Mid Week Update

Yesterday was a banner day for food at Alpine. For several days boys have been asking me some version of, “when are we going to have chicken and Shazaam, we’ve only had it once this term.” What they mean is the favorite lunch around here. Chicken fingers, butter beans, mashed potatoes, rolls and Gail’s Shazaam sauce. It’s a pink chicken dipping sauce, similar to a Zaxby’s or other chicken chain, but distinctly unique to Alpine with a few secret ingredients. I think I’ve mentioned that every lunch meal also offers a salad bar, with spinach, mixed lettuce and 10 to 12 healthy toppings, plus 3 or 4 dressing options. I usually go for the salad bar at lunch (I’m not 21 any more!). But I can’t resist chicken fingers and Shazaam day.

And that was just lunch! On my way to the office early yesterday I smelled the unmistakeable aroma of bacon wafting from the dining hall. French toast accompanied it as usual. And some dry cereal and breakfast bar options of course. To top it off, last night we were greeted with chicken spaghetti, another crowd pleaser.

I genuinely don’t remember two days in late June more beautiful than the last two. Abundant sunshine, low humidity, and unseasonably cool temps have been delightful. Our Warriors (rising 7th) were offered a chance to rappel near Desoto Falls on Monday and Tuesday. Higher Ground, our able guide and training partner, led these trips. They also, along with our climbing staff, escorted a number of Braves and Chiefs (rising 8-10) out of camp to tackle some real rock routes in nearby Sandrock Village. Boys of appropriate age and taking climbing class were offered this opportunity to hone their skills on 50 - 100 foot climbs. It’s a picturesque setting, in parts overlooking Weiss Lake, the culminating body of water for Little River once it flows off the Mountain.

The Trapper age group trekked afield Monday night, taking advantage of clear, starry skies, to camp overnight as cabins. And last night the cooler temperatures were welcome as we played everyone’s favorite night activity, Mission Impossible. It’s a huge, camp wide game of spotlight, counselors serving as good agents and bad agents. Good agents provide clues to sneaking cabins under cover of darkness who are avoiding getting “spotted” by bad agents.

I want to close with a nod to an oft unheralded group at Alpine, the Kitchen Boys. This group of 12 high schoolers, most of whom camped at Alpine for multiple summers, serve camp each day with very little recognition. They get food on the tables (we eat family style), they wait tables, refilling our pitchers and platters. After each and every meal you can find half of them sweeping the dining hall floor and wiping down every table (about 30). The other half scrub pots and pans, run every plate, cup, fork, knife, spoon, etc through the dishwasher, take out trash. For 350 people. And these are high school boys! And this particular group is phenomenal.

As you would imagine, their work is monotonous and often thankless. And often leads to disagreements. I truly don’t remember a group that has gotten along better and been willing to work as hard as this one. We are so grateful for them. They go above and beyond the call of duty, often finding Carter during their free time between meals to see if they can help with anything else around camp.

To leave you with a sneak peak at my next update: today is Mountain Day! It’s a day full of special events like the County Fair tonight. Be sure and check all the photos tomorrow for some funny shots. I’ll be back with an update in a day or two.

Thanks for reading, Glenn