Director Jud's Blog

At Stone Mountain Adventures (SMA), there’s a special energy that takes over camp on All Camp Day—and this week’s celebration was packed with creativity, laughter, and plenty of SMA spirit!

This session’s theme was “SMA Sails the High Seas,” and our campers fully embraced the adventure. Throughout the morning, cabins worked together to dream up, rehearse, and perform their own nautical-themed skits. From daring captains and mischievous pirates to epic voyages across imaginary oceans, each cabin brought its own unique twist to the theme. The performances took place right in the cabins for our “Bunk Inspectors” and SMA staff, and the results were fantastic. The creativity, teamwork, and enthusiasm on display reminded us once again what makes the SMA community so special.

But All Camp Day is about much more than skits. It’s an opportunity for campers and staff to reconnect, recharge, and spend quality time together outside of the normal camp routine. We kicked off the morning with a late wake-up and a special breakfast featuring donuts, bagels, and plenty of smiles. After breakfast, campers rolled up their sleeves for cabin deep cleaning before diving into skit planning and preparation.

Following lunch, campers headed out for a fun-filled afternoon of activities, including:

• Rail Trail Biking
• Rock Climbing
• Intro to Touch Rugby with Seth and Sean!

The day wrapped up with our always-popular all-camp BBQ, bringing everyone together for great food, great conversations, and lots of laughter. We also gathered for a special evening meeting where campers learned more about the SMAM Program—Stone Mountain Activity Masters. This exciting challenge encourages campers to step outside their comfort zones, try new activities, and work toward earning a coveted SMA water bottle. As always, we concluded the evening with Candlelight, a meaningful time for reflection, gratitude, and connection as a camp family.

All Camp Days bring out the very best of SMA—creativity, friendship, teamwork, and that unmistakable camp magic. Whether campers were performing skits, biking the rail trail, scaling climbing routes, or learning the fundamentals of touch rugby, they were creating memories that will last long after summer ends.

And the adventure continues! Tomorrow, two exciting overnight trips head out into the great outdoors. One group will travel to Raystown Lake for a camping and wakeboarding overnight, while another group will camp at Greenwood Furnace State Park and spend the day climbing at Hunter Rocks in the Rocky Ridge Natural Area of Rothrock State Forest. These overnight experiences offer campers incredible opportunities for adventure, challenge, and unforgettable memories under the stars.

Enjoy the photos!!