Cloudy Day Fun

08/13/2013

This morning our campers woke up to gray and drizzling skies, but that would never deter our young adventurers! When you live in the forest, in the heart of the Catskills, such petty deterrents hold no chance of overcoming the will of campers to have fun outside. But that isn’t to say that they spent a little extra time in their tents this morning. 🙂

Although the campers would soon exit the protection of canvas roofs, they spent the beginning of the day socializing with one another, playing games, organizing their living space, and generally just hanging out.

When it came time to leave the tents, our campers had become so distracted by their Tent Time activities that they hadn’t realized that the gentle hum of drizzle on the ceiling had ceased. Emerging into the water-laden environment, the campers sought to discover what effect the weather had had on the streams. Embarking on a journey to one of the farthest reaches of the other end of camp, Advill hiked under the clouds towards their dramatic destination. Eventually, they found themselves trotting onto a platform of wood build onto the terminus of a large pool of frothy water. As the mist blew onto the faces of the campers, they gazed up at High Falls, the resident waterfall, swollen with the morning’s rain.

After lunch, the campers broke into two groups. The first group headed to the famous Y-Tower to experience the excitement of the zipline. The second group headed into the woods with the intent to create shelter from the elements. Hours later, there were structures of various designs, made with the bounty of the forest, capable of protecting the campers from the wind and rain.

During the late afternoon, our campers repeated an activity of the previous day with glee. Again, they went Creekin’, exploring upstream into the hemlock-shaded forest in the steep valley.

Tonight, Advill will engage in a contest of a peculiar sort. Breaking into teams, our campers will be given various challenges from their counselors to complete in front of their peers. Hilarity is sure to ensue, and the social inhibitions are bound to fall.

Another long day, another good night’s rest. With the weather set to improve, maybe our campers will wake up to the sunshine reflecting off the dew blanketed forest…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zach eigenbrodt

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Zach couldn't keep himself out of the woods when growing up. He started working at a Northern Wisconsin YMCA Camp as a wilderness trip leader while in college and fell in love with getting kids into nature. The smiles on kids faces after returning from a once in a life time wilderness experience is why he is here today. Zach brought his talents to Frost Valley YMCA, in 2014, when he started as the Trips Coordinator and soon was promoted to Adventure Director. Zach loves all forms of Wilderness exploration, though some would say his heart lies most with canoeing.