Chief Trip Departure and Other Monday News

Glenn Breazeale | Jun. 15, 2015

The excitement in the air this morning was palpable.  As I walked out of my office before breakfast, 23 2nd year chiefs (boys entering 10th grade and the oldest campers) and their counselors, literally bounded down the road carrying large backpacks.  These backpacks held sleeping bags, tents, cooking utensils, stoves, flashlights, chacos, and all the ingredients for three days of backcountry food prep.  These boys left after a warm breakfast of grits, scrambled eggs, toast plus the granola/yogurt bar.

It is a pinnacle experience for these boys.  Something that many of them have looked forward to for a number of years.  They’ll hike on a section of the famed Appalachian Trail in North Carolina.  Leading these boys will be a professional guide service out of Rome, GA, Higher Ground.  We’ve worked with Higher Ground for almost 10 years now and our ministries and philosophies really line up very well together.  We are grateful for their leadership.

I have been fortunate to make this trip twice, once as a camper in 1993 and then as a counselor in 1998.  It is quite a unique experience to hike with a pack on your back containing everything you need to live for that time period.  I remain great friends today with quite a few of the guys I hiked with on both trips.  I credit a large part of that to this trip.

Around camp, activities are in full swing.  Boys are in a routine and learning new skills every day.  I watched a fun competition at Archery.  5 shooters approach the line and each shoot one arrow at their target.  The worst score is eliminated each time, from 5 to 4 to 3 and so on.  The winner from each line relay come back to compete against other line winners to determine the best shot in that class, at least for this day.  Boys were loving it and wanted to keep playing at the end of the class.

Tonight Gail served my favorite dinner meal:  BBQ pork sandwiches, baked beans, chips, cole slaw, and sugar cookies for dessert.  It’s a very good thing that there is a limited supply of sugar cookies because they are my weakness at camp, and Mrs. Gail’s are delicious!

It was hot today but not unbearable.  We are always 5 or 10 degrees cooler than even the temps at the foot of the Mountain.  And so many trees make for shade at just about every activity with maybe the exception of Team Sports and Tennis and a few others.  Counselors in every activity gave several water breaks throughout the period.

Thanks for reading and good night for now,

Glenn

Glenn Breazeale
Glenn Breazeale

Like his own father, Glenn grew up as a camper at Alpine for six summers, coming from Jackson, MS each summer. He has served on staff at Alpine since 1997, working full time as Assistant Director from 2003 to 2005 and Director since 2006. Prior to that he gained experience serving in various capacities including cabin counselor, Head Counselor, Head of Project Adventure (Ropes course), Horseback instructor, and Program Director. Glenn’s love of camping and his desire to preserve the traditions of Alpine drew him back to camp to offer young boys the same opportunities he experienced. He met and fell in love with Carter during a Square Dance with Camp DeSoto.