Director Jud's Blog

A few weeks ago posted our 2016 SMA 2 Week Summer Camp Second Session Slideshow using www.flickr.com here on the Director Jud's Blog.  Since then we have received feedback that some campers were unable to view the slideshow.  We have reformatted our slideshow and uploaded it to YouTube.  

A few weeks ago posted our 2016 SMA Summer Camp for Teenagers 1st Session Slideshow using www.flickr.com here on the Director Jud's Blog.  Since then we have received feedback that some campers were unable to view the slideshow.  We have reformatted our slideshow and uploaded it to YouTube.  

In the days leading up to SMA Teen Summer Camp  Summer2016 life was busy.  Staff Training was starting in jsut a few days there was lots to do around camp.  One major part of the preparations included "Summerizing" the Rhino Dining Room and Kitchen for use by our incredible kitchen staff, our counselors and ultimately our campers.  Somewhere in that flurry of sweeping and wiping and scrubbing Rory Bannon came to me and said "Jud, the faucet in the kitchen won't turn off".

Have you ever heard of “The Great Smoothie Challenge”?  This was a term that I had never heard of before my son Wyatt (10) asked me “Dad, can we do the Smoothie Challenge someday”.  He explained the basic rules and I responded “Sure, sure – we’ll do that someday…”  That was my way of putting him off and hoping that he would forget about it and move on to some other crazy idea.  Not likely if you have ever met Wyatt Millar.

The SMA Second Session Slideshow is Finally Here!

Second Session 2016 was an awesome adventure for all involved this summer!  During Second Session, 2016 at SMA Rock Climbing Summer Camp we took pictures of campers and staff on activities, doing community service, participating in evening activities (Jud Games, yea!) and hanging around camp with friends. We gather the best of these photos, add a summer soundtrack, and put together a slideshow that really captures the crazy, silly, amazing, magical moments of each session. 

INTRODUCTION:

During First Session, 2016 at SMA Horseback Riding Summer Camp we took pictures of campers and staff on activities, doing community service, participating in evening activities (Jud Games, yea!) and hanging around camp with friends. We gather the best of these photos, add a summer soundtrack, and put together a slideshow that really captures the crazy, silly, amazing, magical moments of each session. Activity photos include: 

• Rock Climbing
• Horseback Riding
• Wakeboarding 
• And a lot more!

On Wednesday, August 17th we all piled into our vans and began the long drive to Ohiopyle, PA for an amazing trip down the Lower Yough River. For our staf and a few campers this was the 4th trip down the mighty Yough River of the summer!  

Saving the best for last – SMA Session 4, 2016 

Saving the best for last session 4 2016 at Stone Mountain Adventures has kicked off with an explosion of wackiness, adventure and fun. Already a week deep this is our smallest group of the Summer facilitating an awesomely close net bunch of campers and friendships being formed.  All those left over from the previous session made a great effort in welcoming the new campers, chatting to families and giving our new campers tours of the camp!

We had a fantastic day White Water Rafting during 3rd Session!

On Tuesday, August 2nd we all piled into our vans and began the long drive to Ohiopyle, PA for an amazing trip down the Lower Yough River. Since the very first day of the session, campers and counselors were waiting for this day. The weather was perfect, our guiders were prepared and we were all So Excited! We spent about 4 hours on the water, going down rapids, eating a yummy lunch prepared by our guides and trying to pull each other out of the rafts when the "pool was open" in the the slow sections of the river.

We are having SO MUCH FUN in third session of 2016 at Stone Mountain Adventures!

So far this session we have been hiking to Hunters Rock, we have completed the 1000 step hike, played soccer, volleyball, touch rugby, tennis, softball, ultimate Frisbee and Frisbee Golf both at the SMA course and at the Juniata College course. The beautiful weather this summer has meant that all water activities have been very popular with the campers. SUP (Stand up Paddle boarding) and Sail at Raystown Lake is a favorite on a hot day. We have been mountain biking on the Allegrippis Trails and along an old rail road. Canoeing down the little Juniata is always fun. Lots of campers have been working on their collage, and pointillism skills in Art Studio.

3rd Session 2016 is Off and Running!!

We are all So Excited that Third Session of SMA 2016 is finally here!  We are happy to report that all campers are settling into life at SMA quite well.

Here are some photos of all our campers in their "Morning Crew" what is morning crew you ask?  Each morning after breakfast and before morning activities campers gather in the "Crew" groups to do chores around camp including:

• Dishes
• Dining Room Clean-up
• Grounds + Micro-Trash Pick-up
• Trash and Recycling
• Van Tidy
• And one crew has "OFF" each day 

This particular morning we were laying some "Get-to-know-you" Name Games before starting our morning jobs.

