First Term Flies By

Glenn Breazeale | Jul. 04, 2021

Happy 4th of July from Alpine! Tonight we’ll celebrate America with a grand fireworks shoot on the field. Carter has decked out our Dining Hall in patriotic red, white, and blue.

First Term is winding down rapidly and there’s so much going on. As I type this each cabin is participating in one final Sunday afteroon cabin time. Cabins are hiking, playing tennis, playing various games on all the fields and venues. It’s cool again on the Mountain, sweatshirts needed the last few mornings.

Last night Carter and I hosted the 2nd Year Chiefs (last year campers) at our house for our traditional steak dinner. Tyler Proffitt, Chief Head counselor, and I cooked ribeyes on the grill. They were accompanied by baked potatoes, green beans, green salad and yeast rolls. Carter had set up one long banquet like table on our porch, complete with tablecloths and flowers. The fellowship was amazing as we reminisced about their time here as campers. For some, this was a first year experience. For others, this is year 7 or 8. All agreed that this had been the best year yet. We topped off our time with some homemade French silk pie.

On Thursday and Friday, our cabins of Warriors (rising 7th grade) trekked afield for a few hours each of rappelling. Once again, our friends from Higher Ground in Rome, GA, guided these adventure trips. Desoto Falls served as the picturesque site for our rapelling trips. If you’re unfamiliar, Desoto Falls is a 100 foot waterfall on the west fork of Little River. It’s known for it’s scenic views from the main parking lot. What’s lesser known are the cliffs off trails surrounding the falls. It’s a great spot for a rappel.

Friday night we held our traditional Council Ring campfire ceremony. It’s one of our oldest traditions where we honor the 2nd Year Chiefs’ years at Alpine. Complete with some silly skits and some serious recitations, the ceremony went off without a hitch. The 2nd Year Chiefs enjoyed their night in the limelight.

Tomorrow will be a busy day with some activities in the morning, necessary packing, dispensing of lost and found. There’s also some built in time today and tomorrow for boys to just hang out with one another. One of the reasons we believe in a 26 day term is because it allows time for friendships to develop. At this point in the term boys have mostly resolved petty differences. There’s a real sense of boys soaking up these last few hours together, no cares, no technology, just play. It is likely that many have made lifelong friends. There’s an enjoyment from boys in these last few days that is unlike any other place or time.

This will likely be our last post of the term as we have much to do before Closing Day. As a reminder, our gates open at 7:30AM Central on Tuesday morning. No staggered arrival like Opening Day. Unfortunately, we won’t be hosting our closing reception. We do ask that you keep a safe distance from our staff when you gather your son’s belongings.

Thanks again for filling our camp with wonderful young men this term. Thanks for reading, 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.