2023 Grow & Behold is Here: Yates' Yak

Our annual Grow & Behold Magazine arrived in homes over the holiday season! This magazine is not only a yearbook documenting those who were part of the 2023 summer, but is also full of alumni updates, community news, and camp articles.

Below is the “Yates’ Yak” article from the latest Grow & Behold issue - We hope you’ll enjoy the magazine, and join us in a feeling of gratitude and excitement for the summers ahead!

Always Growing Along the Way

2023 Yates’ Yak

This past summer marked my 30th year at Falling Creek. As I reflect on those years I realize that—throughout all of the stages of life I’ve experienced while at camp—one thing has remained constant, and that is the growth and enrichment camp has given me.

My first summer at camp was back when I was 10 years old. It was 1978, and I was attending the three-week session with my brothers, Henry and Stephen. I loved the activities, making new friends, and the excitement of being away from home for the first time. Camp encouraged me to be curious and creative, and to explore an array of activities. However, as much as I loved camp, I also had to work through moments of homesickness. That experience helped me build perseverance and independence, and I learned that I could do hard things without my parents’ help. As a young boy, camp taught me resilience, and that I was capable of more than I even imagined.

My fifth summer at camp was when I was 15. By then, I had spent a few years returning to the six-week Main Camp session and was gaining a passion for whitewater paddling. Camp was still just as fun as it had been during my younger years, but as an older camper I was given more responsibility and even started to be involved in the trip planning and management process. The counselors who mentored me gave me the chance to go through the trip checklist, help pack food, and even guide some of the rapids under their supervision. As a teenager, camp taught me how to be organized and responsible.

My tenth summer at camp I was a 20-year-old college student, serving on staff as a paddling instructor. My interest in canoeing and kayaking had come full circle, and I was getting to share my love of paddling with the next generation of campers. By then, I had been a counselor for several summers and was able to take on more of a leadership role. It was one of my first experiences managing peers, working with different personalities, and creating ways to teach to all skill levels. As a young adult, camp taught me leadership and communication skills.

My fifteenth year was in 2008, and it was Marisa’s and my third year as Camp Directors. Despite all I had learned from my camp experiences in 15 years, my role as a Director taught me even more. Before returning, I had taken a break from camp from 1990-2005 to work in the corporate world of commercial real estate. My camp mentors had continued to be there for me during that chapter of my journey with career advice, networking, and letters of recommendation. Both then and now, what I needed to do most in business was learn how to work with people and meet them where they were. As an adult, camp continues to teach me collaboration, patience, problem solving, and teamwork skills.

Fast forward to my thirtieth year as Camp Director and I am still learning, honing, and gaining new skills. Though my role has changed as I’ve gotten older, my camp experience has grown with me. I still call upon the skills that I started learning here as a boy, which continue to build on each other and scale up as I grow.

Falling Creek exists to shepherd the journey of personal growth through love and adventure. This is our aim for everyone regardless of age, from campers, to staff, to directors. Camp will continue to teach me (and us) new things as we continue on our journey together.

Looking to read past Grow & Behold Issues? You can read all the previous ones here!

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