Taco Tuesday

Glenn Breazeale | Jun. 16, 2026

It’s Taco Tuesday at Alpine! The kitchen boys have a night off tonight, off to Ft Payne with their counselors for a good dinner, maybe a Sonic milkshake run and most definitely a stop in at the Ft Payne Walmart for a little shopping and a lot of entertainment. The rest of us get to enjoy a picnic taco buffet on a picture perfect evening. Boys and their counselors go through the buffet line to receive their choices of tortilla chips, ground beef, rice, shredded lettuce, cubed tomatoes, shredded cheese, salsa, and sour cream, all piled high on a plate. There are plenty of handy picnic spots to be had on the rock walls and boulders around the dining hall. And what an evening to eat outside with temps in the high 70’s and virtually no humidity.

Yesterday our Chief 2’s departed for their 3 night, 4 day backpacking trip on the famed Appalachian Trail. In the packs on their back they are carrying everything they’ll need for this week: tents, stoves, water filters, pots, bowls, and enough food to last the trip. I have completed the Alpine trip twice, once as a camper and once as a counselor, both in the 1990’s, plus hiked the AT a few other times. The trail spans over 2000 miles from Springer Mountain, GA all the way to Maine. Our crew is on a section in western North Carolina with their counselors and very capable guides from Higher Ground out of Rome, GA. They will hike through miles of dense forest, thick with tall poplars and oaks and mountain laurel and rhododendron underneath. They will also peak several summits with absolutely gorgeous views of the Appalachian mountain range for miles in every direction.

Our Chief 1 campers are enjoying a few days trips this week, notably to Cherokee Rock Village near Centre, AL for some climbing on the sandrocks overlooking Weiss Lake. There are beautiful short hikes and rappels as well. They are also enjoying an afternoon of skeet shooting on some of our remote property, guided by our amazing head of Target Sports, Curtis Massey. Curtis is a retired police officer, current school resource officer, and has run gun ranges for years. He’s such a great teacher of firearms safety and skill.

All of our other campers are fully in the groove of their activities these last few days. Cooler temps and a comfort level at camp in this second week have lifted spirits all around camp. Groups danced and sang to the Taco night tunes tonight as they waited in line for their turn at the buffet. Groups of boys are playing rounds of frisbee golf or tennis or gladiator ball in their brief free time after Store period or showers.

Gail and company were not heartbreakers this morning at breakfast (to quote a Glee Club song). French toast and bacon greeted us as we arrived after Morning Watch. For lunch they spread homemade meat loaf, scalloped cheesy potatoes, and green peas on our tables.

We have a big week ahead of us with visions of trips out of camp and dances with Desoto in our heads! Stay tuned for those reports later in the week. 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.