Director Jud's Blog

We are all so excited for Stone Mountain Adventures 2016!  The snow has finally all melted at camp and with the sunshine we had last week we even have a few tulips that have popped up and are in bloom!  I looked at the calendar and by my estimation there are just 100 days until the start of Stone Mountain Adventures 2 Week Teen Summer Camp First Session 2016

Argentina Habitat for Humanity Global Village Trip, February 2016!

Here is second of two blog post Q&A with 2 former SMA Teen Rock Climbing Summer Camp Staff Patrick McManamon and Jason Criswell.  Over the 2015 / 2016 holidays these climbing partners embarked on a rock climbing trip that took them to Red Rocks, Nevada and Joshua Tree National Park in California.  Both Jason and Patrick are from Huntingdon, PA and were friends before working together at SMA 2 Week Adventure Camp. As we learned in the Part 1 of this blog post, they both first rock climbing at SMA Teen Summer Camp.  By the end of our conversation I was ready to go climbing!

The following is the first in a two part blog post Q&A with 2 former SMA Teen Adventure Camp Teen Adventure Camp Staff Patrick McManamon and Jason Criswell.  Over the 2015 / 2016 holidays these climbing partners embarked on a rock climbing trip that took them to Red Rocks, Nevada and Joshua Tree National Park in California.  Both Jason and Patrick are from Huntingdon, PA and were friends before working together at SMA 2 Week Teen Summer Camp.  Ironically they both started at SMA Teen Rock Climbing Summer Camp  in the capacity of "Maintenance Boys" before moving up the ranks to camp counselor, rock climbing instructor, wakeboarding boat drivers among others.  Others that have held that position over the years include Alex and Peter McDowell, Brenton Mitchell, Thatcher Houldin and Zack Reed to mention a few.  I recently sat down with Jason and Patrick to chat with them about their trip and we did a Question and Answer session which got all 3 of us excited about rock climbing!

 My time in Argentina has been incredible. After a nine-hour flight from Miami, Florida, I arrived into Buenos Aires in a foggy haze of sleepiness and navigated customs and immigration. From there, I boarded a flight to the second largest city of Argentina called Córdoba. My four-hour layover in Córdoba, a university town, allowed me to explore the city’s downtown before boarding another flight to my final destination, the mountain town of Mendoza.

The FrozenFat weekend was named as one of the top 10 winter activities to enjoy in Pennsylvania by Visitpa.com, the official tourism website of Pennsylvania.

As I write this I am 35,000 feet above the earth and traveling 600 miles per hour heading to the southern hemisphere. According to our pilot we just passed the equator and are now over the State of Roraima, Brazil. I am on the second leg of this journey and currently 5 hours into a 9 hour flight from Miami, FL – destination Buenos Aires, Argentina!

I am traveling to Argentina to participate in an International Habitat for Humanity Trip led by SMA Teen Adventure Camp co-founder and former co-owner James “Biff” Houldin, who also happens to be my step-father. Joining us on the trip will be 11 other folks including my mother Pam Hayes-Houldin who co-founded SMA Teen Summer Camp with Biff in 1983.

Biff has been leading International Habitat for Humanity trips for about 8 years and has led trips to Hungry, Romania, Portugal, Costa Rica and other locations. This will the first trip he has brought to South America. In a recent conversation, I asked Biff how he got interested in leading Habitat for Humanity International Trips 

Fri, Feb. 12, 2016 from 6-8 p.m.

at the Jefferson Community Center, 3501 N. 2nd St.

The Summer Camp Teen Expo at Newton South High School, scheduled for tonight, Monday February 8 at 5:30 has been postponed to its published snow date of Tuesday, February 9 from 5:30-8pm.   School is canceled which automatically pushes events to the next night.  We are able to reach all of our families so they will know about the date change and all of our advertising has the published snow date. 

On Monday, February 8th SMA Teen Summer Camp Director Jud Millar with travel north Boston, MA to attend a summer camp fair and meet with perspective camp families.  Officially called the Annual Teen Summer Program Expo,  this event will be hosted by Abby Shapiro and her awesome team at Camp Source.  Attending this camp fair is a great way to find the perfect summer experience for your teenager.

If you only read one Blog Post on the internet this week, read this one!  Emily Fichandler first attended Stone Mountain Adventures Teen Summer Camp with her brother Matt in 2010. The first two summer she was here she ate her meals with the other campers in the farmhouse as the Rhino Dining room was not built yet.  Emily is from Philadelphia, PA and is one of the longest tenured campers in SMA history.

My name is Emily Fichandler and I have been at SMA for six years and can’t begin to describe how much this place means to me. My first year I arrived nervous but hopeful and I arrived feeling exactly the same way this year. I never know exactly what to expect form an SMA summer because every experience depends on the people – the new campers, old friends, and especially yourself. I have learned that what you get out of SMA directly reflects the effort and energy and love you bring. At camp this session I have started noticing tiny things that bring me the most joy – quiet moments in the van, the ground clouds on an early morning run, the secret smiles thrown across the circle at evening meeting.

