The Midpoint

Living in the mountains is wonderful for many reasons, and waking up this morning was one of them. It was chilly! A light breeze and sunny skies only accentuated the temperature in the upper 50s as the wake up bell rang out. What a treat to start a summer day with a sweatshirt on and feeling cozy.

The crisp morning was the perfect way to launch some trips out of camp as well. Before the breakfast our mountaineers, climbers, mountain bikers, and one very eager paddler had gathered for an early meal before starting their adventures.

The mountaineers made their way over to Dupont for a tour de waterfalls, taking in at least five different falls. The climbing group made their way to the Southside of Looking Glass for a great day on the rock, only made better with the temperate day. The mountain biking crew was on the older side and managed some impressive/taxing miles before coming back for a hungry lunch.

Our paddler was soon joined by the rest of the crew coming in for a regular breakfast time. But man was he ready! They loaded up and spent the day on the French Broad working through reading rapids, catching eddies, practicing ferries, and even getting some swim time in.

In camp, things were also cranking in this second week. Our activity progressions are a wonderful way for campers to visualize goals and then see the path towards meeting them. At the barn, our riders were working on just that while enjoying some of the new horses to the herd for this year. They also have a set of cross-country jumps on a trail that offers another challenge to work towards during the session.

In crafts, campers have been completing felted wool animals, al alambre paper mache creations, patterned art with yarn and wood, and are soon to start candle-making. Just next door in pottery they’ve been putting in daily practice rolling out various lengths of coils, with a special emphasis on consistent thickness. This is a preparatory step to then building projects with those coils, after already practicing pinch pots and even some exploratory time on the electric wheel.

For the mountaineers in camp, a gauntlet was thrown down in the day’s classes. Groups of brave boys made their way through the woods to Polar Bear Falls where the most intrepid (and it was most everybody) choose to take turns sitting under a modest-sized, beautiful water fall with some famously chilly water. One must repeat “I’m a polar bear. I’m a polar bear.” for as long as possible before staggering out and shaking life back into your limbs. Always a good time and full of laughs, with the hike home helping the blood pump once more!

Today was also the halfway point in the camp session, as surprising as that feels. Time flies while at camp with each day feeling epically long, and each week seemingly a blink of the eye. That realization amongst our guys makes things feel like time is slowly shortening and puts some emphasis on accomplishing those goals, hopping on the next trip, and soaking up every bit of camp possible. I am looking forward to seeing all that they accomplish over their second half of camp!