Whale
The whale is the longest of all long distance swims. It consists of swimming all the way around the lake, an uncertain distance between four and six miles. Only senior campers and sometimes CIT's ever swim their whale.
Contents
The Swim
A camper must be very prepared to swim his whale. He will know if he will swim his whale if he has swum his seal the previous year. Otherwise he cannot do his whale, but there are some exceptions. Whales almost always are swum near the end of the summer so the campers swimming them will have the maximum amount of time to get in shape. Some campers will do extra swimming or "whale training" to be even more prepared. The camper never knows exactly when he will be woken up to do his whale. It comes as a surprise when early in the morning counsellors come into his cabin to wake him up. The swimmer will then go down to the water and jump in. He can swim either clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on his preference. When a whale is close to being finished, a bell will ring and the whole camp will go down to the water to cheer the swimmer on.
The Achievement
At the next meal the whale will receive two standing Birch Rock cheers. He will also be accepted into the whale club. The club consists of every person who has ever swam his or her whale (the only her being Gene Hard). All of the whale club members present will hug the new whale and he will forever be in the whale club. At the end of the summer the new whales will all receive a whale badge. Their names will also be put up on the plaques under "whales".
Noteworthy Whales
There have been a few whales through the years that deserve special mention.
Jean Hard
The first whale ever and the only woman to ever swim her whale.
Will Weeks
Possibly the hardest whale ever swum. The wind was against him almost the entire way and he swam through white caps. His legs cramped for the last quarter of the way, making him rely entirely on his arms. He did manage to finish with the longest whale ever done, a record that would be beaten by Chris McElrone. He was in the water for more than four hours. On the whale plaques for that year there are waves carved next to his name to make note of his harsh swimming conditions.
Andrew Bowden
The fastest whale ever, taking him only two hours and one minute.
