Director Jud's Blog

As you consider summer activities for your teenage campers, outdoor rock climbing stands out as an exceptional choice for numerous reasons. Not only does it offer physical challenges and rewards, but it also fosters emotional growth, builds self-confidence, and provides a host of other benefits that contribute to your teen's overall development. Here are the top 10 reasons why outdoor rock climbing is a fantastic choice for your teenager:

We are all super excited to announce the brand new Rock Climbing Masters Program!

Campers enrolled in the Rock Climbing Masters Program will:

• Learn Advanced Rock Climbing Skills
• Gain Endurance and Strength While Building Confidence
• Safety Training and Rope Handling Skills
• Learn From Experienced Climbing Instructors who are Passionate About Rock Climbing!

Campers will rock climb every day (AM or PM) and choose from other awesome SMA activities when not at the rocks climbing. This program is open to climbers of all skill levels!

The Access Fund is a non-profit organization based in the United States that is dedicated to protecting and preserving America's climbing areas. Founded in 1991, the Access Fund works to keep climbing areas open and conserve the climbing environment. Climbing areas can face various threats, including access issues, environmental degradation, and land use policies that might restrict or prevent climbing activities. The Access Fund engages in advocacy efforts, conservation initiatives, and education programs to ensure that climbers have access to the outdoor spaces they love while promoting responsible climbing practices and environmental stewardship.

This is Camp Director Jud Millar and I'm posting to let you know that a pair of ravens have built a nest in the rock face of Damnation Wall (the wall above the upper parking lot).

Our Donation Rock Access Fund Ambassador, Ken Hull  recently met with a bird expert from Penn State's Shaver's Creek Nature Center at the wall to determine what, if anything to do about it. Collaboratively we have made the decision to close off the Damnation Wall area until we at least see if the pair lays eggs.  Damnation Wall is the wall furthest up the hollow that makes up Donation Rock Climbing Area.

As a summer camp director here at Stone Mountain Adventures I talk with a lot of parents and teenagers about the activities we do at camp.  One of the most exciting and popular activities at our overnight teen camp is rock climbing.   A questions that I am often asked by perspective families is: What is the difference between Outdoor and Indoor Rock Climbing?  In the post I will contrast and compare the similarities and differences.

Stone Mountain Adventures will be attending the Greenwich High School Summerfare on Wednesday, January 22 from 6 to 9pm. The Summerfare is a Camp Fair that is hosted by the Greenwich High School Parent Teacher Association (PTA). According to the Greenwich Sentinel "SummerFare is designed to give families an opportunity to find exciting and unique summer experiences for their children and teens for Summer 2020." They are expecting over day camps, overnight camps, teen camps, rock climbing camps and travel program to attend this years event.

What: Greenwich High School Summerfare

When: Wednesday, January 22 from 6 to 8pm

Where: the Greenwich High School located at 10 Hillside Road, Greenwich, CT 06830

The sport of rock climbing is essentially the process of safely scaling an outdoor rock face or an indoor climbing wall from top to bottom. In this blog post we will explore 5 essential benefits you will gain from rock  climbing.

On Saturday, 9/7/19 the Access Fund hosted and Adopt a Crag event at Donation Rocks.  Local Author and Climbing Enthusiast Ken Hull was instrumental in the organization of this event.  He wrote the following “Thank You Letter” to everyone who was involved in making this incredible event happen.  Here is the letter:

“I want to take this opportunity to THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for your time and hard work to improve access and trails within the Donation Rocks property!!! Not only was I thrilled with how hard you all worked, but quite honestly, I was blown away by the quality of the work and what an absolutely 100% difference it made in all four of the work areas!!! 

SMA Summer Camp for Teens Director and Owner Jud Millar will be in Darien, CT on Saturday, January 26 for a Camp Fair.  The camp fair will be hosted by Tips on Trips and Camps and is designed to be a place where families with kids ages 8 to 18 can learn about sleepaway camps, creative and performing arts camps, sports camps, internships, community service opportunities, travel programs and more.  

What: Camp Fair for kids ages 8 to 18

Where: Darien High School (cafeteria)

      80 High School Lane, Darien, CT
When: Saturday, January 26 from  1 to 3:30 

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!

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.