Director Jud's Blog

Here is the Stone Mountain Adventures Session 2, 2018 Slideshow! Photos in this awesome slideshow include: Rock Climbing, Mountain Biking, White Water Rafting, Evening Activities and So Much More!

All of us at Stone Mountain Adventures are so excited to share the Session 1, 2018 Slideshow with you!

 Click Here to Download the Session 1 Camper and Staff Memory Book 

Scout Kranick

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love Stone Mountain Adventures!! This is my second year coming to camp and its been amazing. I got to see my old friends from last year; Tyler, Odessa and Jordyn and it was so nice to see them again, I also made new friends; Kaylen, Kendal and Lily. We all had a lot of fun together getting to know each other, making each other laugh and having adventures. We’re all very different in our own ways but I think that’s what made us all click somehow. I’m so glad I met all of them.

My favourite activity at Stone Mountain was SUP and sail! Always getting to go with Jordyn and Odessa was fun because we just hung out on the paddle boards, talked and laughed. Jordyns shenanigans are always funny to watch! It was the best activity because of the heat wave that had come through as well… it was pretty refreshing. SUP and sail was just really fun all the time. I love SUP and sail.

SMA is a wonderful place. The energy of this place cannot be replicated anywhere else. It’s amazing here and when you come you never want to leave!

I LOVE SMA!

Daniel Bosch

Session 1 was way bigger than session 4 last year. This being my second year I felt like a veteran camper already. Besides seeing old friends and making new ones I think this session was pretty nice. I tried some new activities and had fun trying them. I’m not writing too much because im here for two sessions so will probably write more at the end of session 2. Well between Tim, Jim and Kim I prefer Kim. While ash and Beth are bugging me while I’m alone in a boat and Jess is broken and Swags is sick it has been a great group of councillors. With flat Matt and flannel Matt and a group more that includes Jellie (Jordan and Ellie), Helen, Nathan, Cassie and Diego. With doing things in power hour like watching the World Cup or the dancing fire (Helen) or the cat in the bush debacle; I don’t know, session 1 was not as close as session 4 last year but that’s because of there being more campers. Having so many 4^th year and up campers really added to the experience.

Well, session 1 SMA ’18 has come to a close.

The Stone Mountain Adventures Summer of 2018 has officially come to a close.  It is hard wrap my head around that fact that it's already August 24th but it's true.

• Our Campers departed on Sunday 8/19/18 (5 days ago)
• Our Camp Counselors departed yesterday (8/23/18)
• Wyatt and Molly (and Anne) started the school year on Wednesday 8/22/18

Amid all these endings, departures and new beginnings Stone Mountain Adventures has become a very quiet place.  Today it was just Jack, Comet, Barney, the bunnies here at camp with the horses, the chickens (bak, bak) Pam, Biff, Tammy in the barn.  

Please keep an eye on your Inbox as in the weeks to come we plan to send out:

• Community Service Hours Certificates
• SMA Session Slideshows
• SMA Session Memory Books

Session four is off to a flying start! All camp day has arrived! There is blue sky and the sun is shining! We enjoyed bagels and donuts for breakfast this morning and we’re having a party camp clean up and skits before heading out on community projects and reconvening for a tasty cook out this evening.

It's hard to believe we are already two days into SMA Session 4, but we are so excited to welcome in this new group of campers, with many new faces and a few returning to make this the best session ever! After some volleyball and swimming at Whipple Dam on opening day, we were happy to get the final campers arriving from the DC airport on Monday night for a good night of rest before the first full day of activities!

Stone Mountain Adventures Summer Camp is still enrolling kids the following summer sessions taking place in August:

• 1 or 2 Week Overnight Camp for Teens (Ages 12 to 16)

• 1 or 2 Week Teen Day Camp (Ages 12 to 16)  *Transportation from State College 

• 1 or 2 Week Dream Day Camp (Ages 8 to 11) *Transportation from State College 

• 1 or 2 Week Horseback Riding Camp, (Ages 8 to 16) *Transportation from State College 

It’s All Camp Day at SMA which means we all got to sleep in!  We had a yummy breakfast of bagels and donuts and have all had time to reflect on this crazy fun week of session 3.

Since the campers arrived, session 3 has been going nonstop! We have had 2 overnights mud-ultimate, mud-soccer, bunnies adopted, rocks climbing, tie-dye, birdhouses made, frisbee golf, mountain biking, horse-back riding, and wakeboarding!

Stone Mountain Adventures 3rd Session Campers arrived at camp this past Sunday, July 22nd.  As new and returning campers arrived at camp for the opening day of third session, there was a mix of excited and nervous energy.  That energy was quickly harnessed into action with camp counselors leading "ice-breaker" and team-building games.

And then the rains came... the good news for us at Stone Mountain Adventures is that our facility is location in a mountainous region of central Pennsylvania so we are in no danger of flash floods.  

How do we deal with rainy days at SMA?  With positive energy and action!  There are some activities that must be modified or postponed because of heavy rain.  However, most activities we just put the word "MUD" in front of them and run them anyway including:

• Mud Soccer

• Mud Mountain Biking

• Mud Ultimate Frisbee

• Mud Hiking

• Mud Volleyball

• and more!

It’s wild to think we are already 6 days into SMA session 2! – and what a 6 days it has been. We have crammed in many adventures and belly laughs into our session 2 summer days and we are certain there are many more in store.

