The ABC's of FCC: Alphabetical Camp Essentials
If you’re new to camp this summer, you may be wondering what to expect at Falling Creek. What are the ABC’s of FCC?
In this blog, we’ll go letter by letter through some of the essential things that you’ll do, see, and experience this summer at camp.
You can also read our blog about what camp teaches you from A to Z!
A: Adventure, Announcements, Archery, and Arts and crafts
Every day, there will be announcements about different adventure trips you can join! These range from single day trips to 5 day expeditions, and are available for all different skill and experience levels. If a trip sounds fun, you can sign up to join and just leave your regular activity schedule behind. You’ll plug back in when you return after the trip.
Archery and Arts & Crafts are just two of the many activities you can choose to add to your daily schedule. You can decide to shoot targets at the range, create art in the lodge, or both!
B: Backpacking, Blacksmithing, Basketball, and Brotherhood
Blacksmithing is offered as a daily “block” activity meeting all morning or afternoon. Campers must be 10 years of age or older to participate, but this is the only activity at camp with an age requirement. We start with a safety clinic and then begin learning blacksmithing techniques. Over time you can forge your own arrowheads, door handles, candlesticks, and more.
Basketball takes place in the McGrady Gym, which is covered so you can stay protected from the sun and enjoy games on the court no matter the weather.
Backpacking and hiking give you the opportunity to experience the rugged beauty of Western North Carolina firsthand, admiring waterfalls, open vistas, rhododendron tunnels, and hardwood stands dating back hundreds of years. On these single or multi day trips you can learn outdoor skills, including how to build fires, cook outdoors, purify water in the wilderness, and read a map. Each member of our Adventure Trip staff are Wilderness First Responder certified, and have great knowledge of the beautiful NC mountain landscape.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.” - Psalm 133:1 This verse is spoken at the beginning of each Campfire. It sets the tone for Falling Creek’s intentional brotherhood, where boys come together to live by the FCC Code and develop lasting friendships.
C: Campfire, Church, Chess, and Climbing wall
Speaking of Campfire, this tradition takes place every Sunday evening with the entire camp community. The boys gather with their cabin groups in silence, and the fire is lit with a single candle. As the flame crackles and glows, we sing songs, tell stories, and laugh at skits.
On Sunday mornings, boys put on their white collared shirts for our Church service. Staff and campers organize and conduct the service. Falling Creek is a Christian camp, but we are non-denominational and our church service is centered around common values that are important for everyone, no matter your specific faith background. We think this outdoor space is one of the most beautiful settings to enjoy God’s creation as a community of friends.
Chess and Climbing wall are two more activities that can be added to your daily schedule if you choose. Chess serves as a nice balance to camp’s more active programs, and allows boys to learn the strategy and fun of this classic game. Our climbing wall is 44 feet tall and has six sides. The three inner sides are covered, providing the opportunity to keep climbing or bouldering even on rainy days. With help from the climbing instructors, you can master the basics of climbing, knot tying, and belaying techniques.
D: Dining Hall & Disc Golf
The Dining Hall is the heart of camp, with meals eaten in the main upper floor and Morning Assembly taking place daily on the front porch. But you may not realize that below the Dining Hall is just as bustling. This is where you’ll find the Program Office, Camp Store, and lots of games to enjoy during Free Choice time. This takes place for an hour before both lunch and dinner, and you can play ping pong, foosball, carpet ball, warrior ball, board games, or disc golf.
Disc Golf is also a daily activity to sign up for if you want to work on your technique and practice with friends. Falling Creek’s 18 hole disc golf course winds across camp’s property, showcasing the scenic parts of the mountain while functioning as a fun and challenging game.
E: Evening Program & Evening Embers
Both Evening Program and Evening Embers take place after dinner each day, but that’s where the similarities end! Evening Program is a chance to play one last game together before the day ends - whether it’s an all-camp-game or a smaller event within our Cabin Lines. This is a high energy time for playing capture the flag, dodgeball, highland games, multi ball, or other camp favorites.
