You Can’t Slow us Down
August 2, 2018 by Don Gentle
Nothing like a warm fire in the dining hall on a cool mountain morning. As a walked up to the dining hall this morning I could already smell the wood burning from the fireplace. I took just a few moments to enjoy the heat that felt so wonderful on this cool morning. The giant fireplace in the dining hall has been a great place to warm up in the morning and after a raining time on the lake. While the weather has not been perfect, we sure have had a lot of fun. The rain did not slow us down a bit today. We all had high spirits and have continued to play in the rain and do a ton of activities.
It is a true adventure here every day. Some of the time just getting ready for the day is an adventure. I enjoyed cruising through the cabins during clean-up time this morning. Many of the young guys are doing their best to just get their clothes on straight, let alone get the bed made and help out with group chores. What I enjoyed this morning was watching the boys help each other get those top bunks made. It’s hard enough to get a bottom bunk sorted. The top bunk is a pretty big challenge. My favorite is the “make the bed while you are sleeping in it” method. I feel like I might have done this growing up as well. I’m sure you have seen it. Why not, it really appears to make sense. Lay down and pull up all the covers around you, flatten out the edges and make it pretty, and then try to slide out without disturbing anything. Again, it works pretty good on the ground level. It’s a bit more of a challenge when you are on the top. These boys worked through it pretty well. Don’t let them fool you when they get home. They can make their bed pretty well.
Mountain biking was a big hit today. Most all of our boys come from a flatland pavement environment. As with all of our activities, it is a whole lot more than just a bunch of wee-ha. Anyone program can buy some bikes, but it’s the staff and the program that make it. We spend the first few days in the grass learning about the bike, safety checks, uphill and downhill technique, braking, shifting, and all that needs to happen for a safe experience. It is a whole lot more than just jumping on a trail. These boys will have the skills they need to ride in control. When we do hit the trail, we are fortunate enough to have 15 miles of our own trails, but we also take advantage of nearby DuPont State Forest that is just 15 minutes down the road and some of the best beginners to advanced trails in the country! It was a great start in this activity today! I look forward to seeing their progress.
Our first groups of cabins also hit the high ropes course today. Each of the boys will have an opportunity once this session to spend either the morning or the afternoon on the course with their cabin mates. The ropes course was busy with the boys from Lookout hanging out for the morning, while Connestee reached new heights for the afternoon.
We also had some trailblazers head up to Rich Mountain this afternoon. A great hike that takes them right past these amazing 50-foot boulders known as the High Rocks, and then to the summit! It was a little wet here and there, but it did not slow the boys down one bit.
It’s going to be another great day tomorrow. I can’t wait to share it with you. Have a great night.
Don