Welcome to the 2022 Summer Camps Guide

When I think back on my childhood, many iconic, memorable moments came during summer camp. Whether it was learning wilderness survival or new social skills, archery or the teamwork and physicality involved in a campwide game of capture the flag, or the epic sense of accomplishment that came with completing my first mile swim (being safely tailed by rowboat the whole time), camp helped me deepen my connection to the natural world — and to my own nature.

And the powerful, expansive experiences camps offer have never been more critical than they are just now. After two years of on-again, off-again semi-confinement, the opportunity for kids to unplug, change the scenery and explore is vital.

The writers in this issue make this point eloquently. They also provide some practical guidelines on choosing the right camp for your child. The experiences I describe above are mostly from Boy Scout camp, and they were a great fit for me at that age, but they are hardly the full gamut of what New Hampshire summer camps offer today. There are overnight or day camps, traditional camps or specialty camps for kids looking to dig deep into specific niche activities. (While I loved Boy Scout Camp, as a musician, I also probably would have been very happy at the summer music camps advertised on page 19.)

In addition to helping you choose the right camp, this issue can help you prepare your child for the camp experience (see pages 10 and 13), both in terms of packing and preparation to health care, and getting ready to meet and engage with new people (page 17). And it may even help prepare you for the challenge of sending your child off on this independent adventure as well.

ERNESTO BURDEN

VICE PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER, MCLEAN COMMUNICATIONS