Stone Mountain Adventures (SMA) is a Teen “Summer” Camp located in central PA serving kids ages 12 to 16. Established in 1983 by Pam and Biff Houldin, SMA continues to offer outdoor adventure activities, water-sports, traditional sports, community service, and creative arts. As a Teen “Summer” Camp our season typically runs from mid-June to the end of August. 

Like many areas in the Mid-Atlantic we recently experienced a huge snowstorm that dumped 22+ inches of snow here at camp. While cooped up inside drinking hot chocolate by our wood stove watching the snow accumulate an inch an hour someone suggested “Maybe we should start an SMA Winter Camp” and that's when the brainstorming began.

What Activities would we offer if we started SMA Teen Winter Camp?

Even in the knee deep snows of winter it is not too early to start planning for the summer.

The Greenwich High School PTA is holding its 27th annual SummerFare Camp Expo from 6 to 8 p.m. this Wednesday in the high school’s student center. SMA Horseback Riding Teen Camp Director Jud Millar will be there!

The snow date is scheduled for the same time on Thursday.

More than 100 exhibitors will present materials and talk with students and their parents about programs that focus on academics, music, outdoor adventure, performing and visual arts, sports, technology and travel abroad, among other topics.

The event is free and open to the public.

The past two winters in central PA were epic with near record snowfalls and cold temperatures... this winter not so much.  Even with minimal snow and unseasonably warm tempatures Fat Bike riders from around the Keystone Stage and the Northeast will descend on central PA this weekend for the 6th Annual FrozenFat Mountain Biking Festival!

The Allegrippis Trail System has been ranked 13th in the world by www.singletracks.com for having one of the "best mountain biking trails in the world" The trail has steadily climbed up the rankings at singletracks.com, as it was ranked 20th in May 2015 by the website. The Allegrippis Trail has been ranked 13th by SingleTracks.com for having “one of the best

This is super exciting for all of us at SMA Teen Mountain Biking Summer Camp as we ride the trails every day!  SMA has a Mountain Bike Masters Program that allows campers who are passionate about mountain biking to ride world class single track trails 6 days a week. The sport of Mountain Biking is exploding in central PA with the building of the Allegrippis Trail system at Raystown Lake.  SMA is Mountain Biking Summer Camp which mean that if you are passionate about getting out on the trails everyday and improving your skills while having fun you will LOVE our camp!

Our mountain biking camp program emphasizes proper riding technique, safety awareness, and enjoyment of the wilderness. Also, campers learn about the parts of the bike and safety equipment such as helmets, eye protection, and gloves. Our bike shop houses mountain bikes for all sizes and provides room for campers that wish to bring their own equipment.  

Stone Mountain Adventures Teen Summer Camp will attend a Summer Camp Fair on Sunday, January 10th from 1 to 4pm.  Director Jud Millar will be on hand to meet with perspective families and explain what makes SMA unique.  

The Summer Camp fair will be hosted by Tips on Trips and Camps which is a free consulting service specializing in overnight summer programs for children ages 8-20.   This is a great a great opportunity to learn about Stone Mountain Adventures as well as summer sleep away camps, sports, music, travel, wilderness, language, academic, community service programs, and more in the United States and abroad. 

The following article was written by a Former SMA Teen Camp Counselor and Current SMA Teen Camp Parent Felice  Margiani (formerly Felice Walker) who lives in Portland, Oregon.

As a college student in the 1980s, I attended a campus job fair in search of a job at a summer camp. A booth for a camp called Stone Mountain Adventures (SMA) drew me in and there I met two enthusiastic men who convinced me that SMA was no ordinary camp. They explained the camp's Mission Statement, the fantastic activities offered, and the family oriented atmosphere of the camp. They said that working at SMA was not just a job, but an adventure! I now know that stopping at the SMA booth at that job fair changed the course of my life forever. Those two inspiring guys turned out to be Biff Houldin, the former camp director and founder of SMA, and his son Jud Millar, who at that time was a camp counselor, but now owns and is affectionately known as "Camp Director Jud" at SMA Summer Camp for Teenagers. 

We have decided that the best way to celebrate the arrival of 2016 is to look back on all the fun and special memories from the summer of 2015 at SMA Overnight Teen Camp. From canoeing overnights to dances, warm fuzzies to rock climbing, and from mountain bike adventures to dressing up in “bunk junk” for the “Alex’s Lemonade Stand” community service activity...we really had an epic summer!

Here at SMA Tween Summer Camp, it’s finally starting to feel like winter, but we are already thinking of ways to make next summer even more magical! Keep an eye on Jud’s Blog and the SMA Teen Summer Camp Facebook Page for events and updates about summer 2016!

Here are a few things that I know for sure in no particular order:

• Life is busy.
• The Natural World is Beautiful

Because life is so busy it is often hard to find time to appreciate the beauty of the natural world around us.  It’s easy to take for granted that it will always be there. 

As a child I remember how my parents felt about exploring nature and new places.  Growing up in the mountains and valleys of central Pennsylvania I gained an appreciation and love of nature and also be spending time in the great outdoors hiking and camping.  During these experiences I also learned a lot about myself and what was important to me.  I also made deep connections with others who shared my passion for outdoor pursuits.