 Stone Mountain Adventures was excited to welcome our second session campers after an incredible first session ! We started off the week with the first Volley Ball Game and swim at Greenwood Lake, which we affectionately (and accurately) call Freezewood here at SMA. After a delicious meal, some knockout basketball and a wonderful evening meeting, we were off to the bunks to get some rest before the first full day of camp!

On this lazy all camp day morning (we even got to sleep in!), there is some time during breakfast of bagels and donuts to reflect on this crazy fun week that session 1 has become. Since they arrived, session 1 campers have been going none stop! We have had four overnights (some wetter than others!), mud-ultimate, mud-soccer, bunnies adopted, rocks scaled, tie-dye, birdhouses made, frisbee golf, LAZER TAG, mountain biking, horse-back riding, and wakeboarding!

Today our Mountain Bike Masters decided to stay close to camp and have some fun!

            Stone Mountain Adventures was excited to welcome our much anticipated first session of campers back to the farm on Saturday afternoon after ten days of staff training! We started off the week with the first ‘Nuke ‘Em’ game of summer and a swim at Greenwood Lake, which we affectionately (and accurately) call Freezewood here at SMA. After a delicious meal, some ultimate frisbee in the rain, and a wonderful evening meeting, we were off to the bunks to get some rest before the first full day of camp!

All of us at Stone Mountain Adventures are excited to introduce our 2018 All Star Staff Team:

Introducing Matthew Dyer (aka Flat Matt)

Age: 23

Home Town: Perth, NY

Recently graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, this particular counsellor can often be found shredding the gnarly bike trails as one of our mountain biking instructors. If he isn’t living up to the self-proclaimed title “the songbird of his generation” or being mistaken for Jimmy Hendrix, you may find him skiing or instigating search parties for his sister with reindeers in blizzards. Matt’s life aspirations include, but are not limited to, living within walking distance of a Chipotle and Chikfila, performing 6 continuous backflips on a bike, and riding the whole Encilada.

As a vegan, eating away from home can be a worry, as you wonder whether you and your family’s needs will be catered for without causing a fuss. Many teen summer camps now provide proper, nutritionally balanced, vegetarian and vegan meals, essential for when your kids are at camp without you. It's important to communicate with the camp director their camp camp can accommodate vegetarians and vegans because kids need healthy snacks and packed lunches for days out. When kids are on camping trips, where physical activity and fresh air can work up an appetite very quickly.

Convenient meals

The convenience of a vegan diet lends itself well to camping and eating on the go as you can eat plenty of raw fruit, nuts, and vegetables and there is no need to think about storing perishable dairy and meat products and worry about them becoming contaminated. For a great start to a busy day, just add water to an oatmeal or pancake mix. Pita bread filled with salad and homemade hummus makes a nutritious lunch and, in the evening, your kids can cook delicious grilled soy dogs and veggie burgers with beans or organic ketchup. Keep meals interesting with plenty of variety and taste as well as nutritional value. Grill vegetable kebabs or put some corn on the cob on the campfire and, for a tasty and filling late night supper, place some foil wrapped baking potatoes in the embers.  

Stone Mountain Adventures is excited to announce that we are offering an  Teen Day Camp this August!

We are thrilled to offer a new Explorers Teen Day Camp this August for 12 to 16 year olds.  Each week campers will experience adventure activities, water sports, traditional sports, and creative arts.  Explorers will have the opportunity to challenge themselves on activities while making new friends. Transportation will be provided from State College. 

Stone Mountain Explorers Dream Day Camp (8 to 11)

We welcome your child to join us this summer at the Stone Mountain Explorers Dream Day Camp!  This program is designed to introduce younger campers to everything that is Stone Mountain Adventures. Campers will explore the wonders of the natural world around our camp and be exposed to many of the summer camp activities that we offer for older campers. A daily lunch will be provided while campers will need to bring a daypack, a full water bottle, sunscreen, and their sense of adventure!! Dream Day Camp activities may include:

• Team building activities and events
• Disc Golf
• Arts and Crafts
• Horseback Riding!
• Rock Climbing
• Traditional Sports
• Stream Exploration
• Hiking
• Scavenger Hunts
• Biking
• Swimming
• Shelter Building
• Day trips to Greenwood Furnace and/or Whipples Dam State Parks
• Parents are invited to join us for an ice cream social on the closing day of camp - Thursday, August 17 from 2 to 4pm

Dream Day Camp Ages: 8-12

Dates: Session 1: Monday 7/23 to Friday 7/27

            Session 2: Monday 8/13 to Friday 8/17

Times: 9am to 4pm 

Transportation Provided from State College at no extra cost. 

   - Pick up and Drop Off will be at the Uni Mart on the corner of White Hall Road and Route 26

 Cost: $385

Stone Mountain Adventures Summer Camp is excited to announce we will once again host a youth ride on Sunday morning of Dirt Fest! We are excited to be able to share the magic of mountain biking AND the incredible Allegrippis trails with the kids and teens who attend Dirt Fest.

Stone Mountain Adventures (SMA) is a co-ed, overnight summer camp for teenagers (12 to 16) located in central PA offering:

• Adventure Activities (Including Mountain Biking)
• Water Sports
• Traditional Sports
• Creative Arts
• Community Service.
• We also have a specialized Mountain Biking Program for kids who want to ride the Alligrippis Trails everyday 
  

What: Kids and Teen Mountain Bike Ride at Dirt Rage Dirt Fest PA       

When: Sunday, May 20th from 9.30am to 1pm

Where: (Option 1): Meet at 9.30am at the SMA Both at the Expo to catch the shuttle up to the Bakers Hollow Lot

             (Option 2): Meet at the Bakers Hollow Parking Lot at 10am