Idyllic Weather Wraps up 2nd Term

Glenn Breazeale | Jul. 31, 2017

I truly don’t remember an end of summer weather pattern like the last few days. This morning it was in the high 50’s as we walked to morning watch and breakfast, sweatshirt weather! At the end of July!!

Saturday night we celebrated all of our 2nd year Chiefs, 26 in total. Together they have accumulated 152 summers camping atop Lookout Mountain with us. And they have added so much to our camp community, in spirit and kindness and joy. I said as much at our Council Ring ceremony, an age old tradition to honor them. The ceremony is lit by campfire and tiki torch. The rest of camp watches. It’s not lost on the younger boys that soon they’ll be in the position of honoree, with lifelong friends who might be sitting right next to them. And maybe they just met 20 days ago.

Here’s the beauty of camp - those friendships we celebrated the other night have not always been perfect. Friendships do bloom pretty easily around here, under the care of these amazing counselors. AND they are boys living together for 25 days, imperfect and self serving at times, like all of us. We believe we are in the relationship business just as much as the camp business. And no relationship is perfect. Our goal is not just to teach a boy how to make new friends. It’s to teach them how to make up and maintain those friendships. That takes forgiveness, sacrifice, and patience.

Tonight our Glee Club will perform for the ladies at Camp Desoto. Our Chief 1 group has worked tirelessly on a step show that is sure to bring cheers. And our Chief 2’s traditionally close out the night with a pop song rewritten expressly for the Desoto ladies. The whole camp will perform several songs including the new hit this year, Double Moosetracks. Performed to the tune of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah it’s a haunting and comedic tribute to a camper’s emotions as he learns if his tribe will win the weekly competition, thus earning him a second bowl of Moosetracks ice cream. I know the girls will love it!

Today we’ve enjoyed a final full day of activities. Tomorrow day will be a mix of special activities and packing, along with some necessary meetings to talk about travel plans, pass out lost and found, etc. Final banquet tomorrow night will honor activity award winners, honor campers in each age group, and the announcement of the coveted trophy for the term, Mohawk v. Cherokee.

Thanks for reading. This will be my last post of Second Term. Stay tuned to the blog for a highlight video from the second half of the term to be posted soon.

As a reminder our gates will open at 7:30 CDT on Wednesday morning. Most folks will have picked up by 10AM CDT. We ask for no visitors tomorrow (Tuesday) so we can enjoy one final day together as a camp community. We look forward to seeing you Wednesday morning!

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.