In contrast, Evening Embers happens once the excitement of Evening Program has died down, when everyone is in their cabins and ready for bed after the lights bell. Counselors facilitate “Evening Embers” for 15-20 minutes, during which a candle is lit and cabin mates talk about their busy day. You’ll talk together about how the day was, what you’ll do tomorrow, and what goals you might have. As the session progresses, Evening Embers themes might include aspects of the FCC Code, Christian values, and how the camp as a community models these expectations.
F: Friends, FARM, Fishing, and Flag Football
FARM, Fishing, and Flag Football are more daily activities offered at camp. FARM stands for Food, Animals, Repurposing, and Manpower: all of which you’ll learn about in this activity. You will have the chance to plant and harvest vegetables from our 15 raised beds, grow herbs and flowers, and care for our dozens of chickens. At the F.A.R.M., boys gain a better understanding of their footprint, as well as the importance of their influence on the environment.
You can choose between both spin fishing and fly fishing at Falling Creek. The two lakes at camp are a perfect place to learn the basics of casting. After you master these skills, you can put them to the test while catching trout on our private, stocked section of the Green River. We also take trips to some of the most scenic rivers in Western North Carolina, including the Davidson River in Pisgah National Forest, the Tuckasegee, and sections of the French Broad River.
Flag football is a blast at camp. Our synthetic turf field is a perfect place to improve skills and play awesome games with your camp friends. The drills, games, and scrimmages on the field not only improve your fitness and agility as an athlete, but also improve your teamwork skills. Camp activities are fun of course, but you’ll find that what makes the summer memorable is the people - the friendships you’ll make and the camp community you’ll become part of!
G: Green and Gold
Each boy who comes to camp becomes part of a Green or a Gold cabin, which decides what color they’ll be cheering for and earning points towards during the summer.
But between green and gold, it’s impossible to pick a favorite. Green is the color of life, the defining color of this mountain, and all of its trees and greenery. Gold is the color of the setting sun at night, and is a color full of value and richness. Both colors are important, and both hold value as the two colors of Falling Creek. Cabins are divided for friendly competition, and can get points for their Green or Gold team during evening programs, line nights, cabin inspections, and all-camp-games
H: Horses and Hawks
Steve Longenecker (SFL) has been part of Falling Creek community since the 70s, consistently educating boys in wilderness emergency medical aid (WEMA), leading climbing trips, hosting snake and falconry programs with his birds of prey and snakes, and even teaching how to cook his famous fried dough “Longenecker Lumps.”
SFL hosts an educational snake and birds of prey program, to teach boys about the hawks and snakes native to this area, as well as to foster the sense of wonder and awe that boys have in their hearts for these creatures.
If you’re more interested in four-legged friends, horseback offers a variety of opportunities with our camp-owned horses, for which you can sign up each day. The Progression in the horseback program includes both barnwork on the ground, and ringwork or trail riding while mounted. Boys can improve their horsemanship and work up to jumping or caring for a horse on an overnight trip.
I: Ironman and Ice Cream
Every week after Sunday lunch, ice cream sundaes are served for dessert! The cabin with the top inspection score in each Cabin Line that is excused from lunch first to go directly to the front of the line for sundaes. The rest of the cabins are released based on their scores. It’s an incentive to clean your cabin well, but who doesn’t love an ice cream sundae bar!
During the Main Camp session, boys can participate in the annual Ironman triathlon. This involves swimmind the lower and upper lakes, mountain biking close to a four-mile route on our single-track trails and camp roads, and finishing with a three-mile trail run. If you don’t want to participate as a racer, you can be part of a pit crew to support your racers transitioning between each stage of the race, or just cheer on your friends along the course.
J: Journeymen and Jamming
Like music? You can jam with our “FCC Band” every morning at Morning Assembly on the front porch, or sign up for our daily Music & Theater Program activities. You can play instruments, write and perform skits, and practice improv. Instruments can include the guitar, mandolin, fiddle, piano, dulcimer, drums, and even just our voices.
