Director Jud's Blog

After a fantastic First Session all of us at Stone Mountain Adventures were thrilled to welcome our Second Session Campers on Sunday, July 7^th.   We had about 15 “hold over” campers from First Session who stayed on to join us for second Session.  Opening day was full of greeting new families, unpacking leaning names and generally getting settled at camp.  We started off the week with the first of many ‘Nuke ‘Em’ games, followed by a dip at Greenwood Lake (otherwise known as Freezewood!). After a delicious meal, some camp games & a wonderful evening meeting, we were off to the cabins to get a good night’s sleep ahead of a big first full day of camp!

On the first full day of activities, everyone got a chance to attend Rock Climbing Ground School and  learn to belay and take a swim at Whipple Dam (another awesome lake) Our Wakemasters & Horsemasters Campers had the chance to begin mastering their activities. All the other campers hiked at Martin's Gap or played Soccer and Swim.  Then came the beloved “Power Hour of Freedom” which allowed for some relaxation time as well as a few games of “Knock Out”. We then ate dinner, went to the barn for some high energy “Jud Games” before heading back to bunks to get to know each other better with some games and activities.

The following day we had a morning and afternoon session of rock climbing to allow as many campers as possible to spend some time up on the rocks. We also cooled off in the lake after a game of Ultimat Frisbee, while other campers did a canoe trip on the Little Juniata River!   In the evening the entire camp headed to Pasanoes for some delicious ice cream.

The next day, Wednesday was our first day of camping overnights, with one set of campers heading out to the river for a canoe camping overnight, & another group heading to Raystown Lake for a wakeboarding overnight in the glorious Pennsylvania sunshine. Campers were also able to enjoy tennis, volleyball, Arts & Crafts, hiking and Sup n Sail, as well as head to the farm over the hill in the evening to pick out our camp bunnies for the summer.

On Thursday the over-night campers returned after a great sleep under the stars, and were straight out to play softball, volleyball, SUP n Sail & more climbing & canoeing. We then played one of our most loved games here at SMA, the INVENTION CONVENTION, our groups created some interesting new inventions to say the least!

Friday saw some campers climb the 1000 step hike (1037 to be precise), with the summit of Jacks Mountain giving a great view overlooking Mount Union & the surrounding area.  This followed by a refreshing dip in the Juniata River. There were more opportunities for Arts & Crafts, Mountain Bike Masters & plenty of time on the water with SUP n Sail & a canoe float. In the evening we got dressed up in our bunk junk & hit the lanes for some disco bowling!

Saturday means only one thing – ALL CAMP DAY! We began the day with donuts & bagels for breakfast, had a party camp clean up as well as the opportunity to perform bunk skits. This afternoon we are taking part in some important community work projects: visiting Elmcroft home for the elderly, hosting 2 Alex’s Lemonade Stand to raise money for pediatric cancer research & helping to mountain some IMBA local bike trails. This evening we will gather along the banks the lake a Greenwood Furnace State Park for an All Camp BBQ!