Trips, Trips, Trips!

Glenn Breazeale | Jun. 20, 2024

Our Chief 2’s have safely arrived home from their grand 4 day adventure on the Appalachian Trail. I have just greeted them as they walked their final 1/4 mile from the bus to the Ridge, singularly focused on one thing, a warm shower. Spirits are high even though the body may be a bit tired (and dirty). Consensus was “hard but worth it”. We can’t wait to unpack all of the stories and anecdotes from their trip. We’ll have them down to our house for a steak dinner later in the term.

Speaking of trips, this morning 10 chartered buses rolled out for excursions all over the Southeast. Trip Day is a longstanding tradition at Alpine. In the 1960’s, my dad and his fellow campers were driven in cattle trucks to downtown Chattanooga, given a little spending money and turned loose for the day. We still have the machate he bought with his spending money on one of those trips. Can you believe that? Needless to say, times have changed. Cline Tours safely ferries our boys on their adventures and there’s way more structure and no need for spending money anymore!

After a quick 7AM breakfast of eggs, grits, and toast, buses were packed with lunches and emergency meds and loaded by campers. Then we called roll and were off!

The Hunters (rising 3rd and 4th grades) loaded their bus for a day full of fun activities in Chattanooga. First stop: Rock City, atop Lookout Mountain in Georgia. Our good friends, the Chapins,have been providing memories in this iconic Southern spot for generations. From there it was down the Mountain to Coolidge Park on the banks of the Tennessee River to enjoy some Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. The Hunters then spent the afternoon rock climbing at High Point Climbing & Fitness, and finished the afternoon by watching an IMAX movie adjacent to the Tennessee Aquarium. After their IMAX experience, the Hunters enjoyed some delicious pizza from Mr. T’s Pizza, a local Chattanooga favorite, and headed home. By the way, High Point is one of the largest indoor climbing gyms in the country with a multitude of walls belayed by auto belay devices for ease of use.

The Hunters weren’t the only ones who had a full schedule of trip day plans. The Trappers (rising 5th) took off to Atlanta. First stop: the College Football Hall of Fame. While I’ve never been, I heard great reports of interactive exhibits and hands on games. After eating a sack lunch, the Trappers headed to tour the World of Coke. They were able to open happiness as they entered the vault of the Coca-Cola secret formula, got a behind the scenes glimpse of the bottling process, and were able to taste different soft drinks from around the globe. If you have a Trapper, be sure to get his thoughts on the Italian drink Beverly. From the World of Coke, they walked next door to the Georgia Aquarium. The boys were amazed at the big size of the whale sharks and beluga whales. And they took in a live sea lion show, viewing some amazing tricks and acrobatics of these creatures. After the aquarium, the Trappers enjoyed a delicious pizza dinner on the way home at Pizza Hut in Cartersville, GA.

The Scouts (rising 6th) spent the day in the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee as they enjoyed their day at Dollywood, seeking all sorts of fast thrills. Rides like the Tennessee Tornado and the Wild Eagle were sure to provide a rush of adrenaline. For those wanting more chill vibes there were plenty of games and entertainment to enjoy. Food passes were prepurchased for enjoy meals from one of the many concession restaurants in the park.

It was off to white water raft for our older age groups. The Warriors (rising 7th grade) headed to the Nantahala River for their rafting trip. After enjoying a sack lunch, they were briefed with safety instructions and off they went. The Nantahala is near Murphy, NC and is a perfect beginner rapids course. The river is cool and refreshing and Nantahala Falls, at the end, provides a big thrill. On their way home they enjoyed a piping hot pizza dinner at Papa’s Pizza in Murphy, NC.

For the Braves (rising 8th) and first year Chiefs(rising 9th), it was down the Ocoee River. They enjoyed floating down the river, surfing the rapids, and riding the waves. The Ocoee is a dam controlled river of the TVA with more adventurous runs. After their rafting run, they headed to The McCallie School in Chattanooga for some swimming and Mr. T’s pizza (a local favorite in Chatty).

I’m happy to report that all of our trips have safely returned home to Alpine. Richard has graciously given us a late wake up call in the morning after our full day.

Thanks for reading and good night for now, 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.