A Journeyman is a camper who has collected Waypoints and attained Warrior (the highest level of a program) in at least three different activities and consistently demonstrates that he lives by the FCC Code. Journeymen are eligible to take part in a “Journey” at the end of the session. Once a camper is designated as a Journeymen, he is presented to the camp community at Campfire, and chooses a staff member to be his mentor, helping him prepare for the Journey. If they successfully complete this Journey, they earn the rank of Keeper of the Flame, the highest rank attainable at Falling Creek.
K: Kayaks and Kilns
The kiln is where you’ll fire your clay creations if you choose to sign up for pottery. It’s quite satisfying to start with a lump of clay and end with a project you can be proud of. Boys will learn the basics of throwing a pot on the wheel as well as hand building and glazing skills, all while working through a progression system under the guidance of an experienced potter.
Kayaks and canoes are both part of our paddling program, oriented toward single and multi-day trips on exciting whitewater rivers, as well as peaceful and scenic mountain lakes.
On the lower lake at camp, boys learn correct paddling technique and work with a partner in a tandem canoe. After proving they can control and maneuver their boat, campers move to the Green and Tuckaseegee Rivers to learn river running skills in whitewater. As campers progress, they advance to more challenging rivers like the French Broad and Nantahala.
Once a camper has completed his progressions in a tandem canoe, he may continue his whitewater training in a solo canoe, C-1, or kayak. Each summer builds on the progression made previously, and our experienced paddling staff are equipped to continue teaching and offering new challenges, no matter the paddling level of the boy.
L: Lake Summit and Lines
Campers’ cabins are divided into four different groups by age, known as ‘Cabin Lines.’ From youngest to oldest, the Lines are Sorrel, Tsuga, Robinia, and Betula. Samara is the fifth Line for counselors who do not live in a cabin with campers. Each of the four camper Lines corresponds with a specific value from the Falling Creek Camp Code (Positive Attitude, Servant’s Heart, Moral Compass, and Warrior Spirit).
Each summer, boys return and move through the Lines as they age, following a unique path where they will embrace these Code Values throughout their time at Falling Creek. These Lines combine to make up the complete Falling Creek Camp experience, as campers progress on their journey from boys to young men. Lake Summit is a 300 acres lake located about ten minutes from Falling Creek, where our sailing program takes place.
Sailing is offered in daily “blocks” so boys can sign up to go for all of the morning or afternoon. In sailing, we teach knots, how to rig a boat, parts of a boat, how to read wind and weather patterns, and how to control your boat while sailing.
M: Mountain Biking and Morning Assembly
After a hearty breakfast, we gather for Morning Assembly, a high-energy & hilarious start to the day. The entire camp community assembles together on the front porch of the Dining Hall overlooking the upper lake. Whether it’s one of our crazy staff skits or joining in an all-camp sing along, nothing beats this upbeat way to kick off a great camp day. Watch this video to see what a typical Morning Assembly at camp is like.
Mountain Biking will take you on fast and flowy trails both in and out of camp. Boys will start with an introductory skills clinic and progress to ride on the camp trails, which offer a variety of terrain. Once you’re comfortable on the bike in-camp, you will then have the option to go on out-of-camp rides and overnight trips to some of the best trails in North Carolina. Our knowledgeable mountain bike counselors will also teach bike handling skills and basic bike maintenance, so boys can learn how to take care of bikes and how to improve form while riding.
N: Nature and Naps
Not only are you surrounded by nature here at camp, but Nature is also a daily activity at Falling Creek. In the Nature program you will explore the trails, lakes, bogs and creeks around camp, learning about the flora and fauna native to western North Carolina and the southern Appalachian mountains.
Need a nap after all these activities? Every day after lunch we have Rest Hour, where everyone spends time in their cabin bunks resting, writing letters, reading, or other quiet activities to recharge for the second half of the day.
O: Outdoor Skills and O’clock
It’s what o’clock? Who needs the time anyway, when you can just follow the sound of the bell at camp! The bell keeps time for us at Falling Creek, by ringing to wake everyone up, indicate the start of meals, and signal when activity times are starting and ending. You can leave your watch behind to be “in the moment” at camp, without worrying about certain times and only listening for the familiar sound of the bell instead.
