Back from two weeks of outcamp trips. The first week was called wilderness. Three other staff members and I took a dozen 12 year olds into the woods and attempted to teach them the skills of camping and backpacking. It was not easy. It was a week filled with complaints, repeated directions, noise, and a couple of tantrums. But, with a weeks worth of recovery time and the realization that no twelve year old is going to resist the urge to play with burning sticks, I am able to see that they really did have a good time and did learn a thing or two. Late in the week we took the kids in canoes across the lake to stay at a campsite and do some real backpacking. This is the view from our campsite.

The second outcamp trip was quite different. One other staff member and I took out five high school boys on a trip that was half kayaking and half backpacking. Our campers were wonderful and had no complaints the whole week. Although it rained at some point every day we stayed relatively dry and we were able to see some great scenery, both on the water and in the woods. The following picture is of me at the beginning of a mile and a quarter portage. I single carried this canoe with my pack the entire way, a feat I am quite proud of.

Our backpacking portion of the trip brought us down a segment of the Northville Lake Placid trail (A 120 mile adirondack trail) to a great site on a beautiful lake where we stayed for two nights. We climbed a fairly high peak (approx. 4000ft) and did some bushwacking/orienteering. This is sunset over a small, beaver-dammed creek.

This is Terrell Pond, which we found to be more of a lake and were extremely pleased that our expectations were exceeded. The "pond" had a pair of loons which I saw from about 15 feet away at one point. My closest loon encounter ever.

I finished my first official week of camp. It was a long week of hard work and it went smoothly despite the 90 degree and higher temperature. I got to go on some day trips and see some of the sights close to camp. We climbed Panther mountain, which is a short hike to a small peak over Piseco Lake. I also took a group to a waterfall where we spent the afternoon. The waterfall below is one I visited last weekend before campers came. It is one of the three waterfalls called Hope falls. Another staff member and I hiked out to the falls and fly fished our way back down the river.

Tomorrow campers come again. This week I will be on an outcamp trip where I will take 12 or so fifth through seventh graders into the woods. For the most part we will be in camp, on a campsite a couple minutes down a trail from the rest of camp. We will also do some day trips where I will hopefully get some more pictures.

Camp Fowler - Staff Training

I am done with two weeks of staff training. We have been going non-stop for two weeks to get everything ready for camp to begin. I have been planning activities, learning hiking routes, building shelves and cutting boards, and all kinds of other activities. The wilderness staff who are going to be leading out-camp trips went out on Monday night for a one night trip so we could talk about the specifics of leading a backpacking trip. Everyone here at Fowler is very welcoming and friendly.

Here's a picture of the view across Lake Sacandaga from the Camp Fowler beach.

Next week I'm heading out of camp for the week to run a day camp with a few other Fowler staff members at a church near Albany. The next week is the first real week of camp.

Review: Very few bugs, some rain some sun, my new species of the week is a Polyphemus moth (Atheraea polyphemus), I'm half way through making my own wooden canoe paddle, not enough time to read or write (but when is there?), excited to see what an actual week of camp is like, and ready to get out on some trails.