Pack-out-Palooza

08/16/2014

Today was our big day of packing out! We call it the duffel shuffle. The campers lay out what they’re bringing in front of their trip leader and they add the things to their packs one at a time. This way the trip leaders can account for extra baggage and or insufficient gear and spot it to the campers without any hassle or errors.

The campers also learn about the route and what specific gear is needed in order to facilitate a safe camping experience. Most importantly though, the campers test out the equipment before they bring it into the field. If you’re missing a tent pole, better to know that before you leave camp! Same thing goes with camp stoves.

The campers spent the afternoon testing out their gear and or finishing up their pack outs. Canoers got on the water and performed tip-tests and learned J-strokes and C-strokes. They also learned how to properly portage a canoe.

Finally, we also learned about the food we’re taking on trail. Food gets divided up among the group so as to make sure that we’re communally participating in the responsibility of the trip.

4th session is great, because after the Try-it campers leave, Adventure Village is just a little smaller than we’re used to. We can take the extra time to fit in all the little things about camping we never get the time to teach until we’re actually on trail. Specifically this session, we learned about appropriate packable food and how to pack out powdered food in the right quantities for groups. It’s just nice to allow more ownership of the actual trip down onto the campers. That sort of thing always makes the trips powerful and meaningful.

After a wonderful day of learning and preparing we all headed back to our village to prepare for the Punk-Safari themed All-Camp Dance!

After we wiggle our waggles away for a while, the village will head to bead and do one final devo before our Adventure mini Trips begin tomorrow!

Happy Trails (for real this time),

Lincoln McLain
(845) 985-2291 x265
adventure@frostvalley.org

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.