Outdoor Skills Certified (OSC) is another daily activity where boys learn outdoor skills and tips for surviving in the woods, as well as basic camp craft that they can use on overnights and trips. The activity location is in a beautiful clearing in the woods below the lower dam, right next to a peaceful creek. Boys can work on skills essential for any outdoorsman, including fire building, making rope from natural fibers, reading maps and navigating with a compass, building outdoor shelters, and more.
P: Progressions and Pickleball
Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in America, with more than 3 million participants according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. It’s popularity is likely because besides being fun, it is a very accessible sport, with a shorter learning curve than other racquet/paddle sports and less physical impact on the body. We have three dedicated pickleball courts at camp, right next to the tennis courts.
Falling Creek’s camp-wide progression system allows activities to “grow” with you as you advance through five levels in each activity. Each level has a set of criteria to complete in order to advance in an activity. The levels are skill-based with leadership and service components. The names assigned to each level are Scout, Explorer, Challenger, Ranger, and Warrior. Campers who reach Ranger and Warrior are recognized on the Hall of Fame board on the side porch of the Dining Hall.
Q: Quantity AND Quality
Usually you have to pick one or the other, but when it comes to food at camp, there’s both quantity and quality!
You eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner family-style with your cabin mates and counselor in the dining hall. This means that the food is put on your cabin’s table right before you walk inside, and you and your cabin mates fill your plates from the serving bowls, just like you would at home. If you run out of any specific food, just ask for more from other tables, or take the serving bowl up to the front window to refill it.
In addition to the meal, we also have a hot and cold bar. For breakfast, we have cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, and hard-boiled eggs available as an alternative to what is served on the table. We also have a full salad bar every day for both lunch and dinner, as well as rice, beans, and sometimes soup offered on the hot bar. If you get hungry between meals, there is always a bowl of fresh fruit available in the Dining Hall.
Don’t worry if you are allergic to any foods or if you have a special diet. Your parents will notify us on your health form if you have any dietary restrictions, and it will be no problem during meals. During the meal, you would just come up to the front window to get your substitution.
R: Rock Climbing and Riflery
Riflery is one of the most popular in-camp activities. The first thing you will learn in Riflery is range and gun safety. Every camper will be given a safety prep each summer, and everyone on the range wears eye protection at all times. Our riflery range uses olympic style .177 air rifles. We offer instruction in the prone, sitting, kneeling, & standing positions, which boys are able to progress through as their skill allows. We have 11 shooting stations at the range. Our riflery counselors adhere to strict safety procedures, and follow the NRA certification progression.
Though we also have a 40 foot rock climbing wall on property, the Rock Climbing program gives boys the opportunity to learn how to climb on real rock faces, improve skills, and enjoy the beautiful views from the summit. We start out by teaching you the basics at camp, then head to nearby Gilbert’s Rock for the first climb.
If campers enjoy the activity they can continue signing up for Rock Climbing trips and work up to multi-day and multi-pitch climbs on a variety of beautiful rock faces in western North Carolina and beyond.
S: S’mores and Soccer
You’ll probably cook lots of s’mores over the fire while you’re at camp - especially on Cabin Overnights! Cabin Overnights are something the whole cabin does as a group, in order to get to know each other, bond as a group, and enjoy time immersed in nature. The addition of primitive shelters around Falling Creek’s woods makes camping even simpler since there is no need to pack tents. Boys and their counselors are able to hike out to a spot on property, prepare dinner, talk around the campfire, and enjoy the camping experience together in this beautiful corner of North Carolina.
On the soccer field, instruction focuses on skill development, fundamentals of the game, teamwork and having fun. We offer both outdoor soccer on the landsports field, and indoor soccer in our enclosed turf field, located below the basketball court and nicknamed “the Thunder Dungeon”. You can work on your individual skills and participate in team games, often held during Saturday tournaments.
T: Tradition and Trips
Falling Creek is a traditional summer camp for boys that exists to shepherd the journey of personal growth through love and adventure. Some of our continuing traditions include Campfire, Evening Embers, Morning Assembly, Morning Watch, 5-Year Dinner, the Ironman, and Cookout Supper. You can learn about more of camp’s traditions and lingo in this Mini Falling Creek Dictionary blog post.
