Director Jud's Blog

Independence. 

Self-confidence. 

Director Jud will be representing Stone Mountain Adventures (SMA) 2 Week Summer camp at the Scarsdale High School Summer Camp Fair.

Learn about a variety of summer activity programs at this fair hosted by the Scarsdale High School PTA. The Scarsdale High School PTA presents its annual Summer Activities Fair ... of exciting summer programs, including sports, teen travel, outdoor adventure, and more.

The Scarsdale Summer Camp Fair is always the 1st camp fair of the season and helps kick off the recruiting season for summer camps.  SMA summer camp for teens has had many campers from the Scarsdale High School and Middle School that we met at this camp fair.  

Camp Fair at Scarsdale H.S. is Wed Nov 28 in the cafeteria from 7:30-9:30, 1057 White Plains Road Scarsdale, NY 10583.

This week Director Jud is attending the American Camp Association Keystone Conference at Bear Creek Mountain Resort & Conference Center.  Attending ACA Conference is an incredible professional development opportunity.  It's a fantastic chance to learn from summer camp industry professionals, network with our camp directors and attend informative workshops.  The Keystone Retreat offers three content tracks running concurrently: PROGRAMMING, LEADERSHIP, and MAINTENANCE as well as many others - Core Competencies included - vital to a successful camp operation.

The Fourth Session Slideshow is live on our website!

The Fourth and final Session of Stone Mountain Adventures horseback riding teen summer camp began on Tuesday, August 5th.  After 6 weeks of hands on experience our staff were ready for the final 2 week session of the summer!  

All session we took pictures of campers and staff on activities (horseback riding, white water rafting, wakeboarding, art studio, etc.), doing creative art activities, 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.

The Wait is Over: the Third Session Slideshow is finally here!

Third Session of Stone Mountain Adventures wakeboarding teen summer camp began on Monday, July 21st after much anticipation by parents and campers. Everyone was excited to have third session finally here!  

All session we took pictures of campers and staff on activities (white water rafting, wakeboarding, art studio, etc.), doing creative art activities, participating in evening activities (Jud Games, yea!) and hanging around camp with friends. We gathered the best of these photos, added a summer soundtrack, and put together a slideshow that really captures the crazy, silly, amazing, magical moments of each session.

Session 4 slideshow will be uploaded in the days to come! 

The Second Session Slideshow is finally here!

Second Session of Stone Mountain Adventures teen summer camp began on Sunday, July 6th after much anticipation by parents and campers. And, for the first time, we did not have an intersession day between sessions. Our staff had two weeks of real teen summer camp experience under their belts and they were super excited to have second session finally here!  

All session we took pictures of campers and staff on activities (rock climbing, wakeboarding, art studio, etc.), 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.

Session 3 and 4 slideshows will be uploaded in the days to come! 

The First Session Slideshow is finally here!

First Session of Stone Mountain Adventures 2 week summer camp began on Sunday, June 22nd. After much anticipation by parents and campers and a 10 day staff training, it was safe to say that we were all extremely excited that the summer of 2014 was finally off and running.  

In the ensuing two weeks we took photos and captured special moments at activities (think rock climbing, horseback riding, and soccer), service learning projects, camping overnights and evening activities (Disco Roller Skating, yea!) and while hanging around camp with friends. We collected these photos and created a slideshow!

More 2014 Session Slideshows to be uploaded in the days to come!

In today's society we have become dependent upon technology to the point that we find ourselves in a place where we take for granted the beauty around us if we notice it at all. Not only does the natural world offer us the ability to feel relaxed and rejuvenated, but it also provides us with a sense of serenity and happiness. At adventure summer camps, teenagers are exposed to the wonders of nature in ways they may not have experienced before. Some benefits may include developing an appreciation for the environment, humanity and each other. At Stone Mountain Adventures Teen Summer Camp we focus on the powerful connections between our campers and their experiences in the great outdoors. This connection is not just limited to the natural environment around campers; it also includes the culture that is created here at camp and the people around them, and how to be a leader with the goal of acquiring a responsible appreciation for the natural wonders of our awesome planet. 

Here's a Recap of the Dirtfest Kids and Teen Ride hosted by Stone Mountain Adventures (SMA) Teen Mountain Biking Summer Camp... Better Late than Never!

All of us here at SMA Teen Mountain Biking Camp are excited to let you know that recently volunteers worked to improve the Allegrippis Trail System.  Over 2 days 10 volunteers installed boardwalk over a particularly wet and rocky section of the fawn trail.

The following is an article that recently appeared in the Huntingdon Daily News written by Candy E. Price.

Volunteers work to improve bike trail

By Candy E. Price

Daily News Staff Writer

The popularity of a local trail system will likely grow with some recent improvements.

The Raystown Mountain Bike Association (RMBA) and the Friends of Raystown Lake nave added a new boardwalk to the Fawn Trail portion of the Allegrippis Trail near Seven Points.

Allen Gwinn, park ranger at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Raystown Lake, and Evan Gross, president of RMBA, said the work will only enhance the safety of the trail.

Zoe

Third session was really fun! This was my first time at SMA and I made lots of friends. I met Mia and Phoebe on the first day and we became really good friends. Something from camp I will always remember is the canoe trip with Mia and Daniel. Every time we went towards a tree she would start screaming. Near the middle of the river we headed straight into a tree and Mia threw her paddle away, stood up, and jumped onto me. She screamed and started crying and Daniel and I almost peed ourselves from laughing so hard! Another memory was the Yough White Water Rafting trip; I was in a boat with Hot Sauce, Olivia B, Emily and Stevie. Some fun activities were Canoeing, Wind Surfing and the Rock Climbing overnight. I liked these activities because they were really thrilling! I also did all of them with some awesome counselors like Hot Sauce, Chase, Melissa, Fish, Brenna, Tom, Roy, Lindsay, Ali, Alyna, James, Josh, Lucy, Tim and Katie. I was sad that I only stayed for one session. It was really fun and I wish I stayed for longer but I know that I will cherish my memories from SMA forever!

