First Week Activities

My favorite thing to do is visit activities with no purpose but to say hello and watch guys having fun. I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like. This morning I found myself with an hour of time out in camp. About 16 Warriors and Braves (guys completing 6th and 7th grades) competed for points for their respective tribes. Three at a time, they shot from a longer distance than they had at their first few archery classes. I watched one boy miss the target low on his first two attempts, a classic miss when you back up a bit. One of the counselors quietly walked up to him and gave a few pointers just to him. Next two shots - bullseyes! He was beaming.

Several of our archery counselors are really good shots, having practiced most of their lives. I heard, and believe to be true, a great tale from a few days ago. At the end of a class, goaded on by the campers, several of the counselors shot. The goal: shoot an apple off the top of the hay baled backstop. Several missed. And then Adam shot and sent the apple spinning around and around. Upon close inspection he had shot the arrow clean through the core of the apple! He has now attained celebrity status with the campers in archery!!

Minor Sports exists as an Alpine specialty. Made up, or modified games, tied to funny stories are the norm. They are usually less competitive and require you to get a bit silly. Today I watched them play “Banana Ball”, similar to lacrosse but with made up Alpine rules.

Yesterday I visited fishing just in time to catch a glimpse of a nice bass caught by a Brave in one of his first fishing ventures. He was pretty pumped.

During rest hour yesterday (right after lunch) a nice size thunderstorm brought lots of heavy rain for an hour or two. The timing was perfect though as it tapered off in time to continue with most of our afternoon activity. We probably missed about 20 minutes of one period waiting out the last bits of storm. But it was good to refresh Little River, keeping it clean and flowing over the dam.

Little River runs through our property, almost parallel with the main road, at least until it gets out to the Ridge cabin area. If you are not familiar, Camp is situated on the west fork of Little River, most notable for Desoto Falls several miles upstream. Desoto Falls plunge downward about 100 feet and tourists come all summer to view the massive rushing water. We are fortunate that our waterfront sits right above a dam system on the river, creatiing a placid, wide lake like spot perfect for swimming and canoeing. A few miles downriver from us the east and west forks join forces gradually carving out a wider, deeper canyon ending at Little River Canyon National Preserve. It’s the largest canyon east of the MS river and worth a trip if you’ve never seen it. Eventually the river canyon eases it’s way much closer to sea level and empties itself into Weiss Lake, near Gadsden, AL.

We have quite a few “toys” to enjoy on our waterfront. Two canvas waterslides careen into the river. A zipline takes off from the top of a wooden tower. And on the other side of the tower a jump leads to a giant blob. It’s like a giant pillow inflated with air. As you land on one end it catapults your friend on the other side into the air and then splashing down into the water. A log roller sits in the middle of the river weighted to the river bottom, a fun test of balance and agility.

I’ll hope to bring you more activity look ins as I make rounds throughout the term. Almost forgot meals today. Breakfast: pancakes, patty sausage, and the usual breakfast bar. Lunch: Breaded chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, yeast rolls, and the salad bar. Supper: Lasagna, green salad with sliced tomatoes and ranch dressing, and buttered toast.

Thanks for reading and good night for now, Glenn