Alpine Opens Gates for 59th Summer
Counselors and campers alike woke to a picture perfect day this morning, Wednesday, May 31, the start of Alpine’s 59th summer of camping high atop Lookout Mountain. Likely most also woke to a mix of excitement and nerves. Who will my counselor be? Will my friends from last summer be back? What will the campers in my cabin be like?
One dad told me that he went in to wake up his son this morning and received an unexpected greeting. He opened the door to find his son just on the other side, crouched down in a 3 point football stance. He told his Dad he was so excited he’d been like that for about 10 minutes. School is out and camp is in!
248 campers rolled through these gates today, most traveling by car with parents or friends. 7 of them traveled by bus, with Alpine chaperones, from the Birmingham airport. 59 counselors, representing 21 colleges and universities, eagerly greeted each camper.
By lunch at 12:45 most stomachs were rumbling. Mrs. Gail and her capable group of cooks, turned out an Alpine tradition: chicken and dumplings, homemade silver dollar size buttery biscuits, green peas, steamed corn, and a salad of lettuce and sliced tomatoes. Malcolm Saxon, our Jr. Camp program director heartily greeted us and announced a plan for the afternoon.
First stop after lunch was an all camp meeting in the gym. Carter and I took our turns welcoming campers to Alpine and to our family. Carter likes to tell boys that we’re like their mom and dad while at camp. People often ask us if we wish we had boys of our own (we have only girls). My reply is that we have 750+ every summer!
I’m Glenn Breazeale by the way. Carter and I are the Directors. Carter grew up here and in Chattanooga. Her dad started Alpine in 1959 and her mom joined a number of years later in helping Dick operate Alpine for many, many summers. They are still around and hopefully many of you were able to see/meet them today. Carter and I have been back on the Mountain full time since 2003, directors since 2006. I had the joy and privilege of being a camper and counselor for quite a few summers before that.
We covered several important topics at the meeting after lunch. One, Alpine is a safe place to be who you are and not get picked on. We don’t bully or mistreat other boys. I asked everyone to step up and put a stop to boys being mean or bullying others if they see it. That’s not the Alpine way. And we also asked them to tell someone (counselor, head counselor, us) if anyone says or does anything that makes them uncomfortable or is against the rules. We introduced most of the leadership in camp so everyone knows who they can talk to. And we covered some health tips like hand washing and hydrating, plus a few boundaries around camp.
I also told the boys that it’s perfectly normal if they miss home a bit over these first few days. It means they have something at home to miss and that’s a good thing!
The rest of the afternoon was filled with games, played by cabin and age group, along with a few necessary checkoffs. Boys received their preordered camp gear, sizes checked and names labeled, by the ladies in the store. Carter and I get to sit out front passing out their order forms, giving us a chance to speak to or meet for the first time, each camper.
Tonight combined tradition and fun. After dinner boys played age old games at Alpine. Slaughterball (Alpine’s version of dodgeball) is by far the most anticipated. Several age groups slung their first balls tonight in the gym. The others will get to tomorrow night. Which reminds me, boys also divided into tribes this afternoon, Mohawk and Cherokee. This allows boys to participate in some friendly competition throughout the term.
By the way, dinner was a new combination, and a seeming hit. Chicken fingers and sweet potato fries were the backbones, served alongside Texas toast, sliced peaches, and corn on the cob. Oh and brownies with powdered sugar for dessert!
To those reading who dropped off boys today, thank you. Thanks for entrusting them into our care. And thanks for giving them this opportunity to live independently, make and maintain friendships, and have the time of their life. As I write this everyone is in a cabin, preparing for a brief devotion led by each cabin counselor, before their heads hit the pillow.
Thanks for reading and good night for now, Glenn
