Life at 3000 Feet
July 7, 2012 by Don Gentle

Pictures from July 7, 2012 (password required)

Of course we had another great day at camp today. Funny thing, though; I started to complain about how hot it was today, and then I looked at the weather map across the southeast. We barely hit 85 here at camp, while many of you in the southeast were almost 100 degrees. Living at three thousand feet has its advantages! We were a full 8 degrees cooler than Brevard today! Don’t get me wrong, we still felt the heat, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could be. Zoob and Woody had a little relief cart out around 4pm with Gatorade in large insulated coolers for anyone that wanted some. What a sweet cool relief to ease the heat.
We were all in camp today, so it was easy to cool off just about anywhere you wanted. The swimming crew had a little pirate action going on around the lake as they led siege after siege to areas like the rope swing, waterslide, and swim docks. They floated around from place to place all afternoon.
The mountain bikers had a little Harley Day spirit going on, while they worked on their skills in camp. Canoeing seemed to be creating a paddling workout while taking turns being dragged by the boat. It appeared to be a lot of fun yet a very functional event. Archery and riflery did some “make your own target” to shoot at. That turned out quite funny as well. Horseback riding had some fun Gymkhana games at the barn.
The boys didn’t let the heat get to them at meal times. I can’t believe how much these guys eat! Pancakes were a big hit at breakfast. Lunch brought homemade pizza with more cheese and pepperoni than you could imagine. That made for a sleepy rest hour. Finally, we had a nice picnic with subs for dinner that we washed down with our “once-a-week” soda.
Tonight we hosted the older half of Camp Illahee for a square dance while the younger guys headed down the hill to Illahee. What a wonderful group of ladies. The boys up here really had a great time!
That was plenty for one day! Keep the cards and letters coming, please! The guys are increasingly “plugged in” throughout the year and camp is a great time to learn that communication can take place through a means other than a smart phone! We’ll do our best to get them to write back.
We get a little extra sleep in tomorrow morning! Have a great night. Sorry I was late, but the ladies needed me to call the dance.
Take care,
Don Gentle