The Return of Alpine

This morning under clear skies and cool temperatures, Alpine opened it’s gates for it’s 63rd summer of camping high atop Lookout Mountain. Perhaps no other summer has been as highly anticipated. Certainly no other summer will be as celebrated. Counselors cheered as the first cars drove through the front gates. After a year of losses for so many, a return to the cherished traditions of summer camp felt like a win for all.

My name is Glenn Breazeale. My wife, Carter, and I direct Alpine. We have twin daughters, Caroline and Gigi. Perhaps you met them this morning delivering scones outside the front gates. I camped here growing up, from Jackson, MS. My dad camped here as well in the early 60’s. Carter grew up here. Her dad started Alpine in 1959 and her parents operated camp for many, many summers.

By noon 237 campers had arrived. The grass that had remained untrampled for almost 2 years slowly padded down under excited and anxious feet. The first order of business for each camper - unpacking. Carter, ever the camp mom, created a checklist for our college age counselors to follow. Make the bed up with fitted and top sheets and blanket. Check. Neatly unpack folded clothes into the wooden shelving. Check. Place shoes under the foot of the bed. Check. Hammer two nails in, one for the wet towel and one for the laundry bag. Check. The process was smooth and a first shot at practicing some independence. Once all campers had arrived in a cabin, a camp tour was in order. Counselors showed excited young boys where they would be eating, showering, and playing over the next 8 days.

Because of the busyness of Opening Day, a picnic lunch was in order midday. Delicious chicken sandwiches that would rival Chick-Fil-A were found in our bags, along with chips, an apple and Oreo’s. After lunch we gathered in the gym for an all camp Opening Day meeting. There Carter and I welcomed everyone to Junior Camp 2021, to much cheering and applause. We introduced some of the administration and head counselors - so that boys would know who they could go to if they needed help with something. I emphasized that Alpine is a place where you can be yourself. That it’s not a place where we make fun of others or pick on each other. We talked about letting someone know if you are having a problem of any kind. And we covered a few boundaries and rules around camp.

This afternoon we played some and also took care of some necessary requirements like a health check (I’m happy to report we are lice free!). It’s so good to hear the screams and cheers of boys playing games throughout camp. Tonight, as I type this from my house across from the field, I can hear the singing of camp songs, an age old camp tradition we call Glee Club. Over the years, classic rock songs have been repurposed with camp lyrics. Just now they were singing Desoto Girl (our sister camp) to the tune of Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. Now I hear “Slaughterball, it rocks the gym walls!” to the tune of Wild Thing.

Today during check-in, a camper eagerly told me he had never been able to play games after supper at home. He had heard that at Alpine we still play even after supper. I think he was checking me to see if he had his information correct! And he did. Each night we play a game before bed. Tonight we’ll kick off the summer with various games of Capture the Flag, Slaughterball (Alpine’s take on dodgeball), and Gladiator Ball (our version of Ga-Ga ball).

All is well at camp once again. Thank you for entrusting your boys to our care. It’s going to be a great term of camp.

And don’t forget to check out our daily photos at images.alpinecamp.com. An email was sent yesterday with your password. Our two photographers look forward to chronicling the term in photos.

Thanks for reading and good night for now, Glenn