Sometimes we are reminded that these mountains are part of a temperate rainforest. It allows us to paddle all summer, keeps the trees and grass green without ever watering, and provides for delightful sunsets. While it did rain today, it wasn’t much of a hindrance; we still did our activities outside. The total accumulation was not much. It was mostly a misty rain on and off all day. Some came in from the rain from time to time. The beauty was that the boys embraced it for the most part and just kept at it. It’s these little moments where the boys learn to handle what is thrown at them and they adjust. Of course, the staff model how to handle these events, and the kids just roll with it.
As we move into the end of the second week, I have really enjoyed seeing the boys progress in their activities. Part of what we hold important in our program is that we do not operate a tourist excursion. We want these boys to learn these activities. As they move through the years at camp, the boys begin to count on one another in these trips and events as they work together in groups. It is all about the progression. Careful steps of success that lead to the next adventure. You can’t go to “C” without first hitting “A” and “B.” It allows the boys to stay in that sweet spot that I mentioned last night. The picture at the top is a good example. The boys in the river pictures today did not just get to choose to go on this river trip. They had to work at it. They even had to work on the skills necessary for two previous rivers that are easier than this one. They sure had a blast, though; and they earned it!
The Mini Men were taking in every minute with several of the guys on today’s Panthertown hiking trip and the Green River canoeing trip. These boys will get packed up this evening and then have a wonderful time with their cabin group.
It’s fun to have everyone coming back to camp for the weekend. It’s almost like a homecoming after such a busy week. Tonight was a culinary favorite. Not necessarily a culinary masterpiece, but definitely a favorite. Taco in a Bag! Take a bag of Frito corn chips, then throw in meat, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, salsa, and sour cream. Finish it off with a spoon and you are ready to go! It’s pretty simple, but a ton of excitement to see the guys walking around on the lawn with spoons in their Frito bags! It was a great way to send off our Mini I boys!
As if the day wasn’t great enough, we wrapped up the week with our fireworks event we had to postpone from Freedom Day on the 4th!
Have a Great Night!
Don Gentle
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