Adventure Awaits!
Choose Your Own Adventure
One of the facets of Warrior Spirit, a part of the Falling Creek Code, is living with courage. Many things that a boy will try at camp take courage, and there are ample opportunities for adventure. It’s only fitting that the theme for this first week of the summer is “courage.” Boys were testing their courage both in and out of camp yesterday, as our first trips headed off property, and the adventure activities were all leading their first preps.
On Opening Day, each boy chose six activities for his daily camp schedule. However, every day the boys have the opportunity to listen for trip announcements and sign up for adventures off-property that they choose to participate in. If a boy wants to go on a trip, he’ll simply leave his daily schedule behind, join the trip, and plug back into his activities when he returns.
Yesterday morning, the climbers and mountain bikers led the first trips of the summer, heading to Gilbert’s Rock to climb, and Dupont State Forest to ride. The climbers got to enjoy perfect weather and stunning views of the surrounding mountains, while the mountain bikers enjoyed some well-groomed trails, beating the local crowds by riding on a Monday.
Adventure however, doesn’t have to mean going on some grand trip. In fact, many boys were on adventures of their own here on-property. Those that were interested in paddling, mountain biking, and backpacking trips had the opportunity to attend a prep yesterday, where they learned the basics and became prepared to go on upcoming trips.
I met up with the mountain bikers during their prep, which had a huge group of excited boys, eager to learn more about riding trails. All of them were riding at Falling Creek for the first time, and they had just stopped near the barn to take a break. Hunt was one of the boys among the group, and when I asked how it was going so far, he smiled and shouted, “Great!” Teddy was one of the first year campers in the group, who told me that his goal for the session was to go on a trip in each of the four outdoor adventure activities: mountain biking, rock climbing, paddling, and backpacking.
After catching their breath, Hays, one of the heads of mountain biking this year, turned to the group and said, “Ok, remember what we’re going to shout when I count to three?” The boys all nodded excitedly, turning towards the horse barn and shouting in unison, “Why the long face?!” Giggling, they sped off down the trail following Hays as he shouted, “go, go, go!” The friendly rivalry between the horseback riders and mountain bikers seems to be a running joke each summer.
Down at the Lower Lake, more boys were working towards their adventure goals. Copeland and Anderson were both practicing their kayak roll, with counselors Charles and Rex patiently giving them tips so they could master the skill. The boys had earned their Yaklets the previous summer, which are bracelets that paddlers earn after completing the basics in a canoe with partners, proving that they have enough skills on the river to move to kayaking. The boys were excited about the opportunity to go on a Lower Green trip in kayaks for the first time this week. It was neat to see Charles and Rex, both former campers, now coming full circle to instruct boys in the sport that they came to love at camp.
At Falling Creek, boys are able to choose their own adventures and gain courage from their experiences. Whether the adventure is going kayaking in whitewater, riding a mountain bike on new trails, or even just the adventure of going to camp away from home for the first time, this session is sure to be full of memorable, educational, and fun experiences. Adventure awaits!