Finding the Gorilla
Discovery. Independence. Resilience. One of the hallmarks of Falling Creek is the adventure trip program offered to boys during our two-, three-, and four-week camp sessions. Under experienced leadership, campers can choose from a variety of out-of-camp adventure trips, including Backpacking, Rock Climbing, Mountain Biking, and Paddling. You may have even seen our posts on social media about where the campers have been so far during this session! These trips can be catered to any experience level, and range from single day outings to multi day trips. All trips begin and end at Falling Creek Camp, and venture out to enjoy some of the most scenic rocks, rivers, and trails in the Southeast.
Ben Williams serves as the Outdoor Adventure Director for Falling Creek, coordinating all of the outdoor adventure activities. I asked Ben what makes the outdoor adventure program as a whole unique to Falling Creek. Ben explained that the program “is designed to create a lifelong passion for the outdoors, allowing campers to continue their journey in these activities for the rest of their lives. To accomplish this, we focus on building skills that create a solid foundation. At the same time, we focus on the personal relationships that are formed from shared experiences outdoors.” Not only does a boy learn the technical skills required to safely participate in each outdoor activity at camp, but he also builds friendships with others in those activities, creating a solid base for enjoying the outdoors and improving on those skills for years to come.
Though Ben is a big believer in the “free choice” boys have at camp, he would always recommend they choose to go on a trip at least once during their time at Falling Creek. Our new Cabin Adventures during the first week of June Camp were a great way to allow every boy to experience something new off-property, all while bonding with their cabin mates. Some boys had been to camp for 5 years, and still hadn’t been to some of the trip locations they were able to try this year. They wouldn’t have branched out of their comfort zone and tried those trips, had it not been for the Cabin Adventure.
Ben says, “Being outside is like hitting a reset button. In the modern world everything is comfortable, easy, and lit up by the glow of screens. Being outside is the total opposite. One has to be present in the experience, immersed in the beauty of nature, without technology, and persevere during challenges that might arise on a trip. This makes outdoor trips more meaningful, and creates deeper friendships based on real, tangible, experiences.”
Since it’s Sunday, there aren’t any trips out at the moment, and we’ll be enjoying a more leisurely pace for the day. On Friday though, I got to drive a Lake Jocassee trip back to camp, and see the happy, tired, accomplished “post-trip” faces first hand. These boys were all older, so they had been on many trips before over their time at Falling Creek. They had a great time during their lake trip, paddling to the campsite, soaking up the sun, and swimming in the bright blue waters. We returned to camp at the same time as a younger group. They had spent two days on the Green River, and on the second day they walked down to hike along “the Narrows.” This is the steepest and burliest section of the Green River, famous for it’s big and beautiful rapids.
On the hike after they finished paddling, they went on a “gorilla hunt” to find a gorilla deep in the forest. They were successful on their expedition, seeing the famous rapid named “gorilla” on the Narrows. Bobby was excitedly telling me about how huge the rapid was, and I asked if he was going to run it one day. He shrugged and smiled, but his counselor’s encouraged him and said, “Yeah he will, this guy is stoked on paddling!”
Dusty called together a debrief meeting for the boys. “Amazing trip, I really loved being with you guys. Great job finding the Gorilla today. From where I saw you started, to where y’all finished yesterday on the Green, the amount of improvement is great stuff,” he shared.
It’s exciting to see campers improve during the session and over their years at camp. Our counselors never stop reminding them that they have what it takes! We can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow for our last few days of trips during June Camp.