Director Jud's Blog

A truly S’MAzing summer at Stone Mountain Adventures has come to a close. We ended the summer as we began it with an incredible final two week session!

The summer of 2014 at Stone Mountain Adventures Teen Summer Camp really was one for the ages. We had campers from 16 states and five foreign countries including Spain, the UK, France, Switzerland and Dubai.  Our staff was equally diverse with a total of 15 full time camp counselors from nine states as well as “funny-talkers” from England, Northern Ireland, and Australia.  Of those counselors, five were former SMA Campers. 

 There were a few minor changes for the summer of 2014, the biggest one being that the entire camp calendar increased by one week for a total of eight. Several campers stayed with us the entire eight weeks while the majority did two and four week stints. It was the first time since 1998 that we had eight weeks of campers here instead of just seven.  Stone Mountain Adventures really is a 2 week teen summer camp.

 The end of the summer at SMA is an emotional time as campers and staff begin to say goodbye and look ahead to the coming school year and other adventures. Certain activities signaled the end of summer and the fourth and final White Water Rafting Trip on the Youghiogheny River was the harbinger of that. The Youghiogheny River Gorge is beautiful and the rapids are challenging. Each trip was an exhilarating experience for campers and staff, and our faithful guides at Wilderness Voyageurs kept us safe every dip of the paddle.

After our white water rafting day we had two final full days of activities that included Horsemasters, Art Studio Tie Dyeing, Mountain Biking on the Allegrippis Trail, Wakeboarding and Waterskiing, Rock Climbing, Sailing and Windsurfing, the 1000 Steps Hike and Sports, including Ultimate Frisbee, Softball and a Volleyball Tournament.  It was a fitting final two days of activities for the summer of 2014 with campers challenging themselves while having loads of fun.

The final full day at camp was spent together packing, writing reflections and then participating in the famous SMA Crew Olympics at Lake Raystown. Evenings were reserved for closing activities like SMAM Water Bottle Awards, Paper Plate Awards, the Session 4 Slideshow and our closing candle ceremony. 

 Finally, the following morning the sun rose on the SMA Summer of 2014 the last time.  Sleepy campers and staff gathered by the Rhino Dining Room and the Board Room hugging as they said their farewells.

 Stone Mountain Adventures Teen Summer Camp is located on a historic horse farm and our activities take place in the great outdoors, an environment so different from home and school. With lush green forests, craggy rock outcroppings, clear mountain lakes and streams our setting is spectacular and memorable. Being a camper at SMA is about gaining independence, trying new things, learning important life skills, having fun every day and, most importantly, making friends. Stone Mountain Adventures is noisy and full of laughs, and we create a fantastically fun, healthy atmosphere where campers and staff feel comfortable being themselves and supporting each other in a positive way.

So, we would like to say, “Thank you,” for making this summer truly S’MAzing. To our campers, thanks for joining us this summer at SMA 2 Wee Teen Camp. We like to express our gratitude to our SMA parents for choosing SMA, for giving the camp experience to their children, and for their faith and trust in us this summer. Finally, we like to thank the All Star Staff Team of 2014 for making this summer truly memorable for all. Our formidable and fun camp counselors were up early each morning for staff meetings and up late each night cleaning up snack and making sure campers were safe and sound after crazy fun days. Our cooks, kitchen staff, our office assistant and our helpers in the barn were all dependable, outstanding, and smiling every day this summer. Individually and combined, you are the key to making the Stone Mountain Adventures summer camp experience a special one for our campers.

 We look forward to seeing all of you back at Stone Mountain Adventures for the summer of 2015!

                                              Thanks for all the memories!

                                                                               Jud & Anne Millar

2 week teen camp

2 week camp