Final Days of Second Term

Second 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. Blackberries and wild blueberries are ripe on the vine. The last few Sunday cabin times several cabins have picked berries and delivered to Mrs. Gail. She’s turned them into homemade blackberry or blueberry muffins for the cabin to enjoy. I imagine that some cabins will do the same today. We’ll end our final cabin time with cold, sliced watermelon on the field for all to enjoy!

Last night Carter and I hosted the 2nd Year Chiefs (last year campers) at our house for our traditional steak dinner. Will Givens, 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. I especially enjoyed hearing their stories about the AT backpacking trip. We topped off our time with some homemade French silk pie.

On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of this past week 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.

Saturday closed out our final regular activities of the term. At the end of the afternoon, prior to showers, Roderick held the annual Bubba Cox Alpine Fun Run, a 2nd Term tradition. Bubba was a much beloved counselor in the 1970’s who stayed connected with Alpine over the years. He passed a few years ago after a lengthy battle with cancer. Each participant in the event agrees to contribute $1 from their store account. Alpine matches each dollar. All the money raised gets donated to a worthy children’s cancer charity locally in Chattanooga.

Tomorrow will be a busy day with some special activities, 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