Director Jud's Blog

All of us at Stone Mountain Adventures are SO EXCITED to share the Session 2, 2020 Slideshow:

Session 4 Blog Post

            Session 2 ended on a very high energy and enthusiastic note and all of us here at camp could not wait for session 3 to begin! Intersession was a good time to rest and recharge before beginning another phenomenal 2 weeks here at Stone Mountain. Right now, we are at the halfway point and we have had tons of fun and great laughs with many more to come. This session is full of more than 60 lively and charismatic campers who are always challenging themselves with new activities and forming new bonds.

SMA 2020 is off to an amazing start! The first week has been the perfect escape from the new and stressful world around us. At camp, instead of watching funny shows on Netflix campers are making their own skits that make us laugh even more, instead of at home workout videos we’re sprinting to capture the flag, and instead of listening to the news we’re listening to funny stories of the day while we all sit together at evening meeting. Never before have we all needed the joy and adventure of SMA quite this much!

All of us at Stone Mountain Adventures are thrilled to introduce the SMA Staff Team of Summer 2020!

This is Camp Director and Owner Jud Millar: Our initial goal was to determine if it was safe and responsible to hold summer camp in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic assuming we are allowed to open by local government. After working through the nuances of camp with Infectious Disease Epidemiologist, Cara Exten, and utilizing guidance published by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, CDC, WHO, and the American Camp Association (all resources listed on page 18), we have determined that it is possible to run a safe and responsible summer program with some changes to our programming and the addition of certain safety protocols. Bear in mind, if we are not permitted by law to open, we will not legally be able to hold our summer program.

We recently learned that  Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that Huntingdon County will move to the Green Phase this Friday, June 19.

Now it's our turn to make an announcement:

                                              WE CAN RUN CAMP THIS SUMMER!!

We are literally Jumping for Joy!

We are close to making a decision about the SMA Summer of 2020 but we are not there yet:

• On Friday, June 5th Governor Tom Wolf announced that 12 PA Counties would move to the Green Phase. Unfortunately, Huntingdon County was not one of them and remains in the Yellow Phase due to cases in the 2 state penitentiaries located in our county. 
• We have been advised to delay making a decision until Saturday, 6/20 to make a decision about SMA Session 2. That will give us all 22 days notice If we can or cannot run that session. 
• Read about PA Governor’s Red, Yellow Green Phase Re-Opening Plan and how it affects Stone Mountain Adventures.

SMA COVID19 Protocol Update

This is Camp Director and Owner Jud Millar from Stone Mountain Adventures (SMA).  First, I want to start off by thanking you all for your continued support, patience, and understanding during this difficult time. We are incredibly grateful for all the positive phone calls and e-mails in response to the video that my daughter Molly and I made addressing the “What If’s” of the SMA summer of 2020. I’ve always said we’ve had the greatest families at Stone Mountain Adventures and this was even more evident during this extraordinary time. 

Rock climbing has changed quite a bit over the past few decades. The gear has gotten better, the safety protocols have improved, and the general knowledge of climbing has increased. People are pushing themselves even further than what was previously thought possible, and climbing routes that used to be looked at as “impossible” are now being conquered.

        With all of these advances in climbing though, a few aspects have remained unchanged; how good climbing is for one’s physical and mental state and the inevitable improvements with hand-eye coordination.

Check out this video of Molly Millar trying to solve the biggest mystery of all: What's Happening With Camp This Summer?  

Life can get busy and in the hectic daily routine of school, family and work, taking time to plan various trips (including summer camp) can help to improve many aspects of mental and physical health.  It is indeed that physical activities can enhance the courage, strength, stamina, and durability of the body.

We are all living in uncertain times.  COVID19 has altered every aspect of our lives as we all shelter in place and practice social distancing.  Social connection is still important  to all of us and it has been incredible to see how many people in our Stone Mountain Adventures family took time to dig out their favorite SMA T-shirt and post it online.  Check out this video #smaTshirtWeek:

We are excited to announce that this is Stone Mountain Adventures Camp T-Shirt Week! #SMAtshirtweek

Dear Stone Mountain Adventures Families: 

Most children love animals.  If you grew up with a family pet, you know that they can be cute, fun-loving and oh-so-cuddly.  But did you know that having a family pet in your home can benefit children’s lives?

Research has demonstrated that having a pet in your home and having daily encounters with pets assists kids with creating positive qualities. A connection with a furry friends can help kids alleviate anxiety, teach responsibility, keep kids active and while making kids happy.  They same is true at summer camp.  We find that new campers who attend our overnight summer camp and interact with camp pets at least once a day assimilate to live at camp better.

What Animals Do We Have at SMA Teen Summer Camp?

There is a need to support the physical activities of the children as well as their mental well-being for the proper development of the children. For doing so, we should try to develop a growth mindset approach to everything, we do. Kids should be encouraged to make healthy choices and make sure that their academic curriculum is balanced with a variety of extra-curricular activities. Summer camp activities offer this balance for kids.

Camp Director and Owner Jud Millar will represent Stone Mountain Adventures at the Acton Camp Fair.  This will be the 27th year that the and it is sponsored by the Merriam Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).  The Thursday, January
23rd, 2020 from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Parker Damon Building, home to both Merriam and McCarthy-Towne Schools.  According to the Action Summer Camp Fair Committee "The camp fair committee strives to ensure attendance from diverse, prospective campers and their parents."

What: The Acton Camp Fare

When: Thursday, January 23 from 5 to 9pm

Where: The Parker Damon Building in Acton Massachusetts