Positive Ripple Effects in our Camp “Ecosystem”

Is there anything better than camp friends?

It was a brisk morning as we gathered on the benches at Morning Watch today before breakfast. Sleepy-eyed boys were filing in, still cozy in their hoodies and sweatshirts as if it were a cool Fall day. We’ve been enjoying a cool-front here at camp, which has lowered our temperatures down to the refreshing 50s last night, and up to a high of 75 today. This morning, Parker Moon, the Catawba tribal leader, led us with a thought for the day about the ripple effect of a positive attitude.

Parker began by telling a story about the delicate balance of ecosystems, using Yellowstone wolves as an example. He started the story by explaining how, in the early 1900s, ranchers and cowboys didn’t like wolves killing their livestock, so they began to kill them all off. By the 1930s, there were no wolves left, but by the 1980s there began to be huge problems with the ecosystem of that National Park. There were no young aspen trees, very little diversity in the stream wildlife, a decline in the songbird and beaver population, and much less vegetation around the banks of rivers. The ecosystem was broken and unhealthy, and no one could figure out why. Then they remembered the wolves, and reintroduced them to Yellowstone. Slowly, the elk population was cut in half thanks to the wolves, which allowed the vegetation to begin to grow back without being trampled or eaten.

Parker’s story showed that when one small thing is out of balance, it can throw off an entire system. He challenged everyone to use their Positive Attitudes to create a ripple effect through our camp’s community and “ecosystem,” explaining that a seemingly insignificant action can have huge positive repercussions.

All throughout the day today, boys could be seen enjoying camp’s scenery and modeling positive attitude. If you think about camp’s community as a cohesive ecosystem, you can see how a positive attitude can have a huge effect on our “ecosystem,” enhancing everyone’s experience. To top it all off, one of the songs we sang at Morning Assembly was “It’s a Great Day to be Alive,” which set the mood perfectly for this beautiful Wednesday.

Without positive attitude, games and practice would be no fun!

Arts and Crafts had a special sign-up this morning to enjoy camp’s own ecosystem and scenery. They were headed up to the overlook with watercolor paints and supplies, ready to enjoy the beautiful weather and paint the incredible views. As you saw when driving in on Opening Day, camp sits atop a mountain, with views of the Green River Valley and surrounding hills off of the western ridge. We call this spot the “overlook,” and it’s a great place to enjoy camp’s natural beauty, especially during sunset. The painters were taking advantage of this spot today, and though everyone was admiring the same view, each boy’s paper had a different looking painting on it.

TJ’s painting was a study of the mountains and their varying shades of green and blue. He was painting in broad brushstrokes, focused on getting the first hill in the foreground as bright as possible, so it would stand out against the more faded colors in the background. Henry from Comanche was painting with shorter and choppier strokes, making a more textured image of the mountains and their rough, leafy, edges. He was focused on the details, drawing a house and tower way off in the distance. “I bet that’s Yates’ house,” he guessed, but I told him that Yates and Marisa live much closer than that house on the distant hill. “Yeah, that house would be pretty to live in,” TJ mused about the far-off house, “but you would have to like nature way more than you like restaurants,” he joked. The third boy painting with them was also named Henry, and he had chosen to paint a more close-up view of the oak tree next to them. Ben, the arts and crafts counselor, was giving him tips on how to paint the oak leaves, noticing how the sunlight filters through them and creates all different shades of green in the canopy.

It was a relaxing way to spend the morning, enjoying the scenery that surrounds camp and admiring it in great detail. As they painted, the mountain bikers came across the overlook on one of the trails during their camp ride. “Hey Connor!”, Henry yelled and waved, explaining that Connor was his cabin-mate in Comanche. Connor was enjoying the scenery at a faster pace on his mountain bike. Jake and Coleman, two of our mountain bike counselors, were helping him navigate a section of trail that he was riding for the first time. Today was the first time he had ever tried mountain biking, which can be an intimidating activity to try if you’re new to biking on trails. “My grandmother told me I should try it,” he said, and he was doing a great job on his first time out. “I’m not very athletic, so I like doing art at camp,” TJ said after the mountain bikers rolled past. “Can I paint here again tomorrow?” He asked, and Ben told him he could. “I like being athletic,” Henry said, “but I’m trying to mix it up today.” The great part about camp is that there is always something for everyone, and there are countless activities to try something new.

Serenity on the Green River, enjoying camp’s scenery

Tomorrow will be another beautiful day on the mountain, and another chance for our positive ecosystem of campers and staff to grow.

-Annie Pharr

More Highlights From This Wednesday:

• Lots of trips were headed out today! Mountain Bikers rode trails in Dupont, Climbers headed to Gilbert’s Rock, Backpackers took a day hike in Pisgah, and Paddlers were taking boats down the Lower Green, as well as a multi-day trip on a nearby lake. Fly fishing, sailing, blacksmithing, and horseback also had plenty of spots, and the swimmers took a special trip to nearby Sliding Rock in Pisgah, which is always popular on a hot day!
• Frank hosted his “Workout Wednesday” workout opportunity in the lodge during Free Time for anyone who wanted to join. They also have been doing “pushup porch” every morning after Morning Assembly, adding one pushup each day. Today’s magic number was 9 pushups.
• Breakfast: The kitchen crew woke up early to prepare us some hot blueberry pancakes on the griddle, plus bacon, grits, and a yogurt and granola bar with hard boiled eggs, fresh strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and grapefruit.
• Lunch: Meatball subs, pasta salad with prosciutto and feta, chicken noodle soup, a salad bar, and m&m cookies for dessert
• Dinner: Teriyaki chicken and rice with mixed vegetables in a thai sauce, plus a packed salad bar and chocolate cake for dessert
• Evening Program: The boys were excited to be able to play Deep Woods Capture the Flag where they use the core 100 ares of camp as the boundary to split. Who wouldn’t love to strategize with their counselor to try and find the Green or Gold flag, and secretly get it back to their territory for the win?

Ready for a lacrosse scrimmage!

9 Square in the Air during free-time!