Eduardo

This was my first year at SMA and it was great. I had an awesome time here, and the two weeks passed so quickly. I made lots of new friends and I tried lots of different and cool activities that I wouldn’t normally try. The counselors here are awesome! They are so crazy and funny and I’m going to miss them a lot: Immature Lucy, Cool Hot Sauce, Hippie Chase, Crazy Roy, British Tom, Tim: that laugh, Football Katie, Hipster Ali, Dancing Alyna, Rock Climber Melissa, Secret Friend James and Tube Lindsay.  Van rides were awesome, but there were some weird ones and of course some funny ones. I will remember Colombe’s dance, Mirena’s hugs, nights with Trevor, Ian with the horsehead mask, Hot Sauce playing the electric guitar really awesomely and me doing ‘Eduardo the Pretty Fairy’. I don’t know if I’ll be back next year, but I’m sure that I will remember everyone and all the memories that I have made here forever.

Jacob

I met so many new people and even tried some new things at camp. Bowling was a lot of fun, and rafting was the best yet. Even though I came into this session already close friends with Alex, we both made friends with all of the new and returning people in 2^nd session. This will probably be my last time at SMA and I’ve had a great time this summer. I’m really going to miss summers at Stone Mountain, but all the time I have been here was awesome.  

Mathilde V.

This was my 3^rd year at SMA Teen Summer Camp, and I just realized how much I love Alex Leonard. We have spent every single day together and my realization made me realize something else (basically like Inception). It’s of being woken up by the Birdy song (which I have a love-hate relationship with) and eating grilled cheese at lunch and straight chillin’ at windsurf/sail and Walmart and the Yough and paper plates, and I just realized how much I love just about everything here. I thought I knew everything about this place but every year I come, I find out little things that make my love for you guys and everything here grow. I can’t wait until the next 2 sessions and next year and every single session I come back until I am a super camper (hopefully) because SMA is my summer home and it always will be.

Stone Mountain Adventures, an overnight teen summer camp in Pennsylvania serving 12 to 16 year olds, is excited to announce our dates for summer 2015:

2 WEEK SESSIONS:

Session 1 (SMA1) Sat. 6/27 to Fri. 7/10

Session 2 (SMA2) Sat. 7/11 to Fri. 7/24

Session 3 (SMA3) Sun. 7/26 to Sat. 8/8

Session 4 (SMA4) Mon. 8/10 to Sun. 8/23

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. 

 SMA Overnight Teen Summer Camp 2014 1st Session Memory Book is here!

A Note from the Camp Directors:

Greetings from camp to everyone in our Stone Mountain Adventures (SMA) family. It is hard to believe that the summer 2014 has come and gone so fast. It seems like only yesterday we were dusting off the canoes and tuning up the mountain bikes and now this incredible summer is in the history books. The remainder of August was great, but we often found ourselves playing “remember that time in 1st Session... that was awesome!” during our down time.

Campers, we miss each one of you so much, and it’s just not the same without you around. We hope you have recovered from the craziness and had an awesome end to your summer.  How was the first weeks of school?        

Parents, thank you for sending your son or daughter to Stone Mountain Adventures for the summer. Each member of the incredible group that was SMA 1, 2014, possessed fantastic qualities and helped to make the group so special. We had some incredible experiences together that made for a truly memorable 1^st Session         

To that end, on the last full day of the session we asked each member of our group to take a few moments and "reflect" about his or her experience at Stone Mountain Adventures. Enclosed you will find these entries that we call "reflections of the summer" that make up our “1^st Session Camper and Staff Memory Book.” You also will find a brief description of many of the activities that we did at camp written by our stellar staff. 

We will be uploading the First Session Slide Show to our web site and to Bunk1 in the weeks to come.  As we peruse summer photos we can't help but smile; there were so many silly costumes, ‘go fast’ activities, and quality friendships. What an incredible summer.          

We hope you enjoy this SMA Memory Book and these "reflections" as much as we have!

Hello Future Campers, Counselors, Parents of Campers, or SMA fans,

My name is Sarah Fisher and I am preparing to ship off to Stone Mountain Adventures Teen Summer Camp on Thursday. This will be my fifth summer at SMA Teen Camp, but it will be quite a different year from previous ones. I was a camper from 2006 to 2009 and now I am returning as a counselor! You would think that preparing for summer camp is quite different this time around, but I am finding some real similarities. The other night I even took out a pair of pants that I (apparently) had not worn since the last camp talent show. In the back pocket was the script that Daniel Herbick and I wrote for “What They Say and What They Really Mean”. And yes, those pants are already packed for another SMA summer – some things never change.

Runners Larry Grogin and John Renaldo complete 224 mile + Boston Marathon run for Hole in the Wall Gang Summer Camp

This article was posted in the "Summer Camp Culture Blog" by Matt Ralf

Running in a marathon is no small feat. Running in the Boston Marathon, one of the most prestigious races in the world requires more than just the endurance to finish – you have to qualify first. Running 224 miles to get to the starting line takes things to a whole other level. But that’s what Larry Grogin and John Renaldo did to raise money for The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Connecticut. Grogin and Renaldo ran 224 miles from their home in Franklin Lakes, N.J. to the start line of the marathon and capped off the 250-mile journey by completing the race last year’s bombings prevented Grogin from finishing.