Almost There
July 25, 2013 by Don Gentle
Another excellent day at camp! While we are winding down to just the last couple days, activity is rolling along full steam! We had an incredibly beautiful day with temperatures in the low seventies, sunshine, and all sorts of trips and fun!
The paddler’s were the first out the door at 7:20 this morning. They headed over for an awesome paddling trip on Wilson’s Creek. It is an incredibly beautiful stream. On group did the upper gorge section that is a little easier, while the more advanced boys headed down the lower section.
The climbers enjoyed a sunny day over on Horseshoe Rock near lake Toxaway. It was said to be one of the best climbing trips of the session! The boys have learned so many skills in that activity this past month. There is even a couple boys that have started to lead climb on the tower.
The fishermen enjoyed their catch from the other day. The guys brought home about fifteen pounds of trout that they caught this past Monday. We decided to cook it up tonight. We went all out and showed the boys what Trout Piccata is all about. If you have never had it, trout piccata is a classic Italian dish made of lightly breaded pan fried trout with a white wine, garlic, lemon, and caper reduction. Yes, we showed the boys how to make it! They loved it! Only a few of the guys showed from the trip, but they were all very enthusiastic about helping flour the fish, pan fry it, then watch the minced garlic dance in the pan as we made the sauce. It was a super fun experience and the boys really enjoyed the dish. There was plenty of fresh rainbow trout to go around.
Horseback riding is getting ready for their “drill team” demonstration where they will show the crowd their control and movement choreographed to music. They sure have worked hard down at horseback riding this session. The skill level of the boys is really impressive!
It sure has been an incredible month and a wonderful two weeks with our Mini II guys. I can’t believe it is wrapping up already. Tomorrow afternoon we will begin our transition process by getting packed up, then one final all-camp color war event will take up the whole time after rest hour. Finally, we will wrap up the session with a campfire, songs, and a story. There will be a large group of boys receiving their 5-year backpack, and 10-year hand made Fritz Orr paddle. I am so excited about tomorrow.
This will be the last night of pictures. Don’t forget Parents’ Day on Saturday. Please wait until 9:15 to arrive. We will get things going a little after 10:00 with demonstrations, displays, and lunch! Even though we will load up your trunk in the car, I always like to remind folks about stopping by the cabin on closing day to be sure you get everything that is still on your son’s bed before you leave. Don’t forget, if you enjoyed the pictures, you can still buy a flash drive of over 4500 pictures on closing day. Safe travels! I look forward to meeting with all of you.
Don