We had in incredible day White Water Rafting!

On Monday the 18th, we all piled into our vans and began the long drive to Ohiopyle, PA for an amazing trip down the Lower Yough River. Since the very first day of the session, campers and counselors were waiting for this day. It rained a little bit during the safety talk, but the sun came out once we got out on the river. We spent about 4 hours on the water, going down rapids and trying to pull each other out of the rafts when the "pool" was open in the the slow sections of the river.

Stone Mountain Adventures’ second session of 2016 is well underway and the atmosphere here is incredible! From the opening day of camp, all those who were here from first session made all the new campers feel really welcome in their new home for coming weeks. The energy levels that were created from the go were amazing!

First Session White Water Rafting was Amazing!!

Stone Mountain Adventures’ first session of 2016 has kicked off the summer with a bang! Beautiful weather on open day and even though we are a small group this session we are as loud and as excited as ever!

Here at Stone Mountain Adventures Teen Summer Camp, we feel that an important start of having the best summer ever is an awesome staff…and the 2016 team does not disappoint! ‘Funny-talkers’ galore have made this staff the most diverse in the new millennium and (possibly) the most diverse ever!

Chase Cloward

Age: 25

Although he may not be from out of the country, Chase has made a very long journey from Southern California to join the 2016 staff for his 3^rd summer at Stone Mountain. Chase is well known for his epic climbing skills as he bring the cliffs down to him. Chase’s down-to-earth personality and genuine respect for nature sets a great example for us all here. Not only is Chase showing off on the rocks, but he is putting his biking skills to the test with our new bike master.

Greta Kissman

Age: 21

Greta has come to us from Philadelphia PA. She is super excited to be back at SMA as she was a Camper in 2011 and 2012 where she was a wake master. This year she is back as a counselor with great enthusiasm and cant wait to be apart of the boat crew and leading a variety of activities. Welcome back Greta.

Dirt Fest Turns Into Mud Fest - DW Swiss Sponsored Teen Ride!

Weather forecasters and meteorologists tend to get a bad rap as it feels like they are wrong about 50% of the time... that was not the case this weekend at Dirt Fest 2016.  Their forecasts came to fruition as the weather at Raystown lake was glorious, warm, and sunny on Thursday and Friday.  As predicted, the precipitation arrived in the early morning hours of Saturday and rained hard for the rest of the weekend. By the time the Dirt Fest Expo closed on Sunday, afternoon total rainfall hovered somewhere between 2 and 2.5 inches for the weekend!

The great news about the Allegrippis Trails is that they were built and are maintained with drainage in mind and even with all that rain the trails remained open throughout the weekend and help up remarkable well.  At the Dirt Fest Expo on Saturday and Sunday it was easy to spot the hearty souls who ventured out on muddy trails compared with those who spent most of the weekend under cover trying to stay dry and warm. Brave riders returning from the trails smiling from ear to ear were wet, happy, covered in mud from head to toe, and looked like they had just won a mud wrestling match.  A stark difference from those who chose not to ride who were for the most part still happy, wet but didn't have that special sparkle in their eye that only a true adventure can bring.

There is still time to register for the Dirtfest Kids and Teen ride Hosted by SMA Teen Camp Sunday morning of Dirtfest! SMA Teen Summer Camp along with Dirtrag and the awesome folks at Rothrock Outfitters continue to work to make Dirtfest a kid and teen friendly event.  

At SMA wee are thrilled to be able to share the magic of mountain biking AND the incredible Allegrippis trails with the kids and teens who attend Dirtfest. Stone Mountain Adventures is a co-ed, overnight teen summer camp located in central PA offering Adventure Activities (Including Mountain Biking), Water Sports, Traditional Sports, Creative Arts and Community Service. We also have a specialized Mountain Biking program for kids who want to ride the Alligrippis Trails everyday that they are at SMA called Mountain Bike Masters.

What: Kids and Teen Mountain Bike Ride at Dirtfest 2016 ending on a houseboat!

When: Sunday, May 22nd from 10am to 12.30

Where: Meet at the Bakers Hollow Parking Lot at 10am

Part 1:

Back in late February 2 former SMA 2 Week Teen Camp Staff members Brenton Mitchel and Drew Funk teamed up with a few other friends to attempted a winter summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire.  Called Agiocochook by some Native American tribes, is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at 6,288 ft (1,917 m) and the second highest peak east of the Mississippi River next to Mount Mitchell in the mountains of western North Carolina.  Mount Washington once held the world record and still holds the Northern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere record for directly measured surface wind speed, at 231 mph (372 km/h), recorded on the afternoon of April 12, 1934.