Boys sing and dance as they return to the main cabin from their camping areas for a meal at Hidden Hollow Camp in Bellville, Ohio on July 23, 2019. Hidden Hollow was founded in 1940, the camp has stayed true to it’s mission to provide an organic experience by separating campers from their phones and devices and immersing them in nature for the duration of their stay.
Counselors Kara Kowalski, 16, and Allie Pecenka, 19, laugh together while waiting for the chance to announce their activities during lunch break. Counselors at the camp are often former campers themselves, working at the camp as a summer job during breaks from college.
Carlie Quillin, 15, keeps an eye on the ball during four square on the patio outside of the main cabin. 15 is the maximum age for a camper, Quilin plans on returning as a counselor in summer of 2020.
Counselor Darby Ricks, 19, holds a butterfly during swim time. The rural location of the camp near Mansfield, Ohio allows the campers to interact closely with the nature surrounding them, even if it means a brush with poison ivy from time to time.
Campers wave their towels in the air to dry them out on a return walk from the pool on their way to lunch.
(from L) Counselors Regan Macerollo and Josh Handel demonstrate the meditation class activity they will be leading during all-swim free time.
Lucy Baird, 15, has her hair wrapped in embroidery floss during social time. The campers have brightly colored collections of embroidery floss that they tie into friendship bracelets, staying up late in their cabins to make keepsakes for their friends to take home when camp is over and they return home.
Counselor Madeline Zawada, 17, hosts a retelling of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" from memory to entertain campers. A snake was found in the bathroom a few days before and inspired her to try and tell the story, she laughed as she tried to remember what happened in the book.
Signs direct campers near and far on the main path at camp, leading them toward Texas and Maine.
Sam Brengartner, 8, celebrates the start of mail delivery. Hidden Hollow is open for six weeks during the summer, but because of it’s popularity they restrict campers to a two-week maximum stay so that other people in the community of Mansfield can share the experience. Even though their stay is short, most campers receive care packages from home.
Counselors hold hands while the flag is lowered to announce the end of the day of activities.