Weekly Update: August 10th, 2025

Tonight, after delicious Closing Banquets at both camps, Big Spring had their Closing Campfire and High Trails shared their final Vespers…the last Vespers of the 2025 Summer. The 2nd Session JCs have created a tradition called “Dear Sanborn Letters” where they write a reflection letter about their experience at camp and read it to the whole community. They are a moving tribute to the power of multiple summers at camp. One in particular tonight seemed to touch on the very components that speak to what we hope the summer has provided for everyone at camp.

Trying New Things
“It truly feels like just yesterday that I was driving down the long dirt road, in a COVID-19 mask, nervous to spend a month away from my parents. But since that day, Sanborn has been an ever-present reminder that I can do anything.”

Coming to camp requires (among other things) courage, trust, flexibility and hope. Your campers are incredibly brave for stepping out of the familiar and into the unknown. We all have to trust that we all have each other’s best interests in mind–even when people make mistakes. Flexibility is required in order to adapt to new food, new accommodations, new people, new activities and new ideas…we have to remain open and curious about what we may learn. More than anything, we have hope that the campers who spend two weeks or a month with us will walk away with additional confidence that stems from their growing competence, independence and responsibility. It is the feeling we have after climbing a mountain, saddling our own horse or actually falling asleep in a sleeping bag outside in the woods under the infinite blanket of the Milky Way.

Community
“The memories and friends I have made here will support me my whole life long. I didn’t think it was possible to find such a family while missing my own.”

When people talk about their experiences at Sanborn, they always talk about the impact of the community. We are a community of individuals. We believe and we are committed to human development and we know that living with a diverse group of individuals is complicated, messy and extraordinarily fun. Just like family, camp is a place where people really see and know each other–because we are together through the highs (Mountain summits! Singing songs! Winning Counselor Hunt!) and we also are there for the lows (Missing home. Being sick. Screwing up.). It is humbling because we all realize we are all human and we are all fallible and that being able to take ownership for our mistakes makes us more accountable to ourselves and to the people we care about–both at camp and at home.

Clarity
“Sanborn has seen me through many years and loved me through many phases. Helping me discover and gain clarity about my true self. Even when you find yourself wondering why we sacrifice our phone, our friends, our families, etc. for a month…I can say for certain at the end of it you will be glad you did.”

The campers, staff and parents who allow themselves to be “all in” for this experience are the ones who will gain the most from the opportunity. A camper who knows their parent/guardians believe in them so much that they are willing to not hear from them for a month is a tween, teen and emerging adult who knows they have an intrinsic strength and grit to get themselves through uncomfortable moments. A staff member who shows up consistently and allows themselves to be truly present for kids will receive a level of admiration, respect and adulation that would make a rockstar jealous. Parents/Guardians have to play the long game here…you might not know the ROI after each individual, unique summer, but–like our JC says above–at some point–you (and they) will be glad you did it.

Possibility
“Sanborn is a once in a lifetime opportunity and there is so much to gain from it. Whether you are here for the breathtaking views, mountains, horses, the people or a mix of all of it.”

The world is a lot right now–and it feels like technology isn’t helping the situation, even though we basically have all of the information in the world at the tip of our finger. Yet humans need “embodied” experiences: a real life, real time connected moment with other people.

Christine Rosen, author of “The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World,” describes how our contact with the physical has receded as our lives have become increasingly mediated by technology. “It has transformed many human experiences not by banning them, but by making certain kinds of embodied experiences such as face-to-face communication and other unmediated pleasures less and less relevant to daily life.” Heartfelt conversations take place through text messages; we stream church services to our living rooms. This is not a good thing. “Many of these experiences are what, historically, have helped us form and nurture a shared reality as human beings.”

The shared reality of our community of possibility thinkers, dreamers, doers and compassionate believers in the outdoors helps create the kind of change we hope to see in the world–which was exactly what Laura and Sandy Sanborn had in mind.

Gratitude
“Thank you, Sanborn for pushing me, showing me beauty, and helping me find confidence. And thank you to my amazing friends for the endless love. It’s safe to say I wouldn’t be who I am today without this place.”

This is how all of us feel. It is both our livelihood and our life. We embrace the challenge, see the possibility and always feel deep, deep gratitude for the joy, hope and energy we experience when we help kids “live together in the outdoors, building a sense of self, community, earth and wonder through fun and adventure.”

Over the last week, Big Spring campers enjoyed their 3,4 and 5 day long trips into the Colorado backcountry while High Trails campers all danced the night away during the JC Dinner, demonstrated that High Trails Got Talent and crowned a new Miss Sanborn…and they also did some trips, too.

Everyone loved yesterday’s Gymkhana horseback/equestrian rider showcase. Campers showed their technical riding skills in the Keyhole, Poles and Barrels events while their friends and staff members cheered them on. And before we know it, we will be loading buses in the wee hours of the morning to start sending your kids back home.

We already miss them.

Thank you for sharing them with us and for allowing them to help create a spectacular, unique, never-to-be-repeated summer experience. We couldn’t do it without them, and we definitely could not do it without you.

See you in 2026!