The Closest Color War in Years: Recapping Summer 2026 at Adirondack Camp

This summer marked our 122nd year on the peninsula, and a special milestone for our Director, Matt, who celebrated his 30th year at the helm of ADK. Three decades of leadership, and the magic of this place is as strong as ever.

That magic came, as always, from a base of incredible staff. Our team traveled from 15 countries this year, including New Zealand, Australia, England, Turkey, South Africa, and Mexico, alongside staff from all over the United States. That mix of backgrounds and perspectives is part of what makes every summer here feel a little different, and a little bigger than our own backyard.

Camp Color War: Blue/White This Summer

This year’s Blue/White competition will go down as one of the closest in recent memory. Blue jumped out to an early four-plaque lead in Session One, but White stormed back at the start of Session Two, winning four events in a row to even the score. As the summer wound down, it came to the final three plaques: Blue took Sing-Off, White took Trips (edging Blue by a mere 0.05 miles of hiking), and the whole summer came down to Awiskini, the total number of Adirondackees earned by each team. With inductions happening right up until just hours before the awards ceremony, in what was likely the largest single Awiskini class in recent years, White pulled ahead 46 to 45. One point. One camper. That’s what decided Summer 2026.

Cabin and Line Nights

Cabin Nights brought campers together for everything from paddling out on our giant SUP, the Megalodon, our epic dances, brownie-making, swimming, and s’mores. Line Nights raised the stakes: Seniors had fun with Casino Night and Shark Tank, decorated cupcakes, gathered around campfires, and watched the sunset from Senior Point, while our Juniors and Intermediates tackled the Egg Drop challenge, a Great British Bake-Off-style cake decorating challenge,and tie-dye.

Camp Arts Program: Guest Artists and Alumni Instructors

Our Arts Program stayed exciting all summer thanks to a lineup of fantastic Guest Artists, many of whom are alumni. These are just a few: Renee taught sewing (reimagining a hoodie) and made meatballs, canolis and homemade pasta in an Italian cooking class, Greg from the ADK Glassblowing Studio showed campers how to turn glass into vases and paperweights, Master Magician David Black taught campers how to wow their cabinmates, and alumni Doug (a national croquet champion) and Sal returned to teach croquet and special effects makeup/D&D miniature painting, respectively.

Adirondack Adventure Camp: Water Sports, Hiking, and Wilderness Trips

The Waterfront and Wilderness & Trips Programs delivered no shortage of highlights:

• Waterskiing saw double slalom skiers, in tutus.
• Advanced canoeing towed the inflatable Hotdog Tube behind our 100+ year-old war canoes.
• Sailing raced in regattas both in-camp and against other yacht clubs, including the Jazz Fest, the Volvo Lake Race, and the Hotdog Regatta.
• Land Sports brought home the Mountain Plaque in our annual tournament against Forest Lake Camp, winning 5-to-2 across seven events.
• Big Triangle, our 1.8-mile swim from Canoe Dock, saw two campers finish so fast in Session One that they turned around and swam it again!

• Kayaking ran whitewater trips on the Sacandaga and Hudson Rivers, and sent seven of our most skilled kayakers down the world-class rapids of Ontario’s Ottawa River in Canada on a multi-day trip.
• Wilderness & Trips covered everything from 46er hikes, Firetowers, and the Dix Range as well as a 5 Alive trip per session (all five mountains around Lake George in a single day), whitewater rafting, fishing at Ti Falls, rock climbing, overnight canoe trips to the Hague Islands, and more.

Why Sleepaway Camp Matters: Confidence, Friendship, and Growth

Beyond the plaques, the trips, and the highlights, this was a summer where our campers grew as friends, as teammates, as people willing to try something new, whether that was a rapid on the Ottawa River, skippering a boat for the first time, or performing at ADKChella. That growth is the real story of every ADK summer, and this one was no exception.

As Matt reflected in his closing letter to families, the peninsula grows quiet once the vans pull away, but the laughter doesn’t really leave. It stays in the waterfront, the woods, and the Dining Hall, and travels home with the duffel bags and, more than anything, in the hearts of the campers and staff who shared this summer together. He closed by thanking families for trusting ADK with their kids’ summers, their friendships, and their growth, a trust every one of us feels lucky to carry.

Here’s to 122 years, and to many more summers ahead!

Enrollment for summer 2027 is open! Click here to enroll now, or check out our dates and rates page. For more information on early enrollment discounts, or if you have other questions, please contact or call us at 518-547-8261.