The Duckinator

West Virginia I They have made it back to PA and are sleeping well tonight prepping for a day on the rocks tomorrow.  The kids of West Virginia I are doing well, though there camera hasn’t been able to upload to the computer, so pictures are delayed a few days. The last days on the river had the kids encounter some gnarly rapids as they duckied along and encountered such fearsome names as the rapid the call “The duckinator” and “The lower mash”.  Both sent quite a few kids swimming and they loved every second of it. 

Stealing Monkeys

Costa Rica Explorer I got a call today and realized that I may never get my trip leaders back, they are just having too much fun.  The crew is spending this portion of the trip at a resort working with Macaws.  Yes, I said resort, complete with air conditioned rooms, and monkeys that bounce around the patio dining areas stealing sugar packets and anything else they can get their hands on. It is a rough life, and the descriptions of crystal blue ocean, and swimming in them with turtles around them, is enough to make them all content to stay for a while longer.  To make it even better, they …

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Dropping in

Surf n’ Skate It has been a hectic time and the updates have not been flowing as often as I had hoped, but rest assured the crew is doing well.  I have spoken with Kevin and they are surrounded by tall pines, mountain lakes and skate ramps everywhere you turn.  They are also without Internet, so pictures and stories direct from them will have to wait a few days. I can tell you that the kids are dropping in the ramps, picking up the ollies and gaining some all around skills.  They head back down soon to spend a day at Disneyland, so hopefully the hotel will have some internet …

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Delicious plus Delicious equals Delicous?

Adventure Village It’s an understatement to say that life in Sequoia is anything but dull. It got off to a quick start and that first afternoon, adventure village was already travelling in several directions and immediately started mountain boarding, climbing, rock hopping and hiking. The enthusiasm and zest for the experience is incredible. We spent last night in tent groups on an overnight and a downpour rolled in at about 4 AM. I can honestly say, I have never seen so many kids so excited about being wet. Spirits were high and getting wet made it even more epic and enjoyable. They really are an incredible group of kids! Also …

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Coconut by way of a 2×4

Costa Rica Explorer It has been a little buggy and rainy in the Costa, but today the sun came out and life was good.  As I got the call from Mandy, she was eating a coconut that Alex had just broken open and pulled apart.  His technique had something to do with a 2×4. They spent some time visiting a local school, working with the turtles and eating incredibly well.  The food is getting RAVE reviews as every meal is full of fresh fruit, eggs and bread. I’m told that the kids are all getting along incredibly well, friendships are abound and the feeling of the once in a lifetime …

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“Inflatable Pets are not Permitted”

West Virginia I & II         The kids of both groups of WV Whitewater are doing great.  I just got off the phone with the leaders and they are safe and settled to their basecamp in West Virginia.  They are taking tons of pictures and video, but don’t have access to upload them so my words will have to paint the picture for now. It seems that the game of choice for the evenings so far has been the epic battles of the “French Revolution”.  Ask your kids the details about this game and how and why so many of them are freaked out about the bugs and dirt, but are …

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Out of the woods, and into the…

Boots n’ Boats Saturday morning found the Boots & Boats crew hiking out of the High Peaks and preparing for the canoeing portion of their trip. They met up with the Adirondack Rambler (who just came off of the water) and Kevin at the Tupper Lake boat launch to repack gear in dry bags and get their food for the next 5 days. They were in great spirits with the sun shining and the clothes smelling WONDERFUL! There were stories of falls in the mud, much appreciated lean-to’s, and beautiful views. Then it was into town for a few slices of pizza at Guido’s. It is always fun to be …

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Incredible Photo of Incredible Kids

Habitat ADK I Just got an update from the Habitat ADK crew and they were able to send a few pictures. This one was just too good to not post immediately! They are doing great!

Ask me if I’m a Rock.

Adventure Village The good news is that I found my camera cable and am able to get some pictures up of the Adventure Village fellows. The better news is that there are some incredible pictures of the last few days and I have a lot to catch you up on. Before I begin with a few pictures from the overnight on Wednesday, I’ll tell you the winning joke of the session so far. Ready? It’s a complex one… “Ask me if I’m a rock.” “Are you a rock?” “NO!” Trust me, it’s hilarious, but on to the pics!     Now, on to today’s update–Paul said it best today when …

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