Covid-19 circumstances and regulations.
Everyone at camp will be required to wear masks, physically distance and participate in routine health screenings and temperature checks. Camps must reduce the number of campers below normal levels, require a two-week pre-arrival quarantine of all staff members and campers, adjust dining and living configurations to provide more spacing, add outdoor tents, and group campers into smaller “pods” for their activities.
Farm and Wilderness released its initial safety plan last November, developed by its Reopening Task Force, and plans to add more wrinkles in the coming months. Keewaydin also published a preliminary Covid-19 preparedness plan and has hired Laura Blaisdell, a child public health epidemiologist, as an adviser.
“Changes are tentative because none of us are sure what’s going to happen or what we’ll need to do,” Spencer said of Killooleet’s plans. “We’re cautiously optimistic.”
Camp directors are working closely with the Vermont Department of Health and Vermont Camp Association to ensure that all guidelines are met. In addition to protecting campers, directors are focused on keeping staff and surrounding communities safe.
“We are very aware of the importance of making sure the community around us is safe,” Spencer said.
Staff members, especially the older ones, hope they will be able to receive the Covid-19 vaccine before the summer camp season begins, Flight said.
Residential, outdoors-focused programs like Killooleet, Keewaydin and Farm and Wilderness generally lend themselves well to the necessary Covid-19 safety measures.
Once campers arrive, they stay on their campground or go on wilderness excursions — some of which may be altered or canceled this year — with other campers and staff members, creating a closed social circle. And, experts say, outdoor activities pose a lower risk of Covid-19 transmission than indoor activities.
“There’s no other business entity that is positioned to create the kind of safety that camps can provide,” Flight said.
