Preparing for Adventures!

08/03/2013

Today, AdVill spent much of their day preparing for the mini-trips they are embarking on tomorrow. After a hearty breakfast, the village split up into trip groups and went over the details of what would be happening in the next few days.

Campers prepared for their trips with the enthusiasm and excitement that we have come to expect from this group. All of our mini-trips will be camping in either the Adirondack or Catskill state parks during during their activities, so every trip went over the back country basics. Leave no Trace (LNT) Outdoor Ethics is always an area of focus. AdVill counselors do a fantastic job of conveying and exemplifying LNT ethics throughout the session, as well as during mini-trips. The 7 principles are:

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors

Trip leaders also went over setting up tarps/tents and trail sanitation/ hygiene. Trip-specific skills were also covered.

The backpacking trips went over packing and carrying your pack, as well as appropriate footwear and hiking clothing. In the afternoon, the canoe trips headed over to the waterfront for some paddling practice with Lincoln. They were all fit for paddles and Personal Flotation Devices, and hit the water with a partner to learn the steering stokes. After paddling practice, Lincoln showed the group how to portage a canoe with a partner.

By dinner, the village was clean and all of the trips were packed and ready to hit the trail tomorrow. The campers sure did do a fantastic job getting everything ready. After dinner, all of camp played Ultimate Sicko Ball; a Frost Valley favorite. USB is similar to capture the flag; there are 4 groups of players that try to capture balls from their opponent’s zone and run them into their own zone, thus capturing them for their own team!

AdVill headed right back to the Village after USB, and called it an early night. With all of this anticipation for mini-trips, we’re lucky to have the peaceful sounds of the creek and the forest to lull us to sleep tonight.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Russell Frisch

Russell started his time at Frost Valley as a camper in Forest Village in 2005 and has been here ever since. He was a camper in Adventure Village, Farm Camp, and on Teen Adventure Trips before becoming an AiT and eventually a staff member in Adventure Village. He worked as the Village Coordinator for Adventure Village before working as the Assistant Adventure Director for two summers. He is very excited to be working as Adventure Director for the first time this year.