In addition to the classic camp activities, campers can choose to participate daily in a variety of out-of-camp adventure trips, ranging in skill level from introductory to advanced, and from one-day trips to five-day trips. Under experienced leadership, you can choose from a variety of adventure trips, including Backpacking, Paddling, Rock Climbing, and Mountain Biking.
U: Ultimate and Unplugged
Ultimate Frisbee is a high-energy game involving working as a team on the field to throw the frisbee into the other team’s goal. It includes working with a partner or a whole team to improve your skills, or just playing to have fun! Usually this activity takes place on the turf field by the McGrady Gym.
One of the best parts about camp is the extended break from screens, and being able to enjoy friends and activities completely unplugged. Camp is technology free, and everyone leaves their phones and screens behind when they come to Falling Creek. We call it “Boyhood Unplugged”, where boys get to be surrounded by nature, adventure is encouraged, appropriate risk is allowed, and play happens every day.
V: Values and Views
Falling Creek is situated on 900+ private mountaintop acres near Tuxedo, North Carolina, and the views from camp down to the Green River Valley are incredible. We are surrounded by hundreds of acres of privately-owned forest and peaceful wilderness (placed in a conservation easement to protect rare plants and animals such as the endangered green salamander and pitcher plant). Falling Creek is blessed with beautiful panoramic views of the surrounding blue ridge mountains. You can come see the views for yourself! Join us for a tour where you can experience camp, see our facilities, and let us answer any questions you have. The Falling Creek Code is a set of enduring traditional values that provides the framework for everything at camp. The four parts of the Code are Warrior Spirit, Positive Attitude, Servant’s Heart, and Moral Compass. We ask everyone in the camp community to live by these values.
W: Woodworking and Waterfront
In woodworking, boys can sign up for this daily activity to work with their hands and build both individual and group projects. Creating something from a shapeless piece of wood is quite satisfying. Campers learn to use traditional woodcraft hand tools under the careful supervision of our staff, as well as learn how to safely use some power tools for larger projects.
The waterfront is the place to be on a hot summer day! Falling Creek’s swimming program is a wonderful opportunity to fine tune strokes and build endurance. Our waterfront staff also teach lifesaving skills and keep swimming fun by planning relay races or water polo games. You can work your way through our progression system and have a ton of fun in the lake.
Outside of activity periods, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy the lake twice a day during Free Choice too. Everyone wears a PFD for safety during Free Choice, and boys can enjoy playing on our waterfront elements, jumping off the high dive, or just relaxing with friends in tubes. The waterfront has a huge “blob” that acts as a floating trampoline, rocketing your friends into the water when you jump onto the other side. We also have a zip line that spans the length of the lake, a rope swing, and a “roller coaster” that slides you down across the water.
X: marks the spot!
You can work on your map reading skills while at camp, both in the Outdoor Skills activity and on trips with backpacking.
Plus, during Saturday all-camp-games, the entire campus becomes the “game map” for exciting events like Wild Wild West, Zombie Apocalypse, Capture the Flag and more. You’ll be able to strategize and work with teammates across a large area during these camp-wide games like a giant treasure hunt.
Y: Yates, Youth, and Yes!
At camp, you can make your own choices and say “yes!” to whatever sounds like fun to you. Boys are able to build their daily activity schedules when they arrive at camp, change them as their interests and goals change, and sign up for daily trips off property if they like.
Falling Creek is for the young and young at heart - while camp is for the boys, many staff return each summer because they love the youthful fun they get to have at camp. The same goes for our dads who spend Father/Son Weekends with us!
And of course, Y is for Yates Pharr, who is one of the Camp Directors along with his wife Marisa.
Z: Zipline and Zany
At the waterfront, you can zip down the zipline, which spans the length of the upper lake! This fun water element is open twice a day during Free Choice periods.
And finally, at camp you’ll find out that it’s ok to be zany! Everyone from the campers to the counselors (and directors) can act a little silly at camp, which just adds to the fun. Everyone is